Rockets, Nuggets, Suns on brink
- The Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder pushed Houston, Denver and Phoenix to the edge this weekend, leaving the Rockets and Suns down 3-0 and the Nuggets trailing 3-1. - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 42 in Oklahoma City’s 121-109 win over Phoenix, while Ayo Dosunmu dropped 43 off Minnesota’s bench and LeBron James’ 29-point, 13-rebound night put Houston in a hole. - Three Western series swung hard by April 25-26, with Houston facing a Sunday sweep chance and Denver and Phoenix running out of margin. (nba.com)
The Western Conference bracket narrowed fast this weekend: Houston and Phoenix fell behind 3-0, and Denver slipped to a 3-1 deficit. (nba.com) (cbssports.com) The Lakers beat the Rockets 112-108 in overtime on Friday, April 24, after LeBron James finished with 29 points and 13 rebounds. Houston’s Game 4 is Sunday, April 26, at 9:30 p.m. Eastern on Peacock and NBC. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Houston has gotten 24.0 points, 11.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game from Alperen Sengun in the series, but the Rockets are still averaging 100.0 points across the first three games. Kevin Durant missed Game 3 with an ankle injury, and coach Ime Udoka said his status for Game 4 was unknown. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Denver’s problem is different: the Nuggets already lost Game 4, falling 112-96 at Minnesota on Saturday, April 25. That put Nikola Jokić and the No. 3 seed one loss from elimination before Game 5 on Monday, April 27. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The Timberwolves got that lead behind Ayo Dosunmu, who scored 43 points off the bench in Game 4. Minnesota took Games 2, 3 and 4 after Denver opened the series with a Game 1 win. (nba.com) (nba.com) Phoenix is in the deepest hole. The defending champion Thunder beat the Suns 121-109 on Saturday in Phoenix, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a playoff career-high 42 points. (nba.com) (nba.com) The Suns reached this matchup through the play-in tournament, then opened the first round with losses of 119-84, 120-107 and 121-109. Game 4 is set for Monday, April 27, at 9:30 p.m. Eastern on Peacock and NBC Sports Network. (espn.com) (nba.com) Those three series also show how uneven the West has become in one week. The No. 1 Thunder and No. 4 Lakers are both one win from advancing, while the No. 6 Timberwolves have flipped a 1-0 deficit into control against Denver. (nba.com) (cbssports.com) By the end of Sunday night, Houston could be out, and by Monday night, Phoenix or Denver could be one loss from joining it. The bracket looked crowded on April 18; by April 27, it could be close to set. (nba.com) (nba.com)
