When you’ve still never lost in a closeout game.

THE LINEUP 🏀

What’s inside today’s edition? 

Mavs Advance: Luka and Kyrie combine for 58 points to eliminate the Clippers in Game 6

Magic Force Game 7: The young trio of Banchero, Wagner and Suggs keep the Magic alive

Chasing History: Before Nuggets-Wolves Game 1, get an all-access look at their path to this rematch

Ant’s Next Stage: Anthony Edwards’ rise continues on a new level – the Conference Semis

Clutch Murray: His two first-round game-winners were the latest in a history of clutch shots

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Last night’s scores & what to watch today.

Caitlin Clark impressed in her WNBA preseason debut, scoring 21 points and hitting five 3s in Indiana’s 79-76 loss to Dallas. We were there for an all-access look at her first professional game.

Tonight, the Western Conference Semifinals begin in Denver with the defending champion Nuggets (2) hosting the Wolves (3) (7 ET, TNT).

1. DYNAMIC DUO SENDS MAVS TO WEST SEMIS

Third Time’s A Charm: In his third first-round Playoff matchup against the Clippers, Luka Doncic and the Mavs finally prevailed, eliminating LA in six games with a 114-101 win. | Recap

Kyrie & Luka Deliver: The 1-2 punch of Doncic (28 pts, 13 ast) and Irving (30 pts, 5 3s) combined for 58 points and 17 assists to pace the Mavs. Luka did most of his damage in the 1st half (18 of his 28 pts), while Irving took over in the 2nd half (28 of his 30 pts).

• 2nd Half Kyrie: Irving’s 2nd-half takeovers were a common theme in this series as he averaged 20 ppg after halftime
• How Good Is That? Kyrie’s 2nd-half scoring average would rank 26th in the first round among all players’ complete games
• Close-Out Kyrie: Irving improved to 13-0 in series-clinching games for his career – extending his own NBA Playoff record for the most close-out wins without a loss
• Must-See Kyrie: In a game packed with highlights, this ridiculous and-1 corner 3 off the dribble by Kyrie is a can’t-miss. Watch it in slow-mo for the bench reactions

Answering Every Run: Dallas built multiple double-digit leads throughout the game, and every time LA rallied, the Mavs answered with another scoring burst of their own.

• 1st Quarter: LA erased Dallas’ 10-point lead, but the Mavs pushed it back to eight by the end of the frame
• 2nd Quarter: LA rallied back from 13 points down to take their only lead (two points) late in the half. A tie game at the break, the Mavs opened the 3rd on a 20-6 run to take control
• 3rd Quarter: LA got as close as seven points before Dallas closed the 3rd on a 13-5 run to take a 15-point lead into the 4th. LA never got within single digits again

Norman Powell led the Clippers with 20 points off the bench, while Paul George (18 pts, 11 reb) and James Harden (16 pts, 13 ast) combined for 34 points.

What’s Next? The Mavs advance to face the Thunder in the West Semis with Game 1 Tuesday (9:30 ET, TNT) in Oklahoma City.

• OKC won the season series 3-1, but Dallas won the only game in which both Luka and Kyrie played (146-111 on Feb. 10) in Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington’s Mavs debuts. Gafford and Washington combined for 27 points in Friday’s series-clincher

2. MAGIC SURVIVE MITCHELL’S 50, FORCE GAME 7

Magic Close Strong: The Magic entered the 4th quarter down five with their season coming down to the final 12 minutes.

Orlando outscored Cleveland 30-18 in the final frame – with all 18 of Cleveland’s points coming from Donovan Mitchell (who dropped 50) – to prevail 103-96 and force Game 7. | Recap

• Magic Trio: Paolo Banchero (27 pts), Franz Wagner (26 pts) and Jalen Suggs (22 pts, 6 3s) combined for 75 points in the win
• They became the third trio in NBA Playoff history to each score 20+ points at age 22 or younger, joining OKC’s Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka (2011) and OKC’s Durant, Westbrook and James Harden (twice in 2011)
• 🗣️ Suggs On Orlando’s Chemistry: “The love you see is pure…we love playing with each other, for each other.
• Spida Drops 50: Donovan Mitchell did everything he could to try to close out the Magic, scoring 50 points for the third time in his Playoff career
• Hall of Fame Company: Mitchell ties Allen Iverson for the third-most 50+ point games in Playoff history, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain (4) and Michael Jordan (8)
• Cleveland History: Mitchell joins LeBron James (51 pts on May 31, 2018) as the only Cavs to score 50+ in a Playoff game

Game 7 Awaits: The final game of the first round will be played in Cleveland on Sunday (1 ET, ABC).

• Home-Court Advantage: The home team has won 100% of the games in this series (6-0). Home teams historically have won 75% of Game 7s (111-37)

3. CHASING HISTORY: ROAD TO WOLVES-NUGGETS REMATCH

A year ago, the Nuggets and Wolves met in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs in a 1 vs. 8 matchup.

