On May 15, Beijing time, the NBA playoffs will continue, and the league has arranged two battles for Tianwang Mountain. The Knicks host the Pacers, and the Knicks, who have lost their roster due to injury, will suffer a three-game losing streak? The Nuggets played at home against the Timberwolves, and Jokic tried to lead the team to three straight wins to push Edwards into a corner. In the NBA's best-of-seven playoff history, the winner of the Battle of Kings Mountain has an 82% (190-42) chance of advancement.
8:00: Pacers vs. Knicks
The Pacers are currently drawing 2-2 with the Knicks on aggregate, and the battle of Kings Mountain will be played at the Knicks' home court. The G1 Knicks beat the Pacers 121-117 at home, the G2 Knicks beat the Pacers 130-121 at home, the G3 Pacers beat the Knicks 111-106 at home, and the G4 Pacers beat the Knicks 121-89 at home. In the regular season this season, the Pacers are 47-35 and 21-20 on the road; The Knicks are 50-32 and 27-14 at home.
In the last game, the Knicks never led again after the start of the 2-0 game, and the Pacers quickly took the initiative on the court, widening the point difference, leading the Knicks by 43 points at most, and finally won by 32 points. The Knicks' Burks had 20 points and 5 rebounds, Brunson had 18 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists, and McBride had 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, making the team just 7-of-37 from three-point range. The Pacers' Haliburton had 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, McConnell 15 points, 4 rebounds and 10 assists, Siakam 14 points and 4 rebounds, and Turner 13 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks.
The 32-point defeat was the fifth-largest loss in the Knicks' playoff history and their worst loss in the playoffs since 2012. Injuries have taken a toll on the Knicks' overall strength, with Anunoby missing the last two games due to injury, and the Knicks losing both. Randle has been sidelined for the season with a right shoulder injury, and Mitchell Robinson will be out until mid-June with a left ankle injury.
Brunson doesn't want to use injury as an excuse, but the Pacers did regain momentum. It was the third-largest win in their playoff history and the most points won in a playoff game since 2018. Haliburton said: 'It feels good to win one game but we have to understand that at the end of the day we just did our job and won two games at home and we understand the importance of Game 5 and will be ready for that. ”
In terms of injuries, the Pacers' Mathurin is out and Haliburton is doubtful. The Knicks' Anunoby, Randle, Bojan Bogdanovic and Mitchell Robinson are out.
ESPN Predicted Win Percentage: Pacers 45.7%, Knicks 54.3%
10:30: Timberwolves vs. Nuggets
The Nuggets are currently tied 2-2 with the Timberwolves on aggregate, and the battle of Kings Mountain will be played at the Nuggets' home court. G1 Timberwolves beat Nuggets 106-99 away, G2 Timberwolves beat Nuggets 106-80 away, G3 Nuggets beat Timberwolves 117-90 away, and G4 Nuggets beat Timberwolves 115-107 away. In the regular season this season, the Timberwolves are 56-26 and 26-15 on the road; The Nuggets are 57-25 and 33-8 at home.
In the last game, the Timberwolves led by as many as 7 points in the first quarter, but the Nuggets quickly overtook and maintained the lead until the end, leading the Timberwolves by 18 points at most, and in the end, the Nuggets won the opponent by 8 points. The Nuggets' Jokic had 35 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals, Gordon had 27 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists on 11-of-12 shooting, and Murray had 19 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists. Timberwolves' Edwards had 44 points, five rebounds and five assists, Conley had 15 points and nine assists, Towns had 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Gobert had 11 points and 14 rebounds.
A week ago, the Nuggets were down 2-0 and looked like they were about to pack their bags and go fishing, but now they've equalized and regained their rhythm from last season's championship. The biggest shift has been on the offensive end, where the Nuggets have shot 55.3 percent from the field in their last two wins. Murray also seems to be out of injury and moving better on the court. Malone praised his team for withstanding the test, going 11-of-12 from the field in G4 against Gordon and helping Jokic and Murray well.
The Timberwolves' players didn't give Edwards enough support. Edwards scored 44 points in G4 and couldn't walk away with a win. Downs has scored just 27 points in the last two games combined, especially in G4, where he has only been 5-of-18. Edwards encouraged Downs: "Never