Nikola Jokic finished with 35 points, seven rebounds and seven assists as the Denver Nuggets held on for a 115-107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference playoff semifinals in Minneapolis.
The defending champion Nuggets beat the Timberwolves on Sunday while the Indiana Pacers drew with the New York Knicks.
The Nuggets, fueled by 35 points from NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic, 27 points from Aaron Gordon on ruthlessly efficient 11-of-12 shooting and 19 points from Jamal Murray, earned their second straight win in Minneapolis to close out their best of seven Western Conference semifinal series at two games each.
The Pacers dismantled the Knicks 121-89 in Indianapolis to tie the Eastern Conference semifinals at 2-2.
“Now it’s best-of-three,” Jokic said, adding that the Timberwolves’ stunning victories in games one and two in Denver only strengthened the defending champions.
“We took a hit and bounced back and hopefully now we can defend home court,” Jokic said, looking forward to Game 5 in Denver on Tuesday.
🏆 SUNDAY’S FINAL SCORES 🏆
Tyrese Haliburton and the @Pacer they brought the energy from the jump to get the win and tie the series!
TJ McConnell: 15 points, 10 AST
Pascal Siakam: 14 PTS (7-9 MGF)
Myles Turner: 13 PTS (5-5 MGF), 3 BLKRace 5: Tuesday, 20:00/et on TNT pic.twitter.com/hEzE18boBJ
—NBA (@NBA) 12 maggio 2024
The Pacers double down on the disappointed Knicks
In Indianapolis, the Pacers finally got their best offensive attack. After the first two games of the series reached their final minutes, the Pacers staged an explosion as a series of injuries finally caught up with the weary Knicks.
Tyrese Haliburton scored 20 points and the Pacers connected on 56.8 percent of their shots, drilling 14 3-pointers and dominating in the paint.
TJ McConnell scored 15 points off the bench for Indiana, which had six players score in double figures.
After a dunk by Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein to open the game, the first quarter was all about the Pacers, Indiana, who pushed their lead up to 23 points.
Knicks talisman Jalen Brunson was 0-for-5 in the first quarter and the Pacers bench outscored the Knicks’ reserves 17-0 in the period.
The dominance continued in the second quarter, with Haliburton sending the crowd into a frenzy with a Donte DiVincenzo 3-pointer to put the Pacers up 30 with 5.9 seconds left in the first half.
They would lead by as many as 43 points before it was over, but despite the ecstatic ovation from the fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Haliburton said the Pacers had to stay focused on the task ahead.
“We did our job,” Haliburton said. “They did their job and won two at home, we did our job and won two at home.
“We understand the importance of the fifth game and we will be prepared for that.”
The Knicks were once again without OG Anunoby, who injured his hamstring in the second game, to join key contributors Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic on the sidelines.
The strain has been significant for Brunson, who is playing through a right foot injury. He connected on six of 17 attempts to score 18 points with three rebounds and five assists before checking out with two and a half minutes left in the third quarter.
With the game out of the way and Game Five coming Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, both coaches pulled their starters for the fourth quarter.
New York coach Tom Thibodeau wouldn’t point to injuries to explain the Knicks’ struggles, including a seven-of-37 performance from three-point range.
“Everyone has something: It’s the playoffs,” Thibodeau said. “Whether you lose by one or by 30, it’s a loss. You must reply.”
2024-05-14 10:29:11
#Nuggets #beat #Timberwolves #Pacers #beat #Knicks #Game
