NBA playoffs: Gobert named best defensive player; Celtics, Thunder win openers
Rudy Gobert made some history. Victor Wembanyama nearly did.
Gobert, the Minnesota center, was announced Tuesday as the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year for a record-tying fourth time – joining Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace.
It was the fifth time in the last 11 seasons that a French center won defensive player of the year – and it sure seems like Wembanyama will add to that country's total before long. The San Antonio rookie center, announced Monday as the league's Rookie of the Year, was second in the voting and fell one spot short of being the first player to win the DPOY trophy in Year 1 of his NBA career.
Viva la France, indeed. Joakim Noah became the first Frenchman to win DPOY when he was the overwhelming choice in 2014, and Gobert now has the trophies for 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2024.
“It’s great teamwork,” Gobert, the best defender on a Timberwolves team that had the best defense in the NBA this season, said on TNT during the award’s announcement. “We love to get individual awards and all these things, and it’s great but you can’t do it alone.”
It's the ninth time in Gobert's 11 seasons that he has been seventh or better in the DPOY voting. He was second in 2017, third in 2020 and 2022, fifth in 2015 and seventh in 2016 – and picked up this trophy one day after missing a playoff game for the birth of his son, Romeo.
“A lot of blessings,” Gobert said. “Just really grateful.”
Miami center Bam Adebayo was third, his best-ever finish in the voting. He was fourth in 2021 and 2022, along with fifth in 2020 and 2023.
Adebayo – an Olympic gold medalist from 2021 and part of the team that USA Basketball has picked to play in the Paris Games this summer – is the only player to have been in the top five of the DPOY balloting in each of the last five years. He's gotten at least one first-place vote in all five of those seasons, the only player in the NBA who can say that.
Gobert was second in rebounds per game and sixth in blocked shots per game – a category where Wembanyama led the league. The Timberwolves led the NBA this season in fewest points allowed per game. They also held opponents to the lowest field-goal percentage.
“This year, training camp, we came Day 1 and said we wanted to be a top defense in this league,” Gobert said. “Every guy has bought in. Everyone has put in the work every single day, and now we’re here with one goal in mind, to try to get this championship.”
Gobert's win adds to an awards haul this year for the Timberwolves, who are having their best season in 20 years. Minnesota hadn't won a playoff series since 2004 before knocking off Phoenix in Round 1, and now has a 2-0 lead – both wins on the road – over defending NBA champion Denver in the Western Conference semifinals.
“Great things take time,” Gobert said. “You guys all know winning is not something that happens overnight. You need to overcome adversity, you need to go through some ups and downs as a group.”
Other major Timberwolves award finishes this spring saw Naz Reid winning Sixth Man of the Year,Mike Conley winning the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award, Chris Finch finishing third in the Coach of the Year voting (won by Oklahoma City's Mark Daigneault ), Tim Connelly placing third in the Executive of the Year race (won by Boston's Brad Stevens ) and Anthony Edwards finishing eighth in the Clutch Player of the Year balloting (won by Golden State's Stephen Curry ).
The winner of the NBA's top individual award will be announced Wednesday.
Three international players – Denver's Nikola Jokic, Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dallas' Luka Doncic – are the finalists for MVP. Jokic is seeking what would be his third MVP award in the last four seasons, while Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic are aiming to win the trophy for the first time.
Philadelphia's Joel Embiid, last season's MVP, was not eligible this year because of the league's new policy requiring players to appear in a certain number of games before being considered for most awards.
Other NBA honors yet to be announced are the All-Defensive, All-Rookie and All-NBA teams – which won't be revealed before next week – and the Social Justice Award winner, which will be announced Thursday.
Celtics 120, Cavaliers 95
When Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum have it going, it usually means good things for the Boston Celtics.
This postseason, it's also been opening up the floor — and the 3-point line — for Derrick White. That's added a new layer to a team that was already the one to beat in the East.
Brown scored 32 points, White made seven 3-pointers and added 25, and the Celtics powered past the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-95 on Tuesday night in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.
Tatum finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds to help the Celtics pull away in the second half.
