Headline: Playoff Pulse: Gordons Heroics, Currys Comeback, and Thunders Sweep Set Stage for Sunday Showdowns

**THE LINEUP 🏀**

April 27, 2025 | What’s featured in today’s issue?

Gordon’s Last-Second Dunk: AG levels the series with a spectacular slam unlike any seen in the era of play-by-play commentary

Curry Rediscovered: After a sluggish opening, Steph Curry propels the Butler-less Warriors to a 2-1 series advantage

Thunder Advances, Cavs Lead 3-0: Oklahoma City secures their spot in the semifinals with SGA’s impressive 38 points

ABC Doubleheader: The Lakers seek to even the series against the Timberwolves, while the Knicks get ready to clash with Detroit

TNT Doubleheader: Can the Magic and Bucks return home with a tied series at 2-2 in their respective matchups?

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Tonight, four more games are on the schedule, all of which are at a 2-1 series standing. The Knicks face the Pistons (NY leading) at 1 PM ET, followed by the Lakers taking on the Wolves (MIN leading) at 3:30 PM ET.

TNT takes the spotlight at night, featuring the Celtics against the Magic (BOS leading) at 7 PM ET, and concluding with the Pacers against the Bucks (IND leading) at 9:30 PM ET.

1. GORDON’S CLUTCH SLAM PREVENTS A NEAR-HISTORIC COME-BACK BY THE CLIPPERS

As the final 10 minutes of Game 4 unfolded in LA, the unexpected began to transpire.

Trailing by 22 points, the Clippers gradually chipped away at the Nuggets’ lead, gaining momentum with every basket.

The energy in the Intuit Dome escalated with each score.

After an Ivica Zubac tip-in evened the score with 8 seconds to go, the Clippers edged closer to claiming a 3-1 series lead.

But in a breathtaking climax, the series was leveled at 2-2.

Nuggets 101, Clippers 99: As the clock ran out, Aaron Gordon snatched a Nikola Jokić miss and slammed it home just before time expired, helping the Nuggets tie the series after LA’s furious comeback. |Recap| Final 4 Minutes

Jokić’s All-Around Game: The MVP finalist may have missed his final shot (which turned into a perfect alley-oop assist to Gordon), yet his night still saw him contribute an impressive 36 points, 21 rebounds, and 8 assists.

An Unforgettable Comeback: The Nuggets became only the second team in play-by-play history to win after squandering a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter, as the Clippers’ rally ultimately fell short.

All Square at Mile High: As they head into Game 5 (Tuesday, 10 PM ET on TNT), it’s worth noting that three of the first four games have been decided by three points or fewer—the first instance of this in a decade.

2. CURRY FINDS HIS RHYTHM, WARRIORS TOP ROCKETS WITHOUT BUTLER

With just six minutes remaining in the second quarter of Game 3—Jimmy Butler III resting—the Warriors had only managed 22 points.

Curry remarked, “You’re looking up like, ‘how are we going to score here?’”

And, as has often been the case, the answer was Curry.

Warriors 104, Rockets 93: The undermanned Warriors outscored the Rockets 82-58 in the final parts of the game, taking a 2-1 series lead thanks to Curry’s impressive stat line of 36 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds, along with a defense that limited Houston to a shooting percentage of just 39.5%. |Recap

Banding Together: With Butler III sidelined, who had aided the Warriors to a solid 23-7 record when he played, Golden State showcased some of their finest defensive performance of the season.

Game 4: Monday, 10 PM ET on TNT.

3. THUNDER MOVE FORWARD, CAVALIERS TAKE 3-0 LEAD

Pursuing a place in the Western Conference Semifinals, the Oklahoma City Thunder were resolute on Saturday night.

Thunder 117, Grizzlies 115: Notching a 3-0 series lead, the two squads exchanged the lead 15 times in the first three quarters, before OKC surged ahead by 12 in the fourth. Yet, the Grizzlies fought back, trimming the lead to three with only 35.3 seconds left.

Then, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made his mark. He sealed the game with a signature smooth step-back jumper, capping off a playoff career-high 38-point performance and securing the win for Oklahoma City. |Recap

Despite missing star point guard Ja Morant, the Grizzlies put up a fierce fight in defeat.

The Thunder will face the victor from the series between the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets.

In clinching their first No. 1 seed in over a decade, the Cleveland Cavaliers had an exceptional offensive regular season.

