Top Stories

Nightly Pulse: NBA News & Highlights from May 14

Keep up with tonight's NBA Playoffs doubleheader with a pair of Game 5's. The Nightly Pulse has all the scores and highlights.

NBA.com Staff

🏀 NBA Playoffs scores tonight

Boston Celtics 127, New York Knicks 102

Minnesota Timberwolves 121, Golden State Warriors 110

✍️Top NBA Takeaways tonight

  • Celtics stay alive, force Game 6: The Celtics slammed the door on any chance of another Knicks comeback and managed to extend the series in the process. Boston was up against it coming into tonight’s game down 3-1 and playing without its superstar, Jayson Tatum. Derrick White, Jaylen Brown and Luke Kornet stepped up and helped deliver a convincing win to give the Celtics some juice going into Game 6 on the road.
  • Timberwolves punch WCF ticket: The Timberwolves are going back to the Western Conference Finals for the second year in a row after defeating the Warriors in five games. Anthony Edwards was terrific as a facilitator with 12 assists — a playoff career high — as he set up teammates like Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert for big scoring performances. The T’Wolves now await the winner of the Thunder-Nuggets series
  • Eastern Conference Finals dates set: The Pacers have to wait at least a couple more days to know who they’ll face in the ECF, but at least they know the when. The Eastern Conference Finals will get underway in either Boston or New York on Wednesday, May 21 at 8:00 Eastern. Each game will be broadcast on TNT and start at 8:00 Eastern.

🥇 Top NBA performers tonight

  • Derrick White, Boston Celtics: 34 points (7-13 3Pt), three blocks, three rebounds in win over Knicks.
  • Julius Randle, Minnesota Timberwolves: 29 points (13-18 FG), eight rebounds, five assists in series-clinching win over Warriors
  • Luke Kornet, Boston Celtics: 10 points (5-5 FG), nine rebounds, seven blocks in win over Knicks.

🎟️ Minnesota punches WCF ticket

Timberwolves 121, Warriors 110

A strong, four-quarter effort did the trick for the Timberwolves tonight as they clinched a spot in the Western Conference Finals in front of the home crowd Wednesday night.

The Timberwolves attacked the Warriors’ interior and found a ton of success in that regard. They won the points in the paint battle 72-50 and the 2nd chance points battle 27-2. On two-pointers, they shot 77 percent.

Unfortunately, this means the end of the Warriors’ season. Golden State fans will wonder what the series could have looked like with a fully healthy Stephen Curry. Still, the Warriors showed in the second half of the season and on this playoff run that there’s still plenty in the tank to believe in them for next season.

The Timberwolves will now await the winner of the Thunder-Nuggets series, which could be decided as soon as Thursday night.

🍿Not over yet in Minneapolis

The Warriors have stormed out of the gate in the fourth quarter and have taken a significant chunk out of their deficit, getting it down to 12 points after trailing by as many as 25 late in the third.

A mix of Quinten Post, Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski have been the primary scorers so far in the fourth for Golden State. This one’s far from over, especially if Golden State can keep the pressure on.

T’Wolves howling into fourth quarter

The Timberwolves take a 21-point lead into the final period and they can smell a Western Conference Finals berth. They have dominated in the paint and in second-chance points. They hold a 50-32 PITP advantage and have 18 2nd-chance points compared to the Warriors’ two.

The T’Wolves are shooting 65 percent from the floor and when you remove 3Pt tries, that number jumps to 79 percent on two-pointers.

Golden State hasn’t been badly outperformed in any one quarter tonight, but the cumulative effects have started to add up as we enter what could be the final period of its season.

Tune into TNT to catch the end of Game 5 now.

😱 Four passes. Zero bounces. Three points

The Timberwolves executed a beautiful sequence in transition as four players touched the ball and the rock never touched the floor until Anthony Edwards had put it through the net from beyond the arc.

Minnesota is starting to lean on Golden State with a 17-point lead, but there’s still plenty of time for the Warriors to make a game of it.

🐺 Minnesota ends first half on heater

The Timberwolves have stepped on the gas going into the break with a 9-0 run to fuel a 15-point advantage over the Warriors.

An interesting nugget is that Minnesota’s lead hasn’t hinged entirely on Anthony Edwards. Ant-Man has played the role of distributor for the most part with just four shot attempts but also six assists. Julius Randle (15), Rudy Gobert (11) and Mike Conley (11) are pacing the scoring for the home team.

It’s now gut check time for the Warriors as they scramble to keep their season alive. Three-point shooting will be key in a Warriors comeback bid after they shot just 21.1 percent from distance in the first half. Catch the action on TNT/truTV/MAX.

😂 Just how they drew it up

The Warriors got a lucky (?) bounce off of a Brandin Podziemski miss but hey, a bucket is a bucket. The Warriors are hanging tough on the road with the Timberwolves and trail by three as we get towards the end of the first half.

A key factor for the Warriors thus far has been their ability to get to the line and convert. They are 7-9 from the stripe while the Timberwolves have attempted just two free throws.

👀T’Wolves lead after 1

The Timberwolves take a seven-point lead into the second quarter in a potential closeout game. Minnesota has been more efficient from the floor (60% FG, 40.9% for GSW) than its counterpart thus far thanks in part to an advantage in points in the paint (16-12).

Rudy Gobert continues to cause problems for the Warriors on both ends of the floor and has an early eight points on a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor.

Catch the second quarter now on TNT.

