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Nightly Pulse: NBA News & Highlights from May 7

Stay up to date with tonight's NBA Playoffs action with our Nightly Pulse blog featuring the latest scores, highlights and more.

NBA.com Staff

🏀 NBA Playoffs scores tonight

New York Knicks 91, Boston Celtics 90

Oklahoma City Thunder 149, Denver Nuggets 106

✍️ Top NBA takeaways tonight

  • Déjà vu for Knicks-Celtics Game 2: Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. The Knicks trailed by 20 in Boston, fought back, took the lead, and got the win thanks to a huge defensive play by Mikal Bridges. Sound familiar? Well, the same recipe from Monday worked again on Wednesday for the Knicks. The series now shifts back to Madison Square Garden where the Knicks have a chance to close out the series on their home floor. That will be easier said than done against the reigning champion Celtics, though.
  • Thunder roll to Game 2 win: The Nuggets found themselves on the ropes after one quarter with a 24-point deficit. Things got tougher from there as the Thunder piled on a playoff-record 87 first-half points to put things close to out of reach with a half to go. The series now heads back to Denver knotted at one game apiece. Game 3 is set for Friday Night at Ball Arena.
  • Warriors-Timberwolves set for Thursday: The Warriors are vying to be the third team this round to take the first two games of their series on the road. It will be challenging Thursday night and into next week as they’ll be without their star and catalyst, Steph Curry (hamstring). That said, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green give the Warriors plenty of veteran leadership to navigate the next few games. Stopping Anthony Edwards and Co. remains a big challenge for the vet-laden Warriors, though.

🏆Top NBA performers tonight

  • Mikal Bridges, New York Knicks: 14 points (all in fourth quarter), seven rebounds and three steals, along with the game-clinching defensive play vs. the Celtics
  • Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks: 21 points, 17 rebounds, one block in win over Celtics.
  • The Oklahoma City Thunder:  NBA Playoff record-tying 87 first-half points. Franchise Playoff record 149 points. Led by 20-or-more points from early in the second quarter through the final buzzer. A complete, dominant performance from the West’s No.1 team.

⛈️ Thunder make noise with Game 2 win

Thunder 149, Nuggets 146

Sometimes, it’s just a team’s night. And that was the case in Oklahoma City tonight as the Thunder rolled to a resounding 43-point victory over the Nuggets to even the series at one game apiece.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was playing at his customary elite level, but the Thunder didn’t even need his best to get it done tonight. It was a team-wide effort as the Thunder shot 56% from the floor, 44% from beyond the arc and 91.7% from the free throw line.

Eight Thunder players, including each member of the starting five, scored in double figures. Gilgeous-Alexander’s +51 rating was the highest +/- rating in a playoff game since 1998, per ESPN.

The Thunder’s 87 points tied a record for most points scored in the first half of a Playoff game dating back to 1998. Their 149 points set a new franchise postseason record as well.

This sets up for an interesting Game 3 on Friday night in Denver.

😱 OKC up big entering fourth quarter

The Thunder have kept the petal to the medal in the second half, outscoring the Nuggets 35-20 in the third to grow the lead to an unbelievable 48 points.

Oklahoma City already set a new NBA Playoff record for first-half points with 87. The team is shooting just under 60 percent from the floor as a team and has sunk 27 of 28 free throw attempts.

To make matters worse for Denver, any hope of a comeback will have to come without Nikola Jokić, who fouled out after posting 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

💪 Thunder flex record-breaking first half

Thunder set new NBA playoff record with 87 first half points

The Nuggets find themselves down by double-digits at the half yet again tonight. However, coming back from a 31 point deficit is a completely different task than coming back from 10 as they did Monday night.

The Thunder were on a mission from the jump with 45 first-quarter points and they didn’t slow down in the second, either. Their entire starting five, plus Aaron Wiggins, have scored in double-figures already. SGA leads the way with 18 but it’s been a collective effort to get Oklahoma City to nearly 90 points by halftime.

Oklahoma City is shooting 58.8 percent from the floor and 43.5 percent from beyond the arc. The Thunder aren’t leaving points on the table, either, going 17-from-18 from the stripe.

The Nuggets have a tall order ahead of them to even get back into striking distance tonight. A team led by Nikola Jokić can never be fully counted out, though.

🤯 Aaron Wiggins. Rim Rocker

Look at Aaron Wiggins go all the way up for this putback slam and extend the OKC lead. Wiggins has chipped in 10 points off the bench to go with four rebounds and a steal.

