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Tuesday night in the 2023 NBA Playoffs saw two more series end with the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns setting up a second-round series against each other after finishing off the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers in Game 5. But on a night where three double-digit home favorites failed to cover, the Boston Celtics blew a big lead late to the Hawks, setting up a Game 6 in Atlanta.
Trae Young, Hawks Absolutely Stun Boston to Avoid Elimination
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Photo by Icon Sport
Few gave the Hawks any chance in Boston without Dejounte Murray, who was suspended for bumping an official in the last game. Even though Jayson Tatum really struggled (1-for-10 from three, minus-9 on the court), it seemed like the Celtics were going to advance anyway behind a big 35-point game from Jaylen Brown.
- Boston shot 53.3% from the field and was 29-1 this season when shooting at least 49%.
- Make that 29-2.
- Boston outshot the Hawks by 6.4 percentage points and was 25-2 when shooting at least 4.5 percentage points better than the opponent this season.
- Make that 25-3.
The Hawks were down 13 points halfway through the fourth quarter, but the comeback started when John Collins hit a three. He would hit a few more baskets on his way to 22 points, his best game of the series.
But then it was Trae Young’s moment. He hit back-to-back threes to tie the game at 111, triggering a run where he scored Atlanta’s final 14 points. The teams exchanged the lead multiple times, but it looked like Boston had just one defensive stop to win the series in the final seconds.
That is when Young delivered his best moment yet in the NBA with a very deep three dropping in with 2.8 seconds left to give the Hawks a 119-117 lead. Boston was unable to even get a good shot off to answer in the loss. Young finished with 38 points and 13 assists as Boston’s defense suddenly looks shaky in this series.
Jokic, Nuggets Finish off Minnesota with 112-109 Win
The Nuggets shook off their Game 4 overtime loss in the way you would expect them to with Nikola Jokic getting more help at home. Jokic finished with another playoff triple-double (28 points, 17 rebounds, and 12 assists).
Jamal Murray was the star early with five made threes on his way to scoring 35 points. The Timberwolves did not go away quietly. Karl-Anthony Towns (26 points, 11 rebounds) and Rudy Gobert (16 points and 15 rebounds) both fouled out but had one of their best playoff games.
Anthony Edwards put the scoring burden on himself again, but he was not as good as the previous games since he only scored 29 points on 27 shots. Edwards was also 0-for-6 from three, which proved costly.
Edwards missed a game-tying shot in the final 40 seconds, which Jokic turned into a 4-point lead with a hook shot. But after the Timberwolves played the quick score and foul game, they caught a break when Jokic missed a free throw with 2.5 seconds left.
Minnesota was going to have one last chance to force overtime. Edwards got a clean look at the basket, but he missed his sixth three of the night and ran off the court in a hurry as the team’s season was over.
The top-seeded Nuggets advance to take on the Suns in the semifinals.
Devin Booker Drops 47 as Clippers Wonder What Could Have Been
The Suns beat the Clippers 136-130 to win the series in Game 5, but it was one of the hardest-fought series wins you will see from a heavy favorite. The Clippers were again without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, but they dropped 70 points on the road in the first half despite Russell Westbrook shooting 2-for-8 from the field.
Westbrook finished 3-for-18 and 14 points, recalling his Game 1 performance where he shot 3-of-19 in Los Angeles’ only win of the series. But there was no extra help this time. The Suns turned the game around in the third quarter with 50 points in an incredible shooting display.
Devin Booker had 25 of his 47 points in that third quarter. But even with the Suns leading 128-113 in the final five minutes, the Clippers fought back to make a game of this, getting the score down to 2 points multiple times.
The 3-point shot was an incredible weapon for the Clippers, but Nicolas Batum missed a go-ahead three with 1:18 left. That was huge given the fact that the Clippers turned the ball over on careless plays their next two possessions while the Suns pulled away for the 136-130 win.
The Suns move on as expected, but the Clippers will have another offseason where they wonder what could have been if George and Leonard could ever stay healthy.
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