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NBA playoffs scores, takeaways: Wolves complete the sweep over Suns, Jalen Brunson gives Knicks 3-1 lead

The Suns are the first team to be eliminated this postseason

The 2024 NBA playoffs stormed back into action Sunday with eight teams competing in Game 4s. The Mavericks tied the largest comeback in NBA playoffs history when they erased the Clippers' 31-point advantage and briefly held the lead late in the fourth quarter. But that was as close as they would get. Paul George sizzled in the first half and finished with 33 points, James Harden added 33 and Los Angeles pulled out a 116-11 win to tie the series 2-2.

In the opener on Sunday, Jalen Brunson got the playoff party started and scored 47 points to set a franchise playoff record as the Knicks held on for a 97-92 win in Philadelphia to take a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Sixers. 

With a 126-113 win over the Bucks, the Pacers have pushed Milwaukee to the brink of elimination with a commanding 3-1 series lead. Things got spicy early when Bobby Portis found himself ejected after a scrap with Andrew Nembhard. 

In Sunday's finale, Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves completed the sweep against Kevin Durant and the Suns. It is Minnesota's first playoff series victory in 20 years. Despite head coach Chris Finch's abrupt exit due to injury, the Timberwolves held on to win 122-116. 

Here is a recap of the final scores from Sunday's action, along with a few takeaways from the night:

NBA playoffs scores: Sunday, April 28

  • Game 4: Knicks 97, 76ers 92 (NY leads 3-1) -- Recap
  • Game 4: Clippers 116, Mavericks 111 (Series tied 2-2) -- Recap
  • Game 4: Pacers 126, Bucks 113 (IND leads 3-1) -- Recap
  • Game 4: Timberwolves 122, Suns 116 (MIN wins series 4-0) -- Recap

Takeaways from Sunday night

Brunson's burner

As if Jalen Brunson could become any more of a legend in Knicks world, he went out and set a franchise record with 47 points in New York's Game 4 win on Sunday, putting his team one victory away from a conference semifinal appearance. The All-Star point guard went 18-for-34 from the field, 9-for-11 from the free throw line and scored 24 points in the second half to lead the Knicks to victory.

After struggling to start the series, Brunson has clearly found his rhythm, and the 76ers will have to rethink their approach if they're going to avoid elimination on Tuesday night.

Harden comes up clutch

In a game that was all Clippers early, the Mavericks fought all the way back from 31 points down to take the lead late in Game 4 on Sunday. That's when James Harden decided to take control, scoring 13 points in the final five minutes, almost entirely off of floaters in the lane.

Harden's had plenty of postseason moments to forget over the course of his Hall of Fame career, so clutch performances like this stand out. Kawhi Leonard might not return in this series, so the Clippers are going to need much more production from Harden and Paul George if they're going to survive in a tied series heading back to Los Angeles.

Short-handed Bucks fall ... short

The Bucks were already fighting an uphill battle in Sunday's Game 4 with both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard out with injuries. Things got more complicated in the second quarter, when Bobby Portis was ejected following an altercation with Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard.

Milwaukee fought hard to keep things close, but they eventually ran out of gas, despite 27 points and nine rebounds from Brook Lopez and 25 points and 10 rebounds from Khris Middleton. The Pacers now sit one win away from advancing to the second round, with the status of Milwaukee's top two players still up in the air.

Edwards powers Wolves sweep

The Phoenix Suns have officially been sent packing. The Timberwolves became the first team to punch their ticket to the conference semifinals with an impressive win on Sunday in Phoenix. Anthony Edwards was the story of the game, pouring in 40 points, 31 of which came in the second half, while making spectacular plays on both ends along the way.

It was the first playoff series win for the Timberwolves in 20 years, and they now advance to play the winner of the Denver Nuggets-Los Angeles Lakers series. Meanwhile, the Suns are going to have a lot of questions this offseason with a top-heavy roster that clearly wasn't good enough to compete for a title.

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Final: Timberwolves 122, Suns 116

(Wolves win series 4-0)

In what was expected to be one of the most competitive series of the first round, perhaps even resulting in an upset, the Minnesota Timberwolves became the first NBA team to punch their ticket to the conference semifinals by completing a sweep of the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night. Devin Booker and Kevin Durant did all they could to keep the Suns' season alive, combining for 82 points on 38 shots, but Anthony Edwards would have none of that.

The budding superstar absolutely took over down the stretch, making shots from all conceivable angles, blocking Booker's dunk attempt and throwing down yet another jaw-dropping poster dunk.

Edwards finished with 40 points, nine rebounds and six assists, while Karl-Anthony Towns provided support with 28 points and 10 rebounds on 4-for-6 3-point shooting.

The Wolves move on to face the winner of the Denver Nuggets-Los Angeles Lakers series, which the Nuggets lead 3-1. It's the first time in 20 years that the Wolves have made it to the second round of the playoffs. As for the Suns, the questions will come fast and furious this offseason about a roster construction that was meant to win now, but has just been eliminated in borderline embarrassing fashion.  

 
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Pacers outlast shorthanded Bucks to take 3-1 lead

The Indiana Pacers pulled away in the second half on Sunday night to beat the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks, 126-113, in Game 4 of their first-round series. With their third consecutive win, the Pacers now have a 3-1 lead and are one win away from their first playoff series victory since 2014. 

Milwaukee entered the game without Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) and Damian Lillard (Achilles), then lost Bobby Portis to an ejection mid-way through the first quarter. Despite all of those absences, they battled hard and made just about every shot in the first half. Ultimately, though, they were unable to keep up with the Pacers. 

Indiana was also on fire and made a franchise playoff-record 22 3-pointers. Myles Turner led the way with seven 3s en route to 29 points, and seven different players hit at least one shot from behind the arc for the Pacers. As a team, they shot 51.7% from the field overall and assisted on 33 of their 46 buckets. 

The series will now shift to Milwaukee for Game 5 on Tuesday night. 

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Clippers outlast Mavericks late surge to tie series at 2-2

After leading by 31 points in the first half, the Clippers avoided an epic collapse in the second half after Dallas fought all the way back in the fourth quarter thanks to clutch shooting from James Harden down the stretch. Harden finished with 33 points in the win, while Paul George added on another 33 points of his own. It was a gutsy win from L.A. who were without Kawhi Leonard due to knee inflammation, and avoided going down 3-1 in the series. Instead, the Clippers now head back to Los Angeles with the series tied at 2-2 and a chance to regain the momentum against the Mavericks.

The Mavericks were no shows in the first half, but Kyrie Irving turned in a masterful performance racking up 40 points in the loss. Luka Doncic had 29 points, but even after regaining the lead for a moment in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks couldn't slow down Harden in the closing minutes. Dallas squandered a huge opportunity Sunday afternoon, and instead of heading to L.A. with the chance to close out the Clippers, they'll now go back to Crypto.com Arena for Wednesday's Game 5 with the series all tied up.

 
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Knicks take commanding 3-1 series lead

It sure did look like the Sixers were on pace to tie this series up Sunday afternoon. Four of Philly's five starters scored in double figures, Embiid was his usual MVP self, and the Knicks struggled with efficiency for most of the game. But Jalen Brunson just wouldn't let the Knicks quit in their 97-92 victory. The All-Star guard posted a playoff career-high -- and franchise playoff-high -- 47 points as well as 10 assists. He literally willed New York to a win. 

The Knicks were relentless on the offensive glass, with a 21-8 advantage in second-chance opportunities. They held the Sixers to just 16 fourth-quarter points to squeeze out a win. The Knicks will now have a chance to close out this series at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

Some notable stats:

  • Jalen Brunson: 47 points (18-34 FG, 2-8 3PT, 9-11 FT), 4 rebounds, 10 assists in 43 minutes
  • OG Anunoby: 16 points (8-16 FG, 0-4 3PT, 0-0 FT), 14 rebounds, 3 blocks in 46 minutes
  • Joel Embiid: 27 points (7-19 FG, 1-6 3PT, 12-14 FT), 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks in 43 minutes
  • Tyrese Maxey: 23 points (8-21 FG, 3-9 3PT, 4-4 FT), 6 rebounds, 6 assists in 41 minutes
 

Bojan Bogdanovic heads to locker room with apparent foot injury

Right as the second quarter started it appears as though Knicks forward Bojan Bogdanovic suffered an injury that required him to go to the locker room. Bogdanovic just checked into the game at the start of the second quarter, and after diving for a loose ball his foot got caught under Tobias Harris and it looked like he tweaked it. He was able to walk off under his own power after writhing in pain on the floor for a moment, but he walked to the locker room with a noticeable limp.

 

Woeful first-quarter shooting for the Knicks

The Knicks find themselves down by 10 points and part of that is because they're not knocking down easy looks. They're certainly generating great shots, but they're not finding the bottom of the net. After that first quarter the Knicks are shooting just 33.3% from the floor and an even worse 14.3% from deep. That will need to greatly improve if the Knicks want to win this game.

 

Sixers lead 27-17 after first quarter

Joel Embiid is picking up right where he left off in Game 3, racking up 10 points in the first quarter on 5 of 10 from the floor. He's also got six rebounds and four assists, and so far it's been all Philly out of the gates. The Sixers are getting much better production out of their role players, with Tobias Harris up to six points on 3 of 6 from the field, another four points from Kelly Oubre Jr., and each of Kyle Lowry and Tyrese Maxey adding on 3 points each. That's an important key to this game for the Sixers, because as Embiid garners more defensive pressure, he'll need to find the open guys and right now they're knocking down the open looks.

 

Sixers dominating the paint in first quarter

Philadelphia is having no issue scoring in the post, outscoring the Knicks 14-4 in the paint in the first quarter. That's a flip from what we've seen through the first three games of this series where the Knicks have a +5.3 advantage in paint points. That advantage in Game 4 so far is opening up things for the Sixers, and so far it's been all Philadelphia Sunday afternoon.

 

Knicks at 76ers Game 4 info

We're minutes away from tip-off in Philadelphia. Here's how to watch Game 4.

  • Date: Sunday, April 28 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
  • Location: Wells Fargo Center -- Philadelphia
  • TV channel: ABC | Live stream: fubo (try for free)
  • Odds: 76ers -5.5, O/U: 209
USATSI
 

Mitchell Robinson OUT for Game 4

Robinson was expected to go through warm ups to test out that sprained ankle he sustained in Game 3, and while it initially looked like he would suit up, ESPN is reporting that he'll be sidelined for Sunday afternoon's game. That's a big loss for the Knicks, who will have one less body to throw at Embiid, who is coming off a 50-point game in Game 3.

 

Knicks at 76ers storylines

Knicks: After holding the Sixers to 104 and 101 in the first two games of this series, the Sixers exploded for 125 points, as Embiid got whatever he wanted, including an endless amount of trips to the free throw line where he went 19 for 21. The Knicks will need to tighten up defensively, especially with how it defends Embiid because he had no issue getting to his spots. The Sixers also shot nearly 50% from 3-point range, another key factor in this game, so New York will need to do a better job defending the perimeter if they want to get a win in Game 4.

76ers: Embiid put on a clinic, but the Sixers can't rely on him to keep putting up those numbers, it's just not sustainable. Maxey put up 25 points, but we're still waiting for Tobias Harris to show up in this series. Kelly Oubre had a better showing -- 15 points on 6 of 8 from the floor -- and he'll need to continue that kind of production if the Sixers want to even up this series. They also need better production out of their bench, which ranks second-to-last in scoring in the postseason so far.

 

Embiid is a gamer

Not only did the 76ers big man deliver a historic performance in their Game 3 win by scoring a playoff career-high 50 points on just 19 shots, but he's also dealing with a Bell's palsy diagnosis. Nothing is going to stop this man from playing.
 

Josh Hart mic'd up

The Knicks star has been consistently scoring against the 76ers in this series and will be on the attack again Sunday. Check out what he had to say against Philadelphia in Game 3 on Thursday.
 

Time to get fired up for Sunday

Get your popcorn ready, as we have a four-game slate on tap in the NBA playoffs. Who's ready?
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