The Pacers dished out 25 dimes in the 1st half alone yesterday … none prettier than this Tyrese Haliburton no-look to Myles Turner.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
May 12, 2025
Thunder Tie It: OKC takes over in the 4th quarter to knot the series at 2-2
Setting The Pace: Indy’s record-setting 1st half helps Pacers roll to 3-1 lead
Historic 2nd Round: Road wins, clutch plays, comebacks, game-winners & more
Celtics-Knicks: NY tries to take command at home, Boston tries to even series
Warriors-Wolves: Can ‘Playoff Jimmy’ & the Dubs overcome 4th quarter Ant & the Pack?
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Yesterday’s scores & what to watch today…
Tonight’s ESPN doubleheader begins with New York hosting Boston (7:30 ET) as the Knicks seek a 3-1 lead and the Celtics try to make road teams 4-0 in this series. Then, the Warriors host the Wolves (10 ET), looking to win without Steph Curry to even the series.
NBA Draft Lottery: Before tonight’s Game 4s tip off, the order of June’s NBA Draft will be determined during the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery (7 ET, ESPN). Check out how the lottery works and the odds for each team as they hope to land the No. 1 pick.
1. THUNDER TAKE OVER IN 4TH QUARTER, EVEN SERIES
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In a matchup headlined by two of the three Kia NBA Most Valuable Player finalists, Game 4 of this series saw the Thunder’s depth take over in the 4th quarter.
After Aaron Gordon’s fadeaway jumper put Denver up seven with just under 11 minutes to play, Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins combined for three 3s to ignite an 11-0 OKC run that put the Thunder up for good.
Thunder 92, Nuggets 87: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a team-high 25 points, Wallace and Wiggins added 11 apiece off the bench and OKC delivered clutch plays down the stretch to hold off Denver and even the series at 2-2. | Recap | 5 Takeaways | SGA’s Mother’s Day Shoutouts
- How You Start: A defensive tone for this game was set early as the teams combined for just 25 points in the 1st quarter with SGA (8 of OKC’s 17 pts) matching Denver’s total in the first frame
- How You Finish: After Denver’s 33-21 advantage in the 3rd quarter to take its first lead, OKC won the 4th 29-18, with SGA (8 pts) and Jalen Williams (6 pts) accounting for 14 of OKC’s final 15 points in the game’s final 5.5 minutes
- Coming Up Clutch: In a series filled with tight 4th quarters, it was OKC’s turn to withstand Denver’s late flurries. The Thunder held the Nuggets to a 75.0 offensive rating, six points in the paint and zero points off turnovers in the 4th
- Big Time Bench: Led by Wallace and Wiggins, OKC’s reserves outscored Denver’s 35-8. Wiggins posted a team-high +14 in 16 minutes
In a clash of the NBA’s youngest team (OKC) and a team that’s reached the mountaintop (2023 champion Denver), the Thunder are gaining valuable experience with each game.
- OKC Coach Mark Daigneault: “You have to embrace every experience that happens in the Playoffs, whether it’s positive or a challenge.
- “Every time you take punches and you get back up, you get stronger. That’s what we’re preaching to our team. We lost a tough one the other night in overtime. We stood back up today.”
Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images
Nikola Jokić scored a game-high 27 points, but was held to just three assists as the Nuggets fell to 1-8 in Jokić’s nine career Playoff games with three assists or less.
- 3 Pack: Christian Braun (17 pts), Jamal Murray (17 pts, 5 ast) and Aaron Gordon (15 pts, Playoff career-high 16 reb) combined for 49 points, but were the only Nuggets besides Joker in double figures
- What’s Next: Tied 2-2, the series shifts to OKC for a pivotal Game 5 on Tuesday (9:30 ET, TNT). Teams that win Game 5 of a 2-2 best-of-seven series go on to win the series 81.4% of the time (192-44) – including Denver in the first round
2. PACERS TAKE GAME 4, PUSH CAVS TO THE BRINK
Ron Hoskins & Dylan Buel/NBAE via Getty Images
Indiana is one win away from a return trip to the East Finals.
The Pacers put on a 1st half clinic – erupting for 80 points on 60% shooting with a dozen 3s and 25 assists on 30 made buckets – as they raced past the Cavs on Sunday in Indy.
