NBA playoffs: Celtics off to East semifinal; Ishbia says Suns doing 'excellent'
Boston — If this playoff run is about redemption for the Boston Celtics, it had to start with exacting some revenge against the Miami Heat.
A year ago, Miami embarrassed Boston in a Game 7 showdown at TD Garden.
This time, the Celtics returned the favor.
Jaylen Brown and Derrick White each scored 25 points and the Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals, beating the short-handed Heat 118-84 in Game 5 on Wednesday night.
Boston will face the winner of the Cleveland-Orlando series. The Cavaliers lead 3-2, with Game 6 in Orlando on Friday night.
Brown said they went into the game with a business-like approach.
“It is a lot of history, back and forth. But it didn’t matter who it was," Brown said. "We just had to get the job done.”
That was echoed by teammate Jayson Tatum.
“I think this is my fourth time playing them in playoffs,” Tatum said. “They all count the same. … We did our job. We took care of business."
Brown also had six assists, and White hit five 3-pointers. Sam Hauser added 17 points and Tatum had 16 points and 12 rebounds, The top-seeded Celtics never trailed and led by 35 points.
Bam Adebayo scored 23 points and Tyler Herro had 15 for Miami, which made its first exit from the playoffs prior to the conference finals since 2021. The Heat struggled throughout, going 3 of 29 from 3-point range.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said it was clear early that the Celtics were playing with some extra energy from the opening tap.
“They probably had something to motivate them even more against us,” he said.
Despite the lopsided loss and the way their season ended, Adebayo said he is taking lessons into the offseason.
“We’ve gained a lot of mental toughness,” he said. "Going through that as a captain, it helped me understand that the ship’s going to get rocky sometimes.
Dallas 123 (at) L.A. Clippers 93: Luka Doncic scored 20 of his 35 points in the second half and added 10 assists and seven rebounds to take a 3-2 lead in the first-round series.
Maxi Kleber hit five 3-pointers and Kyrie Irving added 14 points for the Mavericks, who clamped down on the Clippers defensively and handed Los Angeles the biggest margin of defeat in its playoff history. Dallas needs one more win to claim its first playoff series victory since 2022 and only its third since winning the NBA title in 2011.
“I think it was a very big game,” Doncic said. “We win, and now we’ve got to win one out of two. We’ve got to go back to Dallas and play the same way.”
Game 6 is Friday night in Dallas. If necessary, Game 7 will be back in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Doncic's injured knee has limited him at times in the series, and the symptoms of his apparent illness are slowing him down as well. But he clearly got more comfortable and more dangerous as the night went on in downtown Los Angeles.
He had 14 points in the third quarter while the Mavs stretched their lead to 25 and eventually took an 89-69 advantage into the fourth, where the Clippers never threatened to do an imitation of Dallas' rally from a 31-point deficit in Game 4.
Doncic said his illness made things “tough,” and his knee is “not really good.”
“But you talk about adrenaline in a playoff game,” he added. “Once you get started, you want to do everything you can to help your team win. I just wanted to keep going.”
Ex-Spartan Ishbia plots Suns' direction
Phoenix — Former Spartan Mat Ishbia knows the offseason chatter around the Phoenix Suns is it's a team with a top-heavy roster, salary cap issues and precious little room to maneuver after a disappointing season.
The second-year owner doesn't believe it.
“The narrative that the house is burning is incorrect,” Ishbia said. “The Phoenix Suns are doing great. Excellent. Not as good as we want to be. Not as good as we're going to do next year. And that's what we're going to figure out – what we've got to tweak, modify and adjust to win a championship next year.”
Ishbia and Suns general manager James Jones talked with the media on Wednesday, three days after their team was swept out of the playoffs in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was a weak performance by a franchise that had championship aspirations after assembling the All-Star trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.
Ishbia – who splits his time between Michigan and Arizona – is back in the desert to do exit interviews and plot out the direction of the franchise for next season.
That includes deciding whether coach Frank Vogel will return for a second season.
Ishbia said he didn't want to get into Vogel's performance because he hadn't talked with him yet, but mentioned several times he'd like to maintain continuity.
Jones supported his coach.
“I thought Frank did a great job given the circumstances,” Jones said. “We assembled a really talented team, primarily three scorers. Whenever you try to get guys to adjust and adapt their games, there's a transition time. It's sometimes a struggle, but I thought he did a great job this year.”
Vogel had a tough assignment thanks to questionable roster construction. The Suns didn’t have a true point guard – asking Booker and Beal to share that responsibility – and struggled all year with turnovers. They also had a thin bench.
Jones said the team would be open to adding more ballhandlers for next season, but it's got to be the right fit.
“Sure, that's great, but who do you want? Who is available given the way we're built?” Jones said. “Who can fit with this group? Whose game seamlessly fits with this group?”
The Suns' projected starting five for next season is under contract with Booker, Beal, Durant, center Jusuf Nurkic and guard Grayson Allen. Allen led the league in 3-point shooting percentage this season and averaged a career-high 13.8 points per game, but he suffered a sprained ankle in Game 1 against the Wolves and wasn’t able to contribute much.
The 35-year-old Durant continued to defy age with another stellar season, averaging more than 27 points per game and playing in 75 of 82 games. He’s one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, but it’s also fair to wonder how long he can play at this level.
Booker and Durant are among the 12 players who will represent the U.S. in the Paris Olympics this summer.
Booker – who Ishbia called the face of the franchise on Wednesday – averaged 27 points per game and made his fourth All-Star appearance.
“I think, over time, experience is the best teacher,” he said after Sunday's loss. “The more you can spend time and feel this hurt together, go through it together, the better off you are in the future.”