💪 Celtics stay alive in Game 5

Celtics 127, Knicks 102

The game hung in the balance after a tightly contested first half that ended in a 59-59 tie. It was anyone’s game going into the second half. The Celtics snatched the opportunity and didn’t look back.

Boston went on a scoring barrage early in the third and the Knicks’ offense struggled to respond. The Celtics led by 15 going into the fourth quarter and kept the pressure on by pouring in 36 points in the final period.

Eventually, the Knicks knew another epic comeback was not in the cards tonight.

In Jayson Tatum’s absence, Boston had its key guys fill the Next Man Up mantra. Derrick White (34) and Jaylen Brown (26) combined for 60 points and the duo of Luke Kornet (10) and Payton Pritchard (17) provided an additional scoring punch off the bench.

The stage is now set for Game 6 at Madison Square Garden on Friday.

🔭 T’Wolves-Warriors lookahead

Tonight’s nightcap features a Game 5 showdown between the Timberwolves and Warriors with the home team T’Wolves holding a 3-1 series lead.

The Warriors won the first game but have dropped three straight in Steph Curry’s absence. On the other side, Anthony Edwards has averaged 27.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game thus far this series.

Warriors starting lineup

Golden State will be without Stephen Curry yet again tonight as he nurses a hamstring injury. Check out the Warriors’ keys to winning tonight and staving off elimination.

Timberwolves starting lineup

🔒4th quarter. Game 5. Let’s go

Celtics 91, Knicks 76

The stage is set for a big fourth quarter in Boston as the Celtics are positioning themselves for a season-extending win. However, we’ve seen this movie before in this series with the Celtics seeing a big lead slip away late. Will tonight be different?

Boston 3️⃣ Party back on

Derrick White is leading the way as the Celtics have had a barrage on offense to start the third. Boston has scored 22 points in the first six minutes coming out of the break and White is up to 30 points with seven made threes.

The Celtics have their biggest lead of the night, up 14, as we hit the mid-way point of the third.

🍿Game 5 gettin’ good

Celtics 59, Knicks 59 at halftime

The Knicks and Celtics just put a bow on an immensely entertaining first half. 10 lead changes. Five ties. Physical play. Incredible shot making. We’ve got ourselves a serious game cooking in Boston.

Derrick White set the tone for the Celtics by canning his first three triples. He kept it rolling and is up to 19 points.

Jalen Brunson has answered on the other end with 13 points.

Both teams are shooting extremely well from deep with the Knicks at 47.1 percent (8-17) and the Celtics at 48 percent (12-25).

We’ve got a massive second half on tap as the Celtics look to extend the series while the Knicks look to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals. Don’t miss it.

🎢 Celtics surge back

It’s been a wild second quarter at the TD Garden. The Knicks got up by as many as nine but the Celtics woke up and got back on a roll. They now lead 48-47 as both offenses are starting to click.

🗽 Knicks lead after 1

Knicks 32, Celtics 30

The dust has settled after a physical and well-played first quarter, the Knicks lead the Celtics by two points. The three-ball has been working for the Celtics as they’ve canned seven of 15 from deep, including four from Derrick White. New York has used a different tact with 12 points in the paint and a perfect 8-8 mark from the line compared to 1-2 FT for Boston.

Catch the second quarter now on TNT.

🔥White hot

Boston’s Derrick White is feeling it so far tonight and stepping up where the Celtics need it most. He’s up to 14 points in eight minutes and is 4-for-5 from deep. That’s two-thirds of Boston’s points thus far, as it leads New York 21-16 in the early goings.

🎬 Action Brunson

Jalen Brunson is active early, slashing to the rim and getting a bucket. He’s been a major factor this series, leading all scorers at 28.0 points per game entering Game 5.

😎 Stars in the building

Timothée Chalamet and a ton of other celebs have descended upon TD Garden to catch tonight’s action between the Knicks and Celtics.

🍀Celtics vs Knicks Game 5 matchup

The Celtics are battling to keep their season alive tonight at home, down 3-1 to the Knicks. They’ll be doing so without Jayson Tatum (Achilles), who is done for the rest of the postseason.

The story thus far in this series has been the Knicks’ ability to battle back regardless of the circumstances. Each of their road wins in Games 1 and 2 both required major come-from-behind efforts and they had to erase a double-digit deficit at home in Game 4.

Part of the reason behind the Knicks’ ability to make those comebacks has been inconsistent offense for Boston. The Celtics were a great three-point shooting team during the regular season but have been pedestrian in that regard in this series at just 33.5 percent from deep. They’ll have to correct that tonight, which is easier said than done without Tatum.

Celtics lineup

Knicks lineup

👉 NBA storylines tonight

  • Two potential closeout games: Both the Celtics and the Warriors are on the brink going into tonight’s action. The Celtics have the benefit of being at home while the Warriors have the tall task of saving their season on the road.
  • Who will step up? Another commonality between the Celtics and Warriors is, unfortunately, a big injury to a key player. The Celtics will be without Jayson Tatum (Achilles) for the rest of the season regardless of what happens Wednesday. The Warriors, meanwhile, must continue to press on without Stephen Curry, who has been out since Game 1 with a hamstring injury.
  • Looking ahead or locking in? Both the Knicks and Timberwolves know that losing tonight could swing the momentum in their respective series. Even with vital players out for the Celtics and Warriors, the Knicks and Timberwolves can’t afford to look past their opponents tonight.

Related

Latest