{"id":6397,"date":"2026-05-01T09:35:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T09:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/05\/01\/timberwolves-eliminate-nuggets-as-knicks-demolish-hawks-in-nba-playoffs\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T09:35:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T09:35:28","slug":"timberwolves-eliminate-nuggets-as-knicks-demolish-hawks-in-nba-playoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/05\/01\/timberwolves-eliminate-nuggets-as-knicks-demolish-hawks-in-nba-playoffs\/","title":{"rendered":"Timberwolves eliminate Nuggets as Knicks demolish Hawks in NBA playoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>The Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated Nikola Jokic\u2019s Denver Nuggets while the New York Knicks put on one of the most dominant displays in NBA playoff history, destroying Atlanta to advance, and the surging Sixers beat the visiting Celtics again to force a decisive Game 7.<\/p>\n<p>Sixth-seeded Minnesota will play the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals after completing a 110-98 win on Thursday for a 4-2 series upset of third-seeded Denver.<\/p>\n<section>\n<h2>Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n<p><span>list of 4 items<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>list 1 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/2026\/4\/30\/arsenal-vs-fulham-premier-league-teams-start-lineups-title-race\">Arsenal target 6-point lead over Man City as Fulham visit for London derby<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 2 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/2026\/4\/30\/palestine-fa-chief-hits-out-at-israel-federation-vp-at-fifa-congress\">Palestine FA chief hits out at Israel federation VP at FIFA Congress<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 3 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/2026\/4\/30\/trumps-says-iran-can-play-at-world-cup-in-us-after-fifa-confirmation\">Trump says \u2018let them play\u2019 after FIFA confirms Iran World Cup games in US<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 4 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/2026\/4\/30\/liv-golf-has-a-new-chairman-and-seeks-to-new-funding-without-saudi-backing\">Saudi Arabia to end LIV Golf funding, while league appoints new chairman<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic top-scored for Denver with 28, but it was not enough to fend off the dogged Timberwolves, who were playing without star man Anthony Edwards due to injury.<\/p>\n<p>The clash in Minneapolis was tight throughout, with no team gaining a double-digit lead until the game\u2019s dying moments.<\/p>\n<p>The Timberwolves edged the first half, leading 57-50 at the break.<\/p>\n<p>Jokic roared to life. The Serbian superstar scored 14 points in the third quarter alone to ensure a nail-biting finish.<\/p>\n<p>Having already been ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct from Game 4 after a shoving match, Jokic enraged the home crowd by sparking another brawl with Jaylen Clark.<\/p>\n<p>With his Timberwolves leading by five with 90 seconds remaining, Jaden McDaniels sank a long jump-shot for two to rouse the home fans and force a Nuggets timeout.<\/p>\n<p>When play resumed, Denver could only turn over the ball again. McDaniels closed out the win with two free throws, ending his night with a career-high 32 points, to top-score overall.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a great night. It\u2019s a great victory for us. Hopefully \u2026 we\u2019ve got 12 more to go,\u201d said Minnesota coach Chris Finch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe came into these playoffs not trying to beat Denver, but trying to win a championship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A visibly crestfallen Jokic, whose side last won the NBA championship just three years ago, said they \u201cjust didn\u2019t do a good job\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI needed to play better. I must play better,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Edwards \u2013 out with a bone bruise and hyperextended left knee \u2013 could return for the Timberwolves\u2019 series with the high-flying Spurs.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"knicks-crush-hawks-in-record-setting-rout\">Knicks crush Hawks in record-setting rout<\/h2>\n<p>Elsewhere on Thursday, the Knicks routed the Atlanta Hawks 140-89.<\/p>\n<p>It was the most points scored and the biggest win by the Knicks in a playoff game, setting up an Eastern Conference semifinal with either the Celtics or the 76ers, who are tied 3-3 after a Philadelphia win.<\/p>\n<p>The Knicks wrapped up their 4-2 series victory in emphatic style, leading the Hawks by as many as 61 points before benching their starters for the final quarter.<\/p>\n<p>New York\u2019s 47-point half-time lead, at 83-36, was the widest in NBA postseason history.<\/p>\n<p>OG Anunoby top-scored with 29 points, including 26 in the first half, before he was rested. None of New York\u2019s starters played more than 29 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can\u2019t just meet the moment, we\u2019ve got to exceed it, and I thought we did a great job of doing that tonight,\u201d said Karl-Anthony Towns, who recorded a triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4536280\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4536280\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/reuters_69f43da9-1777614249.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C513&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"Apr 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby (8) dribbles against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4536280\">Anunoby in action against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena [Brett Davis-Imagn Images via Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Having finished third in the Eastern Conference, the heavily favoured Knicks had been down 2-1 early in the playoff series, before roaring back.<\/p>\n<p>They are the first team to advance to the East\u2019s semifinals \u2013 their fourth straight year of reaching that stage.<\/p>\n<p>The Hawks briefly led at the start of the game, going up 11-9 before the wheels dramatically came off. They trailed 40-15 at the end of the first quarter.<\/p>\n<p>The final 51-point margin of defeat was not quite the largest in playoff history, which stands at 58 points.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cObviously, you hate to lose anything. And to lose the way we did, I think, particularly given the enthusiasm and support that we\u2019ve had from the people in this building \u2026 disappointed on a lot of levels,\u201d said Hawks coach Quin Snyder.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"sixers-dump-celtics-again-to-send-series-to-game-7\">Sixers dump Celtics again to send series to Game 7<\/h2>\n<p>The Celtics-76ers playoff series is headed for a decisive Game 7 in Massachusetts after Philadelphia beat Boston 106-93.<\/p>\n<p>The Celtics had held a 3-1 series lead, but the 76ers proved dominant on their home court to make it 3-3.<\/p>\n<p>Tyrese Maxey top-scored with 30 points. Paul George added 23, and 2023 Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid poured in another 19, plus 10 rebounds and eight assists.<\/p>\n<p>It is the 23rd playoff series between the two historic rivals \u2013 an NBA record.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated Nikola Jokic\u2019s Denver Nuggets while the New York Knicks put on one of the most dominant displays in NBA playoff history, destroying Atlanta to advance, and the surging Sixers beat the visiting Celtics again to force a decisive Game 7. Sixth-seeded Minnesota will play the San Antonio Spurs in the Western &#8230; <a title=\"Timberwolves eliminate Nuggets as Knicks demolish Hawks in NBA playoffs\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/05\/01\/timberwolves-eliminate-nuggets-as-knicks-demolish-hawks-in-nba-playoffs\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Timberwolves eliminate Nuggets as Knicks demolish Hawks in NBA playoffs\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6398,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6397\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}