Pacers 129, Cavaliers 109: Pascal Siakam (21 pts, 9-10 FG), Obi Toppin (20 pts, 1 Dr. J impersonation) and Myles Turner (20 pts, 4-4 3P) combined for 61 points, leading seven Pacers in double figures to take Game 4 and a 3-1 series lead back to Cleveland. | Recap
- Historic Half: Indiana’s 80-39 lead matched the largest Playoff halftime advantage of the play-by-play era (Cavs 72, Celtics 31 on May 19, 2017). The Pacers’ 25 assists are the most in any Playoff half of the play-by-play era (since 1998)
- Dimes On Dimes: How do you rack up the most assists of any game in the 2025 Playoffs? With passes like this crosscourt dime for an open 3, this ball movement leading to an and-1 layup, this no-look dish to fool the defense
- Déjà Vu: Teams have tallied 37+ assists in the Playoffs only 10 times in the past 30 years – three of those 10 have come from the Pacers in the last two Playoffs
- Passing Bird: “Coach is a savant when it comes to adjustments and getting the best out of guys,” said Haliburton of Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, who earned his 33rd Playoff win with Indy to pass Larry Bird for the most in franchise history
- “One More Baby“ – The sentiment was clear as Haliburton, Toppin, TJ McConnell and Turner all preached staying focused on getting the next win as they walked off the court
Joe MurphyNBAE via Getty Images
In his second game back from a toe injury, Darius Garland led the Cavs with 21 points and six assists. However, Donovan Mitchell had just 12 points before suffering an ankle injury that kept him out for the 2nd half.
What’s Next: The Pacers lead 3-1 as the series shifts to Cleveland for Game 5 on Tuesday (7 ET, TNT).
3. WHERE WE STAND IN A HISTORIC SECOND ROUND
Before tonight’s ESPN doubleheader, let’s take a minute to catch up on a second round that has been a wild ride so far – with thrilling finishes, massive comebacks, road teams rolling and must-see plays.
Road-Court Advantage? For the first time in the 16-team Playoff format (since 1984), road teams won all four Game 1s of the Conference Semis.
- If that wasn’t enough, they pushed the run to 6-0 before the first home team prevailed. Entering tonight, road teams are 10-4 in the second round and 28-29 for the entire Playoffs
- If that sounds like a lot, it is. The 28 road wins are already more than any of the past three seasons (27, 24 and 26, respectively). And those numbers are for the first two rounds in their entirety. All four of this year’s series are still going and can add to that total
Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images
No Lead Is Safe: There have already been more 20+ point comebacks in the 2025 Playoffs than any other in the play-by-play era (since 1998).
- Three have come in the second round – the most in any single round since 1998
- Two have come from New York (on the road) as the Knicks rallied past the Celtics in Boston in Games 1-2 to become the first team to have back-to-back 20+ point comebacks in the Playoffs since 1998
- One came from Indiana with an extra layer of drama. Not only did the Pacers overcome a 20-point 3rd-quarter deficit, they pulled off a 7-point comeback in the game’s final minute
- Didn’t they already do that? Yes, the Pacers also stunned the Bucks with a last-minute comeback to end their first round series
- How rare is that? Entering this year’s Playoffs, there had only been one 7-point comeback in the final minute of a Playoff game since 1998. The Pacers did it twice in one week
For The Win: There have already been five game-winning buckets in the final 10 seconds in this year’s Playoffs – including two in the second round – which is more than any Playoffs in the last 10 years.
- Double Up: After hitting game-winners in the first round – a series-clinching layup and the first buzzer-beating dunk in the Playoffs, respectively – Tyrese Haliburton ⬆️ and Aaron Gordon ⬇️ each added another in the second round
- Triple Up: Both Haliburton and Gordon have three go-ahead, game-winning or game-tying buckets in the final 30 seconds of the 4th quarter or overtime this Playoffs – tied for the second most in a Playoff run in the play-by-play era
Down To The Wire: Four of the 14 games in the second round have been decided by three points or less, bringing the total for the 2025 Playoffs to 16 such games, which is on pace for the most in the past 10 years.
- Clutch City: New York accounts for five of those 16 wins by three points or less (including two in the second round) – tied for the second most in a single Playoff run ever
- 48 Not Enough: Two of the four overtime games in this year’s Playoffs have come in the second round. The four OT games are tied with the 2023 Playoffs for the most since 2021
4. CAN TATUM, CELTICS KEEP SERIES ROAD STREAK GOING?
When Boston went down 2-0 at home, Jayson Tatum knew that the criticism was coming.
