Knicks, Timberwolves advance; 76ers survive
- New York and Minnesota closed out first-round series on April 30, with the Knicks crushing Atlanta in Game 6 and the Timberwolves eliminating Denver. (espn.com) - The loudest number was New York’s 140-89 win — a 47-point halftime lead, the biggest halftime margin in NBA playoff history. (espn.com) - Philadelphia changed the bracket too, beating Boston twice to force a May 2 Game 7 after trailing 3-1. (espn.com)
The NBA playoffs got weird fast on Thursday, April 30. Two series ended, but not in routine closeout fashion. The Knicks blew out the Hawks so badly that halftim(espn.com)nver while missing their top three guards. Meanwhile, the 76ers didn’t advance that night — but they mattered anyway, because th(espn.com)to a live Game 7. (espn.com) ### Why were the Knicks (espn.com) New York turned one into a demolition. The Knicks beat Atlanta 140-89 in Game 6 and led by 47 at halftime, which set an NBA playoff record for halftime margin. That wasn’t one hot quarter — it was a full first-half avalanche that ended the series 4-2 before the Hawks could make it competitive. (espn.com) ### Who drove that blowout? It wasn’t even a one-man explosion, which is part of w(espn.com) Towns had 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and the game got so lopsided that a midgame fight — Mitchell Robinson and Dyson Daniels were both ejected — barely changed the outcome. New York basically had answers from everywhere. (espn.com) ### Why was Minnesota’s win more impressive than it looks? Because the Timberwolves closed out (espn.com)DiVincenzo and Ayo Dosunmu were all out, so Minnesota had to win with size, effort and role players. Turns out that worked. The Wolves pounded Denver 64-40 in the paint and won the rebounding battle 50-33, which is a brutal way to send home a team built around Nikola Jokić. (nba.com) ### So who stepped up for the Wol(espn.com)nts and 10 rebounds. Terrence Shannon Jr., thrown into a surprise start, added 24. Rudy Gobert filled the game with glue stuff: 10 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. Jokić still nearly had a triple-double with 28 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, but Jamal Murray shot 4-for-17, and Denver never found enough offense around its star. (nba.com) ### Where does Philadelphia fit(nba.com)ll feels unstable. The 76ers were down 3-1 to Boston, then won Game 5 in Boston 113-97 behind Joel Embiid’s 33 and Tyrese Maxey’s 25, and followed it with a 106-93 Game 6 win in Philadelphia. Maxey scored 30 in Game 6, and suddenly a Celtics series that looked finished became a winner-take-all game on May 2. (nba.com) ### Why does that matter beyond one series? Because the bracket is now split be(nba.com)erwolves are through and open the second round at San Antonio on May 4. But in the East, Boston still has to survive Philadelphia, and other first-round series also stretched to Game 7. That means the playoff picture changed from “next round is forming” to “half the board is still moving.” (nba.com) ### What’s the real takeaway? Thursday wasn’t just about who ad(nba.com)the playoffs changed. New York looked dominant. Minnesota looked deeper and tougher than expected. Philadelphia proved one more time that a series can feel over right up until it isn’t. (espn.com)
