When your sixth 3 of the night puts the exclamation point on a series-clinching win

THE LINEUP 🏀

What’s inside today’s edition? 

Green Means Go: The Celtics sunk 19 3s and eliminated the Cavs to advance to their 3rd straight East Finals

Mavs 1 Win Away: A triple-double from Luka Doncic and stifling defense has Dallas up 3-2 on OKC

Mile High Masterpiece: Joker’s Game 5 gem was the latest in his marquee Playoff performances

Resounding Rebuttal: Denver went from down 2-0 to up 3-2. Now, it’s Minnesota’s turn to respond

More WNBA Debuts: No. 2 pick Cameron Brink and No. 7 Angel Reese saw their first WNBA action

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Last night’s scores & what to watch today.

Tonight, the Timberwolves’ season is on the line when they host the Nuggets in Game 6 of the West Semis (8:30 ET, ESPN).

It’s win-or-stay-home for the Wolves, who will try to force a Game 7 in Denver, while the Nuggets go for their 4th straight win to close the series.

1. THEY’RE BACK; CELTICS MAKE 3RD STRAIGHT EAST FINALS

Celtics Advance: With a chance to close out the series on their home floor, Jayson Tatum (25 pts, 10 reb, 9 ast) and the Celtics delivered the final blow to the shorthanded Cavs, winning Game 5, 113-98, to book a return trip to the East Finals. | Recap

• Familiar Stage: This is Boston’s 3rd straight Conference Finals appearance, their 6th in the last eight years and 23rd in franchise history – the 2nd most of any franchise (Lakers, 24) since the NBA realigned with conferences and multiple divisions in 1971
• ’80s Flashback: Boston has reached three straight East Finals since making five in a row from 1984-88

Horford Steps Up: Al Horford entered Game 5 with a total of 26 points scored through the first four games. He finished the game with 22 pts, 15 reb, 5 ast and 6 3s – his highest-scoring Playoff game since Game 1 of the 2022 Finals – to help Boston advance.

• Al 🤝 LeBron: Horford joined LeBron James as the only players in NBA history to record 20+ pts, 10+ reb, 5+ ast and 5+ 3s in a Playoff game at age 35 or older
• Team Effort: Derrick White (18 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast, 2 blk) and Jaylen Brown (11 pts, 7 ast) combined for 29 points to complement the big games from Tatum and Horford

Sophomore Year: Joe Mazzulla became the 18th coach in NBA history to reach the Conference Finals in their 1st two seasons as a coach.

• Bill Russell (1967-69) is the only other Celtics coach to do that, while Tyronn Lue did it most recently (2016 & 2017 in Cleveland)

Cavs Kept Battling: Despite missing key players due to injury in Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert, the Cavs were within three points twice in the 4th quarter before Boston pulled away.

• Mobley Shines: Evan Mobley led all scorers with a Playoff career-high 33 points along with seven boards, four dimes and two blocks

What’s Next? The Celtics await the winner of the Knicks-Pacers series, with Game 6 on Friday (8:30 ET, ESPN) and a potential Game 7 on Sunday.

2. LUKA POWERS MAVS TO 3-2 LEAD

After their first chance at a third win in this series slipped through their fingers in the 4th quarter of Game 4, the Mavs took care of business in Game 5 – seizing the lead midway through the 1st quarter and never trailing again as they held off OKC for a 104-92 win. | Recap

Luka Doncic (31 pts, 10 reb, 11 ast) posted the 3rd 30-point triple-double of his Playoff career, tying LeBron James for the 2nd-most such games by a player 25 or younger. Only Oscar Robertson (7) has more.

• In addition to his 31-10-11, Luka added one clutch block on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with under a minute to play to seal the win
• 🗣️ Said Luka with a laugh: “Next year, All-NBA Defensive Team”

Luka-DJJ Connection: Derrick Jones Jr. received five of Luka’s 11 dimes – a pair of 3s, a pair of alley-oops and a dunk – as he posted a Playoff career-high 19 points.

• The New Lob City? DJJ’s alley-oops were just two of five massive lobs for the Mavs in the 1st half as they built a 54-44 lead

Winning With Defense: The Mavs held the Thunder below 100 points for the first time this series. Dallas held OKC to 42.5% shooting (25% from 3) and only 10 free throw attempts in Game 5.

• The Mavs are now 13-0 this season (including 4-0 in the Playoffs) when holding teams under 100 points

SGA (30 pts, 8 ast, 2 stl) posted his 4th straight 30+ point game in the series, but was the only Thunder player to score more than 13 points.

• Shai 🤝 Russ: SGA joins Russell Westbrook (four games in 2017) as the only players in OKC Playoff history with at least four straight 30+ point games in a single postseason

What’s Next? A couple off days before the series resumes Saturday (8 ET, ESPN) in Dallas for Game 6 as the Mavs try to close at home and the young Thunder face their first elimination game.

3. MILE HIGH MASTERPIECE 

Nikola Jokic’s team had climbed out of a 2-0 hole to even the series.

But to take the lead, the defending champs had to beat a Timberwolves team that hadn’t lost three games in a row a single time this year. And one that’d just beaten the Nuggets in Denver twice.

The 3-time Kia NBA MVP responded with a game (and a stat line) unlike any the league had ever seen, dropping 40 points on just 22 shots while dishing out 13 dimes with zero turnovers – a new signature performance for a player who’s redefined what’s possible on an NBA floor.

