Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets joined Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Western Conference semi-finals, after winning their 1st round series against New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers. OKC triumphed in the latest meeting on Monday, away at Smoothie King Center 97-89, to sweep the Pelicans 4-0 in the 1st round series. Shai Gilgeuos-Alexander and Jalen Williams were the Thunder’s top scorers on the night, both finishing with 24 points while C.J. McCollum replied with 19 for New Orleans.
▪️ BOS takes a 3-1 lead
▪️ OKC advances
▪️ DEN advancesThe #NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel continue Tuesday on TNT and NBA TV! pic.twitter.com/HnWiwVnezB
— NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2024
In the other game on West, the reigning champions Denver Nuggets clinched the series against LeBron James and the Lakers with a thrilling 108-106 victory. Jammal Murrey hit the game winning basket with just 2 seconds remaining on the clock, and finished the meeting with 32 points. Nicola Jokic also contributed significantly with a double-double of 25 points and 20 rebounds, remaining 1 assist away of a triple-double. In the 2nd playoff round in the Western Conference, the Nuggets will come up against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Boston Celtics took a commanding 3-1 lead in the series against Miami Heat. Derrick White dropped 38 points on a 57.7% shooting from the field and hit 8 three-pointers at Kaseya Center in Miami to crush the Heat’s hopes of winning. Bam Adebayo was Miami’s top performer, concluding the match with 25 points and 17 rebounds. Game 5 of the series is scheduled for Thursday at TD Garden in Boston.