The 2024 NBA Playoffs continued on Monday with a doubleheader. In the opener, the Boston Celtics disposed of a Cleveland Cavaliers team that was missing star guard Donovan Mitchell (calf injury). Boston took a 3-1 series lead via a workmanlike 109-102 win.
In the night cap, Luka Doncic and his Dallas Mavericks struggled big time in the second half as they fell at home to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did his thing on the road as OKC evened the series at two. Here are our 10 winners and losers from Monday’s action in the NBA Playoffs.
Winner: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
There is not much more that we can say about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander that hasn’t been covered thus far in the NBA Playoffs. A player some thought should have won the MVP over Nikola Jokic, SGA entered Monday’s action averaging 28.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists per. He was back at it as the Thunder evened the Western Conference Semifinals in Big D. Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 34 points on 14-of-27 shooting. He added eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks in an absolutely elite all-around game.
Loser: Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks are not going to get beyond Oklahoma City in the NBA Playoffs without Irving finding a way to be that No. 2 star behind Luka Doncic. He was not that in Game 4 as Dallas threw away a golden opportunity to take a stranglehold on the series. Irving scored all of nine points. What’s amazing here is that he took 11 total shots. We’ve seen Irving do his things in the postseason in the recent past. That was not the case as Dallas saw OKC even the series up at two.
Related: Winners and losers from Sunday’s action in the NBA Playoffs
Winner: Jason Tatum, Boston Celtics
With his Celtics needing a win on the road Saturday to retake home-court advantage, Tatum answered the call. He scored 33 points while playing 42 minutes. Tatum was back up to his old tricks against the Cavaliers on Monday. The star forward connected on 11-of-25 from the field, scoring another 33 points. Tatum added 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals for good measure. He’s playing excellent all-around basketball. Assuming Boston makes it out of Round 2, the Knicks or Pacers are going to be in for a rude awakening.
Loser: Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
We fully understand that Doncic is not 100% healthy. Dealing with a knee injury and other ailments, the star had shot just 40% from the field in four games heading into Monday night’s action. While Doncic did put up a triple-double, his lack of shooting played a major role as Dallas fell to Oklahoma City. Doncic shot just 6-of-20 from the field. He also turned the ball over a whopping seven times. Giving away that many possessions is not a recipe for success. That’s for sure.
Related: Winners and losers from Saturday’s action in the NBA Playoffs
Winner: Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
Holmgren put up a workmanlike performance in Oklahoma City’s Game 4 win over Dallas. He wasn’t dynamic by any stretch of the imagination (18 points, 9 rebounds on 6-of-9 shooting). But in a game that saw other secondary options struggle behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren’s scoring was needed. He also continued to add a physical presence to a series that has been brutal from that perspective through four games. It really is the little things for Holmgren.
Loser: Derrick White, Boston Celtics
After a strong start to the NBA Playoffs, Derrick White has tailed off some. He scored 22 combined points on 7-of-24 shooting over the previous two games heading into Monday’s outing in Cleveland. While the Celtics didn’t need White to score in this one, his struggles continued. The guard shot just 1-of-6 from the field, adding five points in 30 minutes of action. It might not matter moving forward in this series, but the Celtics will need more in the Eastern Conference Finals. That’s for sure.
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Winner: P.J. Washington, Dallas Mavericks
Washington might have missed a big free throw late in the game. But he’s pretty much the only reason Dallas was close with both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving struggling. Fresh off a two-game span that saw him hit on 11-of-23 from distance, the forward did his thing. He scored 21 points while nailing 5-of-11 from three-point range. Shockingly, Washington was Dallas’ leading scorer in a game that saw the team score just 96 points. It’s not sustainable. But he keeps coming to play. That’s for sure.
Loser: Caris LeVert, Cleveland Cavaliers
LeVert did help from a scoring perspective with Donovan Mitchell sidelined on Monday. The wing scored 19 points on 9-of-18 shooting. But his overall impact for Cleveland was a net-negative. That included hitting on just 1-of-8 from three-point range. It doesn’t help that the Cavaliers finished minuns-14 in Levert’s 39 minutes while outscoring Boston by seven in the nine minutes he sat.
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Winner: Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers
We knew that Garland had to step up with Donovan Mitchell sidelined Monday night. He had not done that thus far in the NBA Playoffs (14.7 PPG compared to 18.0 during the regular season). After some initial struggles in Game 4, Garland came to play big time. In fact, he gave the Cavaliers a third-quarter lead with a stellar second-half performance. The guard ended up dropping 30 points on 12-of-27 shooting. While it wasn’t enough, the former All-Star did what he needed to do from a micro perspective.
Loser: Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder
Josh Giddey just has not been a positive for Oklahoma City in these NBA Playoffs. He entered Monday night’s game averaging less than 10 points to go with 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists. It got so bad in Game 4 that Isaiah Joe replaced him on the court to open the second half. Giddey played all of 12 minutes, scoring five points on 2-of-8 shooting. One now has to wonder whether the former lottery pick out of Australia has found himself out of head coach Mark Daigneault’s rotation moving forward.