Dramatic endings as Nuggets and Knicks shock Thunder and Celtics in conference semifinal openers

CNN
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Monday night within the NBA was stuffed with loads of late playoff drama because the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks picked up surprising highway victories of their respective Recreation 1’s in opposition to the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder and Boston Celtics.

The Nuggets capped off a 14-point comeback with a game-winning three-pointer from Aaron Gordon to knock off the Western Convention’s No. 1-seeded Thunder, prevailing 121-119.

And earlier within the day, the Knicks got here again from 20 factors right down to beat the Celtics 108-105 in time beyond regulation of their opening recreation of the Japanese Convention semifinals.

Right here’s how an eventful night time of NBA playoff motion performed out.

Whereas the Thunder entered the Western Convention semifinals using excessive off an emphatic four-game sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies, the Nuggets got here into the collection needing a Recreation 7 to beat the Los Angeles Clippers in a hard-fought contest.

The Thunder are many individuals’s favorites for the NBA title after ending with a league-best document of 68-14 whereas Denver has had a turbulent season, firing head coach Michael Malone a couple of video games earlier than the tip of the common season.

And Recreation 1 of the collection between the 2 started like many individuals anticipated, with the Thunder dominating proceedings and having their method of issues.

The conflict between the 2 groups sees a match-up between two frontrunners for this season’s MVP award – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder and Nikola Jokić of the Nuggets.

The pair shone brightly in Recreation 1 with Gilgeous-Alexander racking up 33 factors, 10 rebounds, eight assists and two steals and Jokić posting a monster stat-line of 42 factors, 22 rebounds, six assists and two blocks.

However in the long run, it was one other Nuggets participant who made the distinction after a controversial resolution by the Thunder.

After Gilgeous-Alexander dunked to offer the Thunder a three-point lead with 11 seconds left, Oklahoma Metropolis determined to foul Gordon with out working break day the clock. The Nuggets ahead transformed each free throws to chop the result in one earlier than Denver’s Russell Westbrook fouled middle Chet Holmgren with 9.5 seconds remaining.

Holmgren missed each of his makes an attempt and Nuggets guard Christian Braun grabbed the rebound, passing the ball to Westbrook who in flip arrange Gordon’s triple and leaving Oklahoma Metropolis 2.8 seconds to reply.

Thunder guard Jalen Williams tried a heave from deep in his half as time expired, however the ball hit the backboard and bounced away, sparking wild celebrations from the Denver squad.

The sport-winning shot from Gordon is his second final-minute, game-winning second of this postseason already after his dunk in Recreation 4 in opposition to the Clippers turned that collection on its head.

“We just didn’t want to miss the moment, didn’t want to miss the opportunity,” Gordon mentioned afterwards. “We knew that if we waited, it may be too late. I’m glad we showed our mettle, our grit, but we’re not satisfied.”

The Nuggets will present a stern take a look at for the Thunder by way of their mixture of measurement and all-around magic in Jokić, with a possible all-time collection brewing between two contenders as Recreation 2 in Oklahoma Metropolis looms on Wednesday.

The Celtics had been many individuals’s preseason favorites to repeat this season after sustaining the core of their 2024 championship-winning workforce whereas the Knicks retooled within the offseason with title aspirations of their very own.

And in Recreation 1 of the Japanese Convention semifinals between the 2 on Monday, it was the reigning champions who regarded seasoned on this stage.

Boston – taking part in with all six of its most essential gamers for simply the nineteenth time in 88 video games this season – had constructed a 20-point lead within the second half, though the workforce misplaced middle Kristaps Porziņģis at halftime as a consequence of an sickness.

Though they held a lead, the Celtics’ normal proficiency from past the three-point line went traditionally awry. Boston set two undesirable information in Recreation 1, for essentially the most three-pointers tried and missed in a playoff recreation, misfiring on 45 makes an attempt as they shot 15-for-60 (25%) from deep.

The Celtics’ reliance on photographs from deep allowed New York to develop again into the sport by way of two its star gamers, Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby.

The pair mixed for 39 factors over the ultimate 23 minutes of the sport wherein the Knicks outscored the Celtics 53-30 to ship the sport to OT.

In entrance of a raucous, hostile TD Backyard crowd, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Cities had large buckets within the further interval and the Knicks protection was capable of step as much as halt the Celtics.

Brunson and Anunoby completed with 29 factors every because the Knicks stole Recreation 1 with Recreation 2 set for Wednesday night time.

“We told each other just keep believing. Just keep fighting and sticking together and keep chipping away. There wasn’t going to be a 20-point shot,” Brunson mentioned afterwards.