A career night for Minnesota Timberwolves reserve Jaden McDaniels was not enough to stop the Memphis Grizzlies from winning Game 6 114-106 on the road, clinching the series 4-2 in the process.
It was another tough game scoring the ball for Grizzlies star Ja Morant, who shot four-of-14 from the field and zero-for-five from long range for his 15 points, bringing his series averages to 21 points per game at 39 per cent shooting.
But yet again, he found other ways to impact the game and help his side win, with 11 assists and eight rebounds, right in line with his average production in the series as he assumed a facilitating role.
Desmond Bane led Memphis in scoring (both in the game and the series) with 23 points from nine-of-15 shooting, Jaren Jackson Jr finally stayed out of foul trouble and delivered 18 points and 14 rebounds in 35 minutes, and Brandon Clarke was the difference-maker off the bench with 17 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
For the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards scored a game-high 30 points on 10-of-24 shooting and added five assists, two blocks and two steals, while Karl-Anthony Towns was solid, but disappointing for an All-Star with 18 points (six-of-19 shooting) and 10 rebounds.
Jaden McDaniels almost proved to be the most important player in the game after coming off the Timberwolves bench, hitting eight of his nine shots, including five out of six three-point attempts to score a career-high 24 points in 33 minutes.
McDaniels' clutch three-pointer late in the fourth quarter cut the margin back to 103-102, but the Grizzlies were just too strong down the stretch, winning the last frame 40-22 for their second straight victory after trailing by double figures at three-quarter time.
With the win, the Grizzlies will meet the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference semi-finals.
Timberwolves' Edwards 'can't be mad' after Jokic masterclass
Anthony Edwards could only stand back and watch as MVP Nikola Jokic inspired the Denver Nuggets in their victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
On the night he received the Michael Jordan Trophy after being named the NBA's MVP for the third time, Jokic scored 40 points and provided 13 assists in a 112-97 win.
It was a victory that put the reigning NBA champions within touching distance of the Western Conference finals.
And Edwards, who finished with 18 points and nine assists for Minnesota, could not even muster the energy to be angry.
He said: "I just laugh. That's all I can do.
"He's good, man. I think I said that after Game 1 when we won, and Game 2, he's the MVP. He's the best player in the NBA.
"He showed it the last three games, three games in a row. He was special tonight. I've got to give him his flowers. He was that guy tonight."
Denver coach Michael Malone said: "He did everything for us tonight, and it was fun to watch."
Jamal Murray chipped in with 16 points for the Nuggets, though he was happy to hand responsibility to Jokic.
"If Jokic's scoring like that, there's no need to do anything special," Murray said.
"He's amazing, just the way he picks apart the game and reads the game and trusts his teammates.
"I'm guessing that for the big fella getting the trophy tonight probably motivated him a little bit. Just being at home was a lot of fun, the place was rocking, kind of felt the energy and he definitely had it going."
The Nuggets lead the series 3-2 heading into Game 6.
NBA: Jokic, Brunson both reach 40-point mark as Nuggets, Knicks take 3-2 leads
Nikola Jokić scored 16 of his 40 points in the third quarter and the Denver Nuggets shut down Anthony Edwards to pull away for a 112-97 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves for a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday.
Jokic, who was presented with his third NBA MVP before the game, shot 15 of 22 from the field and had 13 assists and seven rebounds with no turnovers as the home team won for the first time in this series.
Aaron Gordon added 18 points and 10 rebounds and Jamal Murray had 16 points for the Nuggets, who can wrap up the series in Game 6 in Minnesota on Thursday night.
Edwards was limited to 18 points on 5-of-15 shooting, while Karl-Anthony Towns scored 23 points.
After the Wolves took a 55-53 lead early in the third quarter, Jokic assisted on four consecutive baskets during Denver’s 11-2 run for a 64-57 lead it would not relinquish.
His dunk with 7:12 remaining made it 98-80, and Jokic’s 3-pointer at the shot clock buzzer gave the Nuggets a 14-point advantage with just over 3 minutes left.
Brunson powers Knicks to series lead
Jalen Brunson poured in 44 points and the New York Knicks dominated the glass in a 121-91 win over the Indiana Pacers to move a win away from their first Eastern Conference finals trip since 2000.
The Knicks bounced back from a blowout loss in Game 4 on Sunday and guaranteed themselves at least one more game at Madison Square Garden, though they can wrap up the series with a win in Indiana in Game 6 on Friday night.
Game 7, if necessary, would be Sunday at MSG.
Brunson injured his right foot in Game 2 and was held to 18 points Sunday, his lowest of the playoffs. He shot 18 for 35 from the field in this one and reached the 40-point mark for the second time in this series and fifth time this postseason.
Josh Hart had 18 points and 11 rebounds, Alec Burks scored 18, Deuce McBride added 17 points after he was inserted into the starting lineup and Isaiah Hartenstein had seven points and 17 rebounds. The Knicks had a 53-29 advantage on the glass.
Pascal Siakam scored 22 points for the Pacers, who will try to stay unbeaten at home in the postseason to prolong the series. Myles Turner had 16 points, but All-Star Tyrese Haliburton was limited to 13 after averaging 29.7 over the last three games.
Brunson made consecutive baskets to extend New York’s lead to 13 early in the second quarter and then had the first bucket in a 9-0 run that made it 65-47 with 2:11 left in the first half.
Indiana had the deficit down to 70-63 on Turner’s 3 early in the third quarter, but the Knicks put the game out of reach with a 19-1 run that featured 3s by McBride and Brunson.
'Never underestimate the heart of a champion' – Malone hails Nuggets after series-levelling win
Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone quoted former Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich after watching his team level their Western Conference semifinal series on Sunday, saying: "Never underestimate the heart of a champion."
The Nuggets levelled their series with the Minnesota Timberwolves at 2-2 with a dominant road performance, triumphing 115-107 at Target Center.
Denver never trailed after taking a 23-22 lead on Aaron Gordon's three-point play near the end of the first quarter, stretching their advantage to as many as 18 points early in the third.
While Minnesota pulled within seven with just under two minutes remaining, they failed to make another basket as the Nuggets levelled things up ahead of Game 5 on Tuesday.
Gordon amassed 27 points on 11-of-12 shooting while NBA MVP Nikola Jokic had 35 points, with 16 of those coming in the fourth quarter.
The reigning champions are now slight favourites to reach the NBA Finals as they prepare to host Game 5, leading Malone to hail their mentality.
"What I found is Rudy T is right, man, 'never underestimate the heart of a champion'," Malone said, referring to Tomjanovich's infamous quote in the aftermath of Houston's 1995 championship.
"They were quick to write us off, but these guys, we won a championship a year ago. We went into Miami [in the Finals], won two games in a row.
"This team has been tested time and time again, and we found a way to solve whatever's been thrown at us.
"This series is a long way from being over. We're not celebrating. It's 2-2, but what I found about our group is that they do believe in themselves.
"More importantly, they believe in the man next to them. We have a group that is acting as you would hope a championship team would act."
Gordon echoed his coach's sentiments, saying: "I love it when people count us out.
"A lot of these guys have been counted out before in their careers. They've been the underdogs or the dark horse in their careers before.
"So, I don't think it was anything new to the individuals. It was new to our collective, but I liked the challenge, and I'm glad we accepted it and put ourselves in a good position with home court."
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