As the leader of the defending champions with aspirations to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy again, his game would be put under the microscope to ascertain what was wrong.
- “You understand what comes with being that guy, right?” Tatum said after leading Boston to a win in Game 3. He’ll try to do the same tonight, when the Celtics and Knicks run it back at MSG for Game 4 (7:30 ET, ESPN)
- “I get a lot of praise, I get a lot of credit, I get a lot of accolades. But, I’m not perfect. There’s times where I’ve needed to play better, I needed to do more.”
With 120 games of Playoff experience under his belt, Tatum said the key to leading is to lean on who he is as a player.
- “It’s just a sense of joy that I play with, right? Coming into a game with an angry face and mad at the world – that’s not who I am. That’s not when I play my best. You gotta be the same person when things are going great and when things aren’t going great, you can’t switch up.
- “I know who I am. I know what I’m capable of, I know what I can do. I know what is needed on each possession in order for us to win. I’m not trying to prove anything or anything like that. Today was just about making sure that we win, however that looks, whatever is needed.”
On Saturday, Tatum didn’t need to drop 51 (like he did in Game 7 of the 2023 East Semis) or 40 (he’s done that 4 times) or even 30 (33 times, 2nd in Celtics history).
Instead, he filled the box score (22 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast, 5 3pm, 2 stl) as his energy and sense of attack in the game set the tone for Boston.
- 3-Point Improvement: Tatum and Payton Pritchard each hit five 3s to spark a 3-point turnaround for the Celitcs. After shooting 25% in both Games 1 and 2, Boston hit 50% (20-of-40) with six players hitting 2+ triples
Can Tatum and the Celtics do it again in NYC to send the series back to Boston knotted at 2-2? Or can the ever-resilient Knicks rebound from the Game 3 loss to send it back to Boston up 3-1?
- New York has trailed by 20+ points in six of its seven games with Boston this season – the Knicks are now 2-4 in those games (0-3 regular season, 2-1 Playoffs)
- Jaylen Brown: “You’ve got to beat us four times. That’s what it comes down to. Not twice, not once, not three. You’ve got to win four games, so there’s a lot of basketball to be played.”
5. CAN ANT, WOLVES CONTINUE 4TH QUARTER DOMINANCE TONIGHT?
The Minnesota Timberwolves have not lost a 4th quarter over their eight games of the 2025 Playoffs.
- First Round vs. Lakers: +6, +7, +10, +13, +6
- West Semis vs. Warriors: +9, +4, +9
In Saturday’s Game 3, Anthony Edwards took over in the 4th, scoring 13 of his game-high 36 points in the game’s final 10 minutes. The Wolves won the period by nine points and the game by five points.
Entering tonight’s Game 4 (10 ET), the Wolves will be looking to go up 3-1 thanks in large part to Edwards down the stretch.
- Prolific & Efficient: Ant’s 8.5 ppg in 4th quarter ranks 3rd among all Playoff players on 52.3 FG%, 41.7 3P%, 92.3 FT% shooting splits. Plus, he has a dozen 4th quarter assists with only one turnover
- 2nd Half Ant: 79.7% of Edwards’ points in this series (63 of his 79 points) have come in the 2nd half, including 45.6% of his points (36 of 79) coming in the 4th quarter alone
- Leader Of The Pack: Saturday’s win gave Edwards his 18th Playoff win – breaking a tie with Kevin Garnett for the franchise record – while moving the Wolves closer to a return to the West Finals
- The Inspiration: Edwards carries himself on and off the court with a confidence and swagger that is infectious: “You gotta have confidence at an all-time high… and I never lack that.”
Seeking its first Playoff win without Steph Curry since 2018, Golden State got 33 points from Jimmy Butler III (highest-scoring Playoff game as a Warrior) and 30 from Jonathan Kuminga (highest-scoring Playoff game ever) on Saturday, but were unable to hold off Ant and the Wolves late.
- Golden State will need another aggressive game from Butler III (his 34.3% usage was his highest in any game since Nov. 2023) as the Warriors try to even the series at home
- Kuminga sees similarities in playing alongside Butler III as he does playing with Curry
- “It’s me watching and learning; it makes sense playing around him. It’s kind of actually easy. It’s just the same way as Steph in a different way. They are two different people, but they attract so much attention that you’ve just got to be alert when they’ve got the ball.”