In Game 3 against Miami, they once again demonstrated their formidable nature.

Cavaliers 124, Heat 87: Cleveland jumped to an early lead with an impressive 18-0 run in the first quarter, before maintaining control and rolling to a 3-0 series lead. |Recap

Jarrett Allen (22 PTS, 10 REB) topped the scoring chart for Cleveland, who played without point guard Darius Garland. Six Cavaliers players scored in double figures, highlighted by DeAndre Hunter’s 21 points and three three-pointers.

A Challenging Day: This marked the most significant playoff loss in Heat franchise history, eclipsing the Spurs’ 113-77 victory in Game 3 of the 2013 NBA Finals.

4. ABC DOUBLEHEADER: TWO 3-SEEDS LOOKING TO EVEN THEIR SERIES AT HOME

As we approach Sunday’s ABC doubleheader (Knicks-Pistons at 1 PM ET, Lakers-Wolves at 3:30 PM ET), the two 3-seeds in action—New York and L.A.—are under significant pressure.

For different reasons.

LeBron James and Luka Dončić face an uphill challenge to lead the Lakers to the second round, with the Timberwolves, spearheaded by Anthony Edwards, holding a 2-1 advantage heading into Game 4.

Nonetheless, both Lakers superstars are renowned for stepping up at crucial moments.

They will need to contend with a rising Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, who have been pivotal players for the Timberwolves throughout the series.

After Game 3, Edwards told the media, “I’ve got two words for you: Jaden McDaniels.”

On the other side, the Knicks are facing relentless pressure from a Detroit team that has experienced a remarkable turnaround this season.

To return to New York up 3-1 instead of 2-2, they’ll need to continue performing at a high level on Sunday.

Fortunately for the Knicks, they have Jalen Brunson, who has been exceptional in closing games where all three prior contests have come down to intense fourth quarters.

In Game 3, Brunson recorded 12 points in the fourth quarter on 4-6 shooting, rising to the occasion after being awarded the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year earlier in the week.

Meanwhile, Cade Cunningham has been relentless for Detroit, averaging 41.3 minutes per game and contributing 26.0 points and 8.7 assists during this series—ranking 11th and 4th respectively in the playoffs.

In Game 2, Cunningham delivered 13 points in the second half to help the Pistons achieve their first playoff win since 2008 against Brunson and the Knicks.

Which star will shine brightest on Sunday?

5. TNT DOUBLEHEADER: CAN THE BUCKS AND MAGIC LIFT THEIR SERIES WITH A TIE?

In a season filled with injuries plaguing the Orlando Magic, two emerging stars—Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner—have taken on increasing responsibility.

Their postseason aspirations hinge on their success.

In Friday’s Game 3, the duo displayed one of their finest performances together, combining for 61 points to pull within 2-1 in the Celtics’ First Round series ahead of today’s Game 4 (7 PM ET, TNT).

Banchero and Wagner have been a consistent part of the Magic’s success this postseason, ranking second and third in usage rate among all players during the playoffs, together managing 70.1% of the team’s chances.

Leading The Charge: Both have posted over 25 points per game in their last two outings, marking the first time since Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway in 1995 that an Orlando duo has achieved such scoring in consecutive playoff games.

Another beacon for the Magic has been their defense, ranked second in the NBA for defensive efficiency. In Game 3, they held the league’s best three-point shooting team to just nine made shots from beyond the arc.

Jayson Tatum is expected to make an impact again in Game 4. Despite being listed as doubtful, he managed to score 36 points in Game 3.

On the other side, the Milwaukee Bucks, currently trailing 2-1 in the series against the Indiana Pacers, will be looking to make amends for last year’s Game 4 loss.

Last season saw Giannis sidelined due to injury, but he is now playing some of the best basketball of his career.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, a finalist for the Kia MVP award and the league’s second-leading scorer, is currently leading the playoffs in points per game and ranks third in offensive rebounds. In the upcoming Game 4 (9:30 PM ET, TNT), we’ll see which player steps up alongside him.

Pascal Siakam has been a critical leader for the Pacers, averaging 25.7 points throughout the series and ranking just behind Giannis in true shooting percentage among those scoring at least 25 points in the playoffs.

Representing His Abilities: Haliburton set his playoff career high with 24 points in Game 4. That record has been surpassed four times since, with his current high standing at 35 points.