• 🗣️ Nuggets head coach Michael Malone on Jokic’s big night: “The bigger the stage, the brighter the lights… He just continues to shine.”
• 🗣️ Jamal Murray on the Joker: “He’s amazing, just the way he picks apart the game and reads the game and trusts his teammates… (Our) game plan was just give him the ball and we’ll figure it out.”
• First Time Ever: In Tuesday’s win, Jokic became the first player to score or assist on 70+ points in a Playoff game without a turnover since turnovers began being tracked in 1977-78
• Stat-Stuffer: Since 2019-20, Jokic leads the NBA in Playoff assists (473), rebounds (771), double-doubles (46), and triple-doubles (14)

Those 40 points, though shy of the 53 he dropped in Game 4 of the West Semis last year, were the most he’s ever put up in a postseason win.

• Cool Company: Jokic’s career playoff scoring average (27.7) ranks fifth among all NBA players with a minimum of 75 postseason games played, trailing only Michael Jordan (33.4), Kevin Durant (29.3), Jerry West (29.1), and LeBron James (28.4)
• Trivia! On Tuesday, Jokic became the ninth player this postseason to score 40+ points in a game, can you name the other eight?

His 13 assists ranked as his third-highest postseason total ever, behind 17 against Phoenix in 2023 and the five times he’s dished out 14.

• Historic Company: Jokic already ranks 4th all-time among centers with 591 postseason assists, behind Bill Russell (770), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (767), and Wilt Chamberlain (673)
• Record Speed: Russell played in 165 Playoff games, Kareem played in 237, and Wilt played in 160. Jokic has only played in 78

His zero turnovers marked the 5th time he’s pulled off the feat in the Playoffs.  In those games, he’s averaged 8.4 ast, while Denver’s gone 4-1.

Ace Up His Sleeve? His ‘trademark’ hops. Joker dunked just 17 times this season – for comparison, SGA had 37 and Giannis had 251 – but has 8 dunks this postseason, including this viral slam in Game 4.

• Said Murray: “He can jump higher than you’d think.”
• Said Joker: “I’m a freak of nature.”

4. A RESOUNDING REBUTTAL

Denver’s adjustments suddenly have the Nuggets one win from becoming the 3rd team in NBA history to win four straight after dropping the first two games in a series at home.

• The only others? The 1969 Lakers (vs. SF Warriors) and the 2017 Celtics (vs. Chicago)
• Breaking the Dam: After being held to 99 points in Game 1 and a season-low 80 in Game 2, Denver has averaged 114.7 points over the last three games and boosted their FG% from 40.5% to 55.2%
• From Game 2 to Game 5, The Nuggets’ offensive rating has increased from 97.8 to 123.7
• Scoring Inside Out: In their two losses this series, Denver was outscored in the paint 104-76. Since then, they’ve outscored Minnesota 152-130 inside, led by Jokic, who is averaging 22 points in the paint during that span
• Aaron Gordon has spread the floor by going 5-of-7 from 3 in Denver’s past three wins, coupled with 19.7 ppg on 50% shooting

Wolves Against the Wall: Before Tuesday, Minnesota hadn’t dropped three games in a row all season. Now, their season is on the line. How will Minnesota counter Denver’s adjustments in a win-or-go-home Game 6?

• In Games 1 & 2, Anthony Edwards drew 18 double teams, and Minnesota averaged 1.05 points on those possessions (slightly under their regular-season average of 1.15 pts per poss) while shooting 51.2% from the field
• In Games 3-5, Ant saw 31 double teams, including 18 in Game 5 alone, with the Wolves scoring 0.97 points per possession on 46.8% shooting
• Seven Timberwolves are averaging double-figures in points this postseason, and Minnesota is 21-6 in games when Edwards doesn’t lead the team in scoring
• 🗣️ Ant’s mindset heading into tonight: “I’m super excited. We get to go home with our backs against the wall and try to force a Game 7.”

5. MORE MARQUEE WNBA DEBUTS

A night after No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark made her WNBA debut to record viewership, two more marquee first-round picks officially began their WNBA careers on Wednesday.

No. 2 Pick Cameron Brink (Los Angeles Sparks vs. Atlanta Dream)

• Brink posted 11 points, four assists, two boards and two blocks, but was limited to 19 minutes due to foul trouble in the Sparks’ 92-81 loss to the Dream
• Kia Nurse had 23 points and five 3s in her Sparks debut, while Dearica Hamby posted a 20/14 game in the Sparks’ opener
• Rhyne Howard, the 2022 Rookie of the Year, stuffed the stat sheet (25 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk) to lead Atlanta to the win
• Tina Charles, who opened the season 4th all-time in scoring and 2nd all-time in rebounds, posted 21 pts & 14 reb in her ATL debut

No. 7 Pick Angel Reese (Chicago Sky at Dallas Wings)

• Reese fell two boards shy of a double-double (12 pts, 8 reb, see her first WNBA bucket) in 26 min in Chicago’s 87-79 loss to Dallas
• Marina Mabrey led the Sky with 19 points and nine boards, while Diamond DeShields had 14 points in her first game back with Chicago, where she played her first four seasons
• Arike Ogunbowale, who owns the 3rd-highest scoring average in WNBA history, opened her 6th WNBA season with 25 points and seven assists to lead the Wings
• Dallas also got double-doubles from Natasha Howard (15 pts, 13 rebounds, 5 ast) and Teaira McCowan (18 pts, 13 reb, 3 blk)