• Finishing atop the West, the Nuggets awaited their opponent while the Wolves battled through the Play-In Tournament
• After losing to the Lakers in the 7-8 game, Minnesota beat OKC for the 8th seed and a date with Denver

The Nuggets eliminated the Wolves in five games – the last four decided by single-digits – in the first step on their championship climb.

• It was the second straight first-round exit for the Wolves, who had lofty expectations after acquiring Rudy Gobert in July 2022
• 2022-23 was a season derailed by injuries – specifically Karl-Anthony Towns missing 52 games – that stunted the cohesion of the two-big lineup

After being separated by 11 games in the standings last season, Denver and Minnesota were locked in a three-team battle with OKC for the top seed in the West, a race that was not decided until the final day of the regular season.

• The No. 2 seed Nuggets (57-25) finished one game above the No. 3 seed Wolves (56-26) this time around, still enough to secure home-court advantage in this Conference Semifinal matchup

Before this Playoff rematch tips off, let’s dive into how both teams reached the Conference Semis in the latest episode of Chasing History.

• Denver: Behind Nikola Jokic’s all-around brilliance and Jamal Murray’s clutch buckets, the Nuggets eliminated the Lakers in five games in a rematch of the 2023 West Finals
• Minnesota: Anthony Edwards led the Wolves to a sweep of the Suns for Minnesota’s first Playoff series win in two decades

4. A NEW STAGE FOR ANT-MAN

Welcome to the Conference Semifinals, Anthony Edwards.

Edwards led the Timberwolves out of the first round for the first time in his career – and the first time in 20 years for the franchise – with a four-game sweep of the Suns.

• Ant’s numbers were off the charts for the series – 31.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 6.3 apg on 51.2% FG and 43.8% 3P – as he squared off with his favorite player and and took over the series
• 🗣️ Edwards when asked about not being doubled in the clincher:  “It was like – you’ve got to beat us. And I showed them.”
• Ant scored 31 points in the 2nd half of Game 4 – including the exclamation point slam – to finish with his second 40+ point Playoff game

Edwards’ performance in the first round was the latest step in his meteoric rise from budding talent to full-blown superstar. We saw flashes in his early Playoff appearances:

• Playoff Debut (2022): Scored 36 points in a win over Memphis in his first Playoff game (Wolves lost in six games)
• Facing The Eventual Champs (2023): Averaged 31.6 ppg and had three straight games with 34+ points against the Nuggets (Wolves lost in five games)

Ant’s ascension continued in the offseason, becoming “The Guy” – according to Team USA coach Steve Kerr – during the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

• The league’s GMs tabbed Edwards as the favorite for a breakout season in 2023-24 and they were proven correct
• Edwards earned his second All-Star selection while establishing himself as the leader of the Wolves pack despite being the youngest pup in the starting five
• With a personality as electric as his jaw-dropping dunks, Edwards mixes a joy for the game with a relentless competitive streak
• 🗣️ Said Gobert: “We’ve watched him grow, evolve as a leader, as a player, as a man. It’s been fun.”

The brighter the stage has gotten, the better Edwards has performed. He’ll look to take his next step today as the Wolves look to avenge last season’s loss to the Nuggets.

5. JAMAL MURRAY IN THE CLUTCH

In Denver’s first-round win over the Lakers, Jamal Murray added to his already impressive clutch resume with an accolade that no other player can claim.

• Murray is the first player in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98) to hit two game-winning shots in the final five seconds in the same series
• He ranks fourth in clutch scoring during the first round, with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting (85.7%) in 9.1 minutes of clutch time over three games

This is nothing new for Murray, who has consistently elevated his game when the stakes are at their highest.

• Career Regular Season: 17.5 ppg, 4.5 apg, 3.7 rpg
• Career Playoffs: 24.9 ppg, 6.4 apg, 5.0 rpg
• Difference: +7.4 ppg, +1.9 apg, +1.3 rpg

Since the 2020 Playoffs, Murray’s 55.6% shooting in clutch situations is the highest among the eight players who have attempted at least 40 shots.

The Top 3:

• Jamal Murray: 25-of-45 (55.6%)
• Nikola Jokic: 36-of-70 (51.4%)
• Jimmy Butler: 30-of-62 (48.4%)

The Nuggets have the two most efficient clutch shooters in recent Playoff history. Having two elite clutch options is a separating factor for Denver.

• It can be Jokic working in the paint or making fadeaways 3s that leave opponents shaking their heads
• Or it can be Murray working off the dribble to get to his spot for a baseline fadeaway or a pull-up jumper in the lane
• 🗣️ Jokic on Murray: “He loves those moments. I’m really confident he’s going to make the shot.”
• Denver can attack clutch situations with variety, trusting that their stars will make shots at a high clip or find a teammate for an easy bucket

Considering that the last four games of the Wolves-Nuggets 2023 first-round series — and two of their four meetings this season — were decided by single digits, this West Semis matchup could deliver plenty of clutch moments.

And more chances to add to the resume.