Pacers, Knicks get second chances
The Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks understand the stakes.
Second chances are rare in the NBA playoffs, and if these two franchises intend to change their recent postseason histories, neither can afford to blow another opportunity in an Eastern Conference elimination game on Thursday night.
Both teams have 3-2 series leads and must make quick adjustments to rebound from their Game 5 losses.
“We got a little stagnant, holding the ball and playing a little slower,” Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton said following Tuesday's 115-92 loss at Milwaukee. “When teams switch, it can kind of lull you into that. We’ve got to be better there. I’ll be better there. Hell of an opportunity the next game back at home.”
Indiana hasn't been to the Eastern Conference semifinals since beating Atlanta in 2014, but these Pacers have been defying trend lines all season.
The NBA's highest-scoring team made the playoffs for the first time since 2020 and snapped a franchise-record 10-game postseason losing streak last week. Indiana is seeking to go 3-0 at home in a playoff series for the first time since the first round against Atlanta in 2013.
If the Pacers advance, they'll face the winner of the Philadelphia-New York series.
“We’ve just got to get better, go back – we are home – and get a win,” said forward Pascal Siakam, who was part of Toronto's title-winning team in 2019. “Obviously being at home, the crowd, it’s on us to just bring our energy and compete at the highest level.”
The severely short-handed Bucks took advantage of their energetic hometown fans Tuesday.
Bobby Portis Jr. rebounded from his early ejection in Game 4 to score a playoff career-high 29 points in a season-saving win. He said the derogatory chants from Pacers fans will fuel him in Game 6.
The bigger question is whether two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo or eight-time All-Star Damian Lillard could return Thursday. Antetokounmpo has not played since straining his left calf on April 9 and only started working out this week.
Lillard missed the last two games with an injury to his right Achilles tendon.
Coach Doc Rivers said Tuesday night he thought the two were “very, very, very close” to making it back on the court with the possibility of a second straight first-round exit looming.
“This team, they’re giving it to me. They’re doing everything, they really are,” Rivers said. “They’re playing together. They know we’re down men. They know they have to do it together. No one’s trying to be the hero. From a coach’s perspective, they’ve been amazing.”
For the Knicks, who visit Philadelphia for Game 6 following a wild 112-106 overtime loss at home, their past postseason results haven't been much better than the Pacers.
While New York advanced to the second round last year for the first time since 2013, it was only the second time they've gotten that far since since Patrick Ewing left town following a 4-2 series loss in the 2000 Eastern Conference finals – to the Pacers. That also was the last time the Knicks made it past the first round in consecutive years, a drought that could end Thursday night.
“That’s all it really comes down to, a mistake here or there, a missed shot here or there, a missed free throw here or there," Knicks guard Josh Hart said. “We've just got to make sure we’re sharp mentally and I think we’ll prepare and go out there and execute.”
Eastern Conference
Milwaukee vs. Indiana
(Indiana leads 3-2)
▶ Game 1: Milwaukee 109-94
▶ Game 2: Indiana 125-108
▶ Game 3: Indiana 121-118 (OT)
▶ Game 4: Indiana 126-113
▶ Game 5: Milwaukee 115-92
▶ Game 6: Thursday @ Indiana, TBA
▶ Game 7: Saturday @ Milwaukee, TBA
Boston vs. Miami
(Celtics win 4-1)
▶ Game 1: Boston 114, Miami 94
▶ Game 2: Miami 111, Boston 101
▶ Game 3: Boston 104, Miami 84
▶ Game 4: Boston 102, Miami 88
▶ Game 5: Boston 118-84
Cleveland vs. Orlando
(Cavaliers lead 3-2)
▶ Game 1: Cleveland 97, Orlando 83
▶ Game 2: Cleveland 96, Orlando 86
▶ Game 3: Orlando 121, Cleveland 83
▶ Game 4: Orlando 112, Cleveland 89
▶ Game 5: Cleveland 104, Orlando 103
▶ Game 6: Friday @ Orlando, TBA
▶ Game 7: Sunday @ Cleveland, TBA
New York vs. Philadelphia
(Knicks lead 3-2)
▶ Game 1: New York 111-104
▶ Game 2: New York 104-101
▶ Game 3: Philadelphia 125-114
▶ Game 4: New York 97-92
▶ Game 5: Philadelphia 112-106
▶ Game 6: Thursday @ Philadelphia, TBA
▶ Game 7: Saturday @ New York, TBA
Western Conference
L.A. Clippers vs. Dallas
(Mavs lead 3-2)
▶ Game 1: L.A. Clippers 109-97
▶ Game 2: Dallas 96-93
▶ Game 3: Dallas 101-90
▶ Game 4: L.A. Clippers 116-111
▶ Game 5: Dallas 123-93
▶ Game 6: Friday @ Dallas, TBA
▶ Game 7: Sunday @ L.A. Clippers, TBA
Denver vs. L.A. Lakers
(Nuggets win 4-1)
▶ Game 1: Denver 114-103
▶ Game 2: Denver 101-99
▶ Game 3: Denver 112-105
▶ Game 4: L.A. Lakers 119-108
▶ Game 5: Denver 108-106
Oklahoma City vs. New Orleans
(Thunder wins 4-0)
▶ Game 1: Oklahoma City 94-92
▶ Game 2: Oklahoma City 124-92
▶ Game 3: Oklahoma City 106-85
▶ Game 4: Oklahomas City 97-89
Minnesota vs. Phoenix
(Timberwolves win 4-0)
▶ Game 1: Minnesota 120-95
▶ Game 2: Minnesota 105-93
▶ Game 3: Minnesota 126-109
▶ Game 4: Minnesota 122-116