game 5

SOURCE SPORTS: Timberwolves Stay Alive with Victory Over Mavericks, Force Game 5

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Timberwolves Stay Alive with Victory Over Mavericks, Force Game 5

The West Finals are headed back to Minnesota. The Timberwolves secured their first Western Conference Finals victory in 20 years by defeating the Mavericks 105-100 in Dallas, extending their season and forcing a Game 5 on Thursday in Minnesota.

Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 54 points, outshining the Dallas duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving for the first time in the series. The Timberwolves improved to 3-0 this postseason when facing elimination, with two crucial wins coming on the road.

Despite the win, the Wolves face a daunting challenge. Of the 156 teams falling behind 3-0 in a series, Minnesota became just the 61st to avoid a sweep. They still have a long road ahead to become the first team to win a series after trailing 3-0.

Luka Doncic recorded his ninth career playoff triple-double with 28 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in the loss. Edwards fell just one assist short of his first triple-double, posting 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists.

Every game of the 2024 West Finals has been decided in clutch time, with the score within five points in the final five minutes. As the series returns to Minnesota, the Timberwolves will look to continue their fight and make history.

You can see the final 4:46 below.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: Timberwolves Stay Alive with Victory Over Mavericks, Force Game 5 first appeared on The Source.

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SOURCE SPORTS: Celtics Advance to Eastern Conference Finals After Defeating Cavaliers in Game 5

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Celtics Advance to Eastern Conference Finals After Defeating Cavaliers in Game 5

With an opportunity to close out the series on their home floor, Jayson Tatum (25 points, ten rebounds, nine assists) and the Celtics delivered the final blow to the shorthanded Cavaliers, securing a 113-98 victory in Game 5. This win books Boston a return trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.

This marks Boston’s third straight Conference Finals appearance, sixth in the last eight years, and 23rd in franchise history—the second most of any franchise since the NBA realigned with conferences and multiple divisions in 1971, trailing only the Lakers (24).

The Celtics have now reached three consecutive East Finals for the first time since making five in a row from 1984-88. Al Horford, who entered Game 5 with a total of 26 points scored through the first four games, had a standout performance, finishing with 22 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, and six three-pointers. This was his highest-scoring playoff game since Game 1 of the 2022 Finals.

Horford joined LeBron James as the only player in NBA history to record 20+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists, and 5+ three-pointers in a playoff game at age 35 or older. Derrick White (18 points, five rebounds, six assists, two blocks) and Jaylen Brown (11 points, seven assists) combined 29 points to complement the big games from Tatum and Horford.

Despite missing key players due to injury, including Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Caris LeVert, the Cavaliers kept battling. They were within three points twice in the fourth quarter before Boston ultimately pulled away. Evan Mobley led all scorers with a playoff career-high 33 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two blocks.

The Celtics now await the winner of the Knicks-Pacers series, with Game 6 on Friday (8:30 ET, ESPN) and a potential Game 7 on Sunday.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: Celtics Advance to Eastern Conference Finals After Defeating Cavaliers in Game 5 first appeared on The Source.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: Celtics Advance to Eastern Conference Finals After Defeating Cavaliers in Game 5 appeared first on The Source.

Denver Nuggets Win 2023 NBA Finals, Their First In Franchise History

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This year’s NBA Finals, as chaotic as they surely were for many fans, brought the league a lot of standout moments and great displays of basketball. Of the entire season, though, few will stack up to a 47-year franchise reaching (and winning) their first title in history. The Denver Nuggets, composed of Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, and many other great players, just beat the Miami Heat in the fifth game of their series in their home of Colorado. Undeniably, it was quite the nail-biting affair as both teams fought hard in what ended up being just a five-point difference. It’s always bittersweet to see the season come to a close, but it’s also amazing to see such milestones for such hard-working teams.

Of course, the series wouldn’t have been complete without the amazing skills of The Joker. Jokić won the Bill Russell Finals Most Valuable Player trophy. It’s also the first award that was given to a Finals MVP after Russell’s passing, and as league commissioner Adam Silver said, it’s fitting that it was to a center. In addition, plenty of flowers showered upon Jamal Murray, who just two years prior was barely able to walk.

Read More: NBA Finals 2023: Nuggets Vs. Heat Prediction (See how well we did…)

Denver Nuggets Earns Its First NBA Title In History

On the other hand, the Miami Heat proved as the 2023 Eastern Champions that they wouldn’t go down without a fight. Jimmy Butler nabbed some incredible clutch threes throughout the game and it was overall a hard-fought battle. Both teams showed each other a lot of respect throughout the series, as misleading as the final 4-1 series may seem. Considering that they were an eighth seed in the post-season, their run all the way to the Finals was truly remarkable as well. Most importantly for fans, it was an overall great display of the game, and certainly an emotive moment for the Denver Nuggets.

Now that they nabbed their first Finals trophy in franchise history, it will be interesting to see how the next season plays out. Amid rumors that LeBron James is considering retirement and other massive shifts in the association, the guesses and predictions will flood in quick. For now, though, it would be a special moment to see any team win after a fantastic game, so congratulations are due to the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat. For the latest updates and news on the NBA, log back into HNHH.

Read More: Five Best Kobe Bryant Sneakers To Cop For The NBA Finals

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