“It feels good. I think the most important thing is to win,” White said. “I've said before, it doesn't matter if I score zero or score however many I scored today. When we win, I'm doing enough.”
The Cavaliers went 11 of 42 from 3-point range and kept pace early. But the Celtics were even more efficient from the outside, connecting on 18 of 46 from beyond the arc for the game.
It helped Boston carry a 15-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Celtics then started the final period on a 10-2 run to increase their lead to 102-79.
At one point early in the fourth, Brown shot 3 from the top of the key and turned his head before it fell through the hoop, reminiscent of Golden State sharpshooter Stephen Curry.
“I had it rolling tonight,” Brown said. “You just want to come out and make the right plays, make the right reads. That’s all it is. Playing through your teammates and playing with confidence.”
Game 2 is Thursday night in Boston.
Donovan Mitchell had 33 points and six assists for the Cavaliers. He is the fourth player in league history to score 30 or more points in six straight playoff series openers, joining Michael Jordan (three times), Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain.
Mitchell logged 37 minutes after playing 45 in Cleveland's Game 7 win in the first round over Orlando. It's a lot, but coach J.B. Bickerstaff acknowledged they have to watch the load the put on him.
“We try to put him out there as long as we can. He’s playing over 40 minutes a game. So we’re doing our best to keep him out there because we know how impactful he is," Bickerstaff said. "But we’re not going to run him into the ground, so he’s got nothing left in the fourth quarter.”
Mitchell said it's a load he's ready for.
“I understand I need to score the ball," he said.
Thunder 117, Mavericks 95
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was his usual self and Luka Doncic wasn't.
Gilgeous-Alexander had 29 points, nine rebounds and nine assists to help the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Dallas Mavericks 117-95 on Tuesday night in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.
Gilgeous-Alexander made 8 of 19 field goals and 11 of 13 free throws before coming out of the game with 3:26 remaining and the Thunder leading 111-89.
Doncic, an MVP finalist like Gilgeous-Alexander, scored 19 points on 6-for-19 shooting and had five turnovers. He bristled when asked about his shooting.
“Who cares,” he said. “We lost. We just got to move onto the next one. We’ve got to be better.”
Lu Dort got most of the work guarding Doncic, with rookie Cason Wallace getting some of the action and 7-foot-1 center Holmgren pestering him near the rim.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said Dort, one of the league's best perimeter defenders did his job.
“He’s just a warrior,” Daigneault said. “Brings the juice every single night. Doncic is a really hard matchup and a great player that didn’t have his best pitch tonight. He’s going to play better than this. Lu made it hard on him. I thought our team made it hard on him.”
Holmgren added 19 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Jalen Williams struggled with his shot for three quarters but scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth to help Oklahoma City remain unbeaten in the playoffs.
Kyrie Irving scored 20 points and Daniel Gafford added 16 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks for the fifth-seeded Mavericks.
Game 2 will be Thursday night in Oklahoma City. Daigneault is aware that the Mavericks stole home court from the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 2 of their first-round series. Dallas went on to win that series 4-2.
“I think we can expect them to play better than they did tonight," Daigneault said. “The last thing we’re going to do is underestimate this opponent.”
Knicks go for 2-0 lead
Jalen Brunson's shot at stardom was clear to Tom Thibodeau when he was in high school. Donte DiVincenzo saw it as soon as they became teammates in college.
Rick Carlisle witnessed it as Brunson's first professional coach – and now has to figure out how to slow down a player on the longest scoring roll in the postseason since Michael Jordan three decades ago.
Brunson will try to help the New York Knicks take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday in the only game on the NBA schedule.
Brunson scored 43 points on Monday in the Knicks' 121-117 victory in Game 1. He has scored 40 or more in four straight games, the first player to do that in the postseason since Jordan in the 1993 NBA Finals, and is just the fourth player ever to do that.
Yet he insists he never goes into a game thinking about how much he needs to score, even on a Knicks team missing points from injured fellow All-Star Julius Randle.
“I think, what can you do, how can we be aggressive, how can we attack and where can we get the best advantage for our team,” Brunson said Tuesday. “And it has nothing to do with me saying I need to hit this amount of points, I need to hit this amount of shots. It’s just, I’m reading how the game is being played and that’s just my mindset and that’s how it always has been.”