The Thunder have built a 35-point lead late in the first half and are now two quarters away from evening the series at one game apiece.

🚫 Block party in OKC

Chet Holmgren is returning everything to sender tonight. Check out this sequence where he swats two Nuggets attempts and sparks a fast break for the Thunder.

🔥Thunder taking control early

OKC holds a 20-point lead early in 2Q

The Thunder got a wakeup call in the Game 1 loss. At least it seems that way as they have a 57-30 lead over the Nuggets early in the second quarter.

Everything seems to be falling for OKC; it is 76 percent from the floor and 63.6 percent from beyond the arc. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is up to 13 points already and hasn’t missed from the floor or the stripe.

Tune into TNT to see how Denver adjusts to the tough environment it faces in OKC tonight.

✌️Déjà 2

Looking at the similarities between Game 1 and Game 2 in the Knicks-Celtics series

The Knicks have shocked the world with two wins on the road to open their series against Boston. As if winning Game 1 in thrilling fashion wasn’t enough, getting another W in Game 2 in almost the same exact fashion makes it all the more wild.

In Game 1, the Knicks stormed back from a 20-point deficit, took a late lead, and won thanks to a big defensive play by Mikal Bridges.

In Game 2, the Knicks stormed back from a 20-point deficit, took a late lead, and won thanks to a big defensive play by Mikal Bridges.

If the Knicks could copy + paste that formula for the rest of the series, they’d take that in a heartbeat. It won’t be that easy, though.

Game 1 Lead Tracker

Game 2 Lead Tracker

The shapes of both games ended up looking pretty similar. Boston controlled the middle of the game but let things get away in both fourth quarters. It’s a surprising development for a team with championship pedigree, but that pedigree is also why the Celtics can’t be counted out the rest of the series.

With tonight’s come-from-behind win, the Knicks are the first team in NBA history to complete 20-point comebacks in back-to-back Playoff games.

💪 OKC off and running in Game 2

The Thunder are off to a hot start, up 18-9 in the early goings. The Isaiah Hartenstein-Chet Holmgren connection is clicking as they’ve linked up for an alley-oop and combined for nine points and three rebounds.

Catch Game 2 of Thunder vs Nuggets on TNT.

🗽The Knicks do it again

Knicks 91, Celtics 90

The Celtics came into tonight looking to put Game 1 in the rearview mirror and even the series. Unfortunately for Boston, Game 2 shaped up eerily similar to the series opener.

The Celtics led for the first 46 minutes of action tonight and were up by as many as 20 in the second half. However, a brutal cold stretch from the C’s left the backdoor open and the Knicks seized the opportunity. They embarked on another huge late-game run, 34-13, to get it done.

And, like in Game 1, the Knicks’ defense did its job when they needed it most. Mikal Bridges, take a bow. Wow.

🍿 Get ya popcorn

We’re down to the final minute of tonight’s Game 2 matchup between the Celtics and Knicks. The Knicks have just taken their first lead of the game and are on a 21-2 run.

Catch the finish on TNT.

🌉 Bridges bridging the gap

New York’s Mikal Bridges is feeling it in the fourth quarter. He’s got 13 4th-quarter points. The Knicks have cut the Celtics’ lead from 12 to four with just under 3:00 to go in the final period.

Catch the finish now on TNT.

⚡ Thunder vs Nuggets Game 2

The Thunder look to even the series at one game apiece after dropping the opener to the Nuggets in front of the home crowd. 

Game 1 gave us a thrilling start to the series. The two teams were entering the action from completely different series wins in the first round. The Thunder hadn’t played in over a week after dispatching the Grizzlies in a four-game sweep. The Nuggets, meanwhile, had just gotten past the Clippers in a grueling Game 7 on Saturday. The rest advantage for OKC was neutralized by a juiced-up Nuggets team that was still very much in rhythm from their opening round series.

The game was unique, to say the least. There were just two lead changes. The first when Oklahoma City grabbed the lead from Denver late in the first. And the second, when Aaron Gordon was the hero yet again with a go-ahead triple with just over 2.0 seconds to go. 

In between, the Thunder seemed to be in control. They only turned it over nine times while forcing 18 turnovers. They kept pace with Denver in terms of points in the paint (54-48 advantage for Denver) and got strong individual contributions from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (33 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists) and Alex Caruso. 

And yet, the 2023 champion Nuggets found a way to hang in and ultimately come away with a big road win in Game 1. 

One stat to monitor for OKC will be their performance from three-point range. The Thunder have not shot well from deep in the postseason (32%, 13th) and shot it at 35 percent in the Game 1 loss. By comparison, the Thunder shot 37.4 percent from deep in the regular season, which was good enough for sixth in the league.

Thunder lineup

Nuggets lineup

⏳ 4th Quarter incoming in Boston

Celtics 73, Knicks 61

The Celtics had a nine-point halftime lead and built it all the way out to 20 points late in the third. However, a late surge from Josh Hart and, you guessed it, Miles McBride helped step the tide and get the Knicks back in it going into the fourth.

The Knicks trailed by as many as 20 in Game 1 and found a way to make a comeback. Can they do it again tonight?

👀 Celtics pulling away?

Boston is doubling up New York thus far in the third quarter (18-9) to build its lead to 18. The contributions are coming from up and down the roster.

Look at Luke Kornet throwing it down with authority as the Celtics continue to build momentum.

☘️ Boston up at the break

The second quarter was a bit of a roller coaster but in the end, the Knicks lopped two points off their first-quarter deficit. The Celtics led by as many as 16 thanks to a 9-0 run.

An interesting development is that Boston isn’t being over-reliant on the three-ball. The Celtics struggled in that area in Game 1 and aren’t performing well from there tonight (5-21). However, they are changing their philosophy on the fly tonight and letting Jaylen Brown get into attack mode as JB is up to 17 points on 16 FGA, and just four of those attempts have come from beyond the arc.

Karl-Anthony Towns turned in a big second quarter and is now up to 14 points and 10 rebounds through 19 minutes of work.

Catch the second half action on TNT/truTV/Max.

🔥 C’s going on a run

Boston has opened up a 16-point lead thanks to a 9-0 run late in the first half. Jaylen Brown has been key with 16 points (7-14 FG), six rebounds and two steals. Derrick White has added three 3’s to help the cause as well.

Catch the end of the first half now on TNT.

🗽 KAT, Knicks clawing back

Karl-Anthony Towns is up to eight points in the second and 12 points on the night as the Knicks have closed the gap with the Celtics mid-way through the second quarter. KAT has gotten more aggressive in the second and has converted a pair of and-1 opportunities. The Knicks have cut their deficit from 11 to seven

🍿 Celtics lead by 11 after 1Q

Celtics 24, Knicks 13

Defense ruled the fist quarter as we had a low-scoring opening period at TD Garden. By comparison, no quarter in Game 1 had fewer than 41 points scored. The Knicks were held to 26 percent shooting from the floor and 12.5 percent from deep. The Celtics were a bit more crisp, shooting 40 percent from the floor and 3-for-10 from beyond the arc.

Tune into TNT to see if the Knicks can get in gear on offense or if the Celtics can continue to add to their lead.

💪 Jaylen Brown in attack mode

Jaylen Brown is getting it done on both ends of the floor tonight, including this tough bucket to help the Celtics get out to a 10-point lead in the first quarter. He has added three rebounds and an assist in 11 minutes of work thus far.

☘️ Celtics vs Knicks matchup

The Celtics and Knicks square off in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series tonight at TD Garden. The Knicks battled back from a big second-half deficit in Game 1 and literally stole the win thanks to some late-game defensive heroics from Mikal Bridges.

That gives the Knicks some juice going into Game 2, but the defending champs aren’t going to go out quietly. Dig into our Celtics vs Knicks series hub with all the key stats, trends and info as the series unfolds.

Celtics lineup

Knicks lineup

📰 NBA storylines tonight

  • Celtics, Thunder look to rebound: Both the Celtics and the Thunder were upset in their series openers after putting forth dominant efforts in the first round. That puts the pressure on both teams tonight as they look to avoid falling behind 0-2 in their respective series and having to go on the road. Historically, teams that drop the first two games in the NBA Conference Semifinals go on to advance just 7% of the time.
  • Knicks, Nuggets look to keep pressure on: The Knicks and Nuggets have both already stolen home court advantage after capturing Game 1 wins on the road. Can either team get greedy and make it 2-0 with their next two games coming at home?
  • Road Warriors trend developing: Every series has had at least one game played and each Game 1 has gone to the visiting team. Check out our deep dive into how rare it is for visiting teams to go 4-0 in Game 1 in the modern era.

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