Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks are back in the conference finals, making some scoring history along the way. The San Antonio Spurs will have to work a little harder to get there after the Minnesota Timberwolves evened their series at 2-2 after Victor Wembanyama was tossed from the game.
The Knicks swept the Philadelphia 76ers 4-0 on the road Sunday behind another impressive offensive performance, tying the NBA postseason record with 25 3-pointers in a 144-114 rout.
New York's 19.4 point-per-game margin of victory is the largest through the first two rounds of the NBA playoffs since the league expanded to 16 teams in 1984.
The Knicks have won seven straight.
“It’s just us being very locked into the moment,” Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns said.
New York awaits the winner of the Cleveland-Detroit series, which the Pistons lead 2-1.
The win gives the Knicks multiple days to rest up, get healthy and focus on avenging last season's disappointing 4-2 series loss to the Indiana Pacers in the East finals.
The Spurs were winning by two when Wembanyama was ejected for a flagrant 2 foul for throwing an elbow. Minnesota took advantage and Anthony Edwards had 16 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter for a 114-109 win.
On Monday, the Thunder will look to sweep the Los Angeles Lakers and return to the Western Conference finals. Detroit is at Cleveland in the earlier game.
Monday's schedule
— Game 4, Detroit at Cleveland, 8 p.m. EDT (NBC/Peacock)
Series: Detroit, 2-1.
Odds: Cleveland by 3.5.
The Cavaliers are favored in their home arena, where they are 5-0 in the playoffs. Detroit could be thin in the backcourt as Caris LeVert (right heel contusion) and Kevin Huerter (left adductor strain) are questionable.
— Game 4, Oklahoma City at Los Angeles Lakers, 10:30 p.m. EDT (Prime Video)
Series: Oklahoma City, 3-0.
Odds: Oklahoma City by 10.5.
Things don't look promising for Los Angeles in what could be LeBron James' last game in a Lakers uniform. The Lakers have lost all three games by least 18 points — and OKC's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hasn't even played all that well. Luka Doncic is still out and Austin Reeves hasn't been productive since returning from an oblique injury.
Tuesday's schedule
— Game 5, Minnesota at San Antonio, 8 p.m. EDT (NBC, Peacock)
Series: Tied, 2-2.
Odds: San Antonio by 9.5.
Victor Wembanyama will look to control his emotions — and flying elbows — and the Spurs hope to regain the upper hand in the series when the return home.
Sunday's recap
— Knicks 144, 76ers, 114 to sweep the series 4-0. The Knicks are back in the Eastern Conference finals.
— Timberwolves 114, Spurs 109 to even series at 2-2. Victor Wembanyama gets ejected.
— Washington has the first pick in the NBA draft in what many view as the most talented class in years.
Spurs coach calls out officials after Wembanyama ejection
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson wasn't upset at Wembanyama for getting ejected on Sunday for a flagrant 2 foul for throwing an elbow — in fact, quite the contrary.
Johnson said Wembanyama needs to “protect himself,” while adding that officials are not doing enough to look out for the 7-foot-4 league MVP finalist as teams get physical with him.
“The level of physicality that opponents have been trying to impose on him since his first days in the league, combined with the lack of protection from the referees, is really disappointing,” Johnson said. “And to a certain extent, it’s starting to become downright nauseating."
Wembanyama finished with four points, four rebounds and three fouls in 13 minutes.
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Awards watch
A breakdown of this season's NBA awards:
— Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year: DeAndre Jordan, New Orleans.
— Hustle Award: Moussa Diabaté, Charlotte.
— Defensive Player of the Year: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio.
— Clutch Player of the Year: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City.
— Sixth Man of the Year: Keldon Johnson, San Antonio.
— Sportsmanship Award: Derrick White, Boston.
— Most Improved Player: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Atlanta.
— Rookie of the Year: Cooper Flagg, Dallas.
— Executive of the Year: Brad Stevens, Boston.
Among the announcements still to come:
— Most Valuable Player: Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama or Denver's Nikola Jokic.
— Coach of the Year: Johnson, Detroit's J.B. Bickerstaff, or Boston's Joe Mazzulla.
Betting odds
Defending champion Oklahoma City (-165) is favored to win the NBA title, according to oddsmakers.
The Thunder are followed by San Antonio (+350), New York (+650), Detroit (+1800), Minnesota (+5000), Cleveland (+6000) and the Los Angeles Lakers (+50000).
Key dates
— Monday through May 17: NBA draft combine.
— May 17 or 19: Eastern Conference finals begin on ESPN and ABC.
— May 18 or 20: Western Conference finals begin on NBC and Peacock.
— June 3: Game 1, NBA Finals on ABC. (Other finals dates: June 5, June 8, June 10, June 13, June 16 and June 19).
— June 23: Round 1, NBA draft.
— June 24: Round 2, NBA draft.
Quote of the day
“I used to think Philly was a sports town, I don’t know if it is anymore,” Knicks guard Josh Hart said after the 76ers and the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers were both swept out of the second round.
Stats of the day
— Minnesota's Anthony Edwards (302 points) became the sixth player in the play-by-play statistical era (1997-98) to record 300-plus fourth quarter points in the postseason before turning 25. The others are Kobe Bryant (625), James (493), Jayson Tatum (388), Kevin Durant (388) and Dwyane Wade (357).
— The Knicks' 144 points were most in franchise history in a postseason game.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
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