Thibodeau first noticed it watching Brunson grow up, particularly when he became a high school star in Illinois while Thibodeau was coaching the Chicago Bulls. He has always been impressed by the way Brunson was never satisfied – and still isn't – and cares far more about team success than any individual accolades.
“I think that that’s what makes him who he is,” Thibodeau said. “And right now this is what we need for us to win.”
Brunson has followed his first All-Star season by leading all players in postseason scoring with 36.6 points per game. The second-round pick in the 2018 draft had some big games in his first three seasons playing for Dallas, but as Carlisle noted, the Mavericks were Luka Doncic's team.
The Knicks signed Brunson in July 2022, and he has led them to two straight trips to the East semifinals after they hadn't won a playoff series since 2013.
“So when he came here, it was pretty clear right off the bat that Thibs just said, ‘Hey, this is your thing,’ and when you give a strong-willed guy like that the green light – because Jalen, as aggressive a scorer as he is, is one of the great team guys I’ve ever been around in this league, or any sport at any level,” Carlisle said. "I mean, he’s just really exceptional.
“Amazing things can happen for your team and a lot of bad things can happen for opponents. So hats off to New York for being able to sign him and he’s been historically great here.”
Tyrese Haliburton, the other All-Star point guard in the series, wasn't great in Game 1. The NBA's assists leader in the regular season, who has been bothered by back spasms, was limited to six points and eight assists for Indiana.
“We were playing ahead in Game 1 and feel like we should’ve won that game,” Haliburton said, "but at the end of the day it starts with me, and I’ll be better in Game 2.”
Eastern Conference
Second round
Indiana vs. New York
(Knicks lead 1-0)
▶ Game 1: New York 121-117
▶ Game 2: Wednesday @ New York, 8
▶ Game 3: Friday @ Indiana, 7
▶ Game 4: Sunday @ Indiana, 3:30
▶ Game 5: May 14 at New York, TBA
▶ Game 6: May 17 @ Indiana, TBA
▶ Game 7: May 19 @ New York, TBA
Boston vs. Cleveland
(Celtics lead 1-0)
▶ Game 1: Boston 120-95
▶ Game 2: Thursday @ Boston, 7
▶ Game 3: Saturday @ Cleveland, 8:30
▶ Game 4: Monday @ Cleveland, 7
▶ Game 5: May 15 @ Boston, TBA
▶ Game 6: May 17 @ Cleveland, TBA
▶ Game 7: May 19 @ Boston, TBA
Western Conference
Denver vs. Minnesota
(Timberwolves lead 2-0)
▶ Game 1: Minnesota 106-99
▶ Game 2: Minnesota 106-90
▶ Game 3: Friday @ Minnesota, TBA
▶ Game 4: Sunday @ Minnesota, TBA
▶ Game 5: Tuesday, May 14 @ Denver, TBA
▶ Game 6: Thursday, May 16 @ Minnesota, TBA
▶ Game 7: Sunday, May 19 @ Denver, TBA
Oklahoma City vs. Dallas
(Thunder lead 1-0)
▶ Game 1: Oklahoma City 117-95
▶ Game 2: Thursday @ Oklahoma City, 9:30
▶ Game 3: Saturday @ Dallas, 3:30
▶ Game 4: Monday @ Dallas, 9:30
▶ Game 5: May 15 @ Oklahoma City, TBA
▶ Game 6: May 18 @ Dallas, TBA
▶ Game 7: May 20 @ Oklahoma City, TBA
Eastern Conference
First round
Milwaukee vs. Indiana
(Indiana wins 4-2)
▶ 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: Indiana 120-98
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 win 4-3)
▶ 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: Orlando 103, Cleveland 96
▶ Game 7: Cleveland 106-94
New York vs. Philadelphia
(Knicks win 4-2)
▶ 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: New York 118-115
Western Conference
L.A. Clippers vs. Dallas
(Mavericks win 4-2)
▶ 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: Dallas 114, L.A. Clippers 101
▶ 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