Knicks come from 20 down, beat Celtics 108-105 in OT
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) knocks the ball from the hands of Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) during the second half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series Monday, May 5, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Boston (AP) — Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby each scored 29 points before Mikal Bridges stole the ball from Jaylen Brown with a second left in overtime as the New York Knicks stunned the Boston Celtics 108-105 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series on Monday night.
Karl Anthony-Towns added 14 points and 13 rebounds for New York, which lost all four games against its longtime rival during the regular season and trailed by 20 points in the second half of this game.
Jayson Tatum and Brown both had 23 points for the defending champion Celtics, who had an NBA playoff-record 45 missed 3-pointers to blow a game they appeared to have in control. Derrick White added 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Jrue Holiday returned to the starting lineup after a strained right hamstring caused him to miss the final three games of Boston’s first-round series with Orlando. He finished with 16 points in 39 minutes, but center Kristaps Porzingis played only 13 minutes and didn’t return after halftime because of an illness.
NUGGETS 116, THUNDER 115
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 42 points and 22 rebounds, and Aaron Gordon hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to give Denver a stunning comeback win over the top-seeded Oklahoma City in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.
Oklahoma City, out of timeouts, missed a desperation heave as time expired.
Denver’s Russell Westbrook, who started his career with the Thunder, assisted on Gordon’s game-winner. It was his first playoff game in Oklahoma City as an opposing player.
Gordon finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Jamal Murray added 21 points for the fourth-seeded Nuggets, who stole the opener after closing out a seven-game series against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
Denver’s opportunity came after Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren missed two free throws with the Thunder leading by a point.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Thunder, who hadn’t played in more than a week after sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. Alex Caruso added 20 points, six assists and five steals.