The 2024 NBA Playoffs continued on Tuesday with a pair of all-important conference semifinals matchups. Both were tied at two heading into action.
Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks protected home-court advantage with a blowout 121-91 win over the Indiana Pacers. They now head to Game 6 in Indiana Friday evening with an opportunity to close the series out.
In the night cap, Nikola Jokic led the defending champion Denver Nuggets to a third consecutive win over the Denver Nuggets. They take a 3-2 series lead via a 112-97 victory. These are among the winners and losers from Tuesday’s action in the NBA Playoffs.
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Winner: Miles McBride, New York Knicks
Inserted into the Knicks’ lineup for Game 5 Tuesday night, McBride made his impact all around the court. The guard connected on 7-of-15 from the field, scoring 17 points in the process. But that’s not the extent of it. McBride played legitimately great defense against Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton (5-of-9 shooting). It was one of the major difference-makers as New York took a 3-2 series lead via a blowout 121-91 win.
Loser: Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves
Gobert didn’t look anything like a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year winner in Game 5. He was absolutely humiliated by reigning MVP Nikola Jokic on Tuesday. It was somewhat embarrassing to watch. This also comes after Gobert was fined for his actions in Game 4 of the series. Since he’s returned from his absence, the ‘Wolves have lost three of four. The Stifle Tower has been a net negative for Minnesota in the NBA Playoffs. Tuesday was the latest example of this.
Winner: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Following his performance Tuesday night, Jalen Burnson has dropped five 40-point performances in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. He’s the first player to do this since LeBron James back in 2018. He’s been an absolute master throughout the postseason. Game 5 against Indiana saw Brunson drop 44 points with four rebounds and seven assists. The Knicks finished plus-31 in Brunson’s 43 minutes. That’s just the tonic they needed after dropping two consecutive in Indiana.
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Loser: Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Edwards entered Tuesday’s Game 5 having played at an exceptional level during the NBA Playoffs. That included averaging 32.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists on 56% shooting. Unfortunately, he just did not have it in a game that the Timberwolves needed to win. Edwards shot a mere 5-of-15 from the field, scoring 18 points. He also turned the ball over four times with Minnesota finding itself minus-12 in Edwards’ 44 minutes of action.
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Winner: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Jokic received his MVP award with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on hand Tuesday night. After playing at that level throughout the Western Conference Semifinals, he picked a perfect time for an all-time great postseason performance. That’s not hyperbole. Jokic dropped 40 points on 15-of-22 shooting, adding seven rebounds and 13 assists. By far, he was the best player on the court. Hence, why Denver took a 3-2 series lead and has a chance to close this out in Game 6.
Loser: Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
Inexplicably, Haliburton has disappeared at times during the 2024 NBA Playoffs. It was back in Game 1 against the Knicks that he scored six points on six shots. The All-Star followed that up by averaging 29.7 points on 55% shooting in the next three outings. Unfortunately, he was not anywhere near star-caliber Tuesday evening. Haliburton scored all of 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting. How does a leading scorer attempt nine shots in what was seemingly a must-win game? It defies logic. And it has Indiana facing elimination moving forward.
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Winner: Aaron Gordon, Denver Nuggets
Gordon followed up a stellar Game 4 performance by continuing to do his thing in the NBA Playoffs Tuesday evening. The underrated forward was great from an all-around perspective. He hit on 7-of-14 from the field, scoring 18 points. Gordon added 10 rebounds and five assists as Denver finished plus-eight in his 34 minutes of action. If Gordon continues to play like this, the Nuggets have a legit chance to repeat as champs.
Loser: Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets
It’s a good thing that Aaron Gordon did his thing for Denver Tuesday evening. Porter Jr. did not. He hit on just 2-of-10 from the field, scoring six points. That included making 2-of-7 from distance. At some point, the Nuggets are going to need a better version of Porter Jr. They did not get that in Game 5.
Winner: Isaiah Hartenstein, New York Knicks
Hartenstein has been a godsend for the Knicks with Mitchell Robinson sidelined in this series. The big man entered Game 5 averaging 9.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists per outing. The numbers don’t necessarily stand out. The impact does. That was the case Tuesday night. Hartenstein dominated in the low-post, grabbing a whopping 12 offensive rebounds. To put this into perspective, Indiana had five offensive boards as a team. These second-chance opportunities played a major role in what ended up being a 30-point New York win.
Loser: Obi Toppin, Indiana Pacers
Toppin has picked his points to make a difference in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. That included averaging 16 points in the first two games of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Tuesday night was not it against his former Knicks team. The forward scored seven points in 21 minutes of action. Indiana finished minus-25 during that span. This is how you know a player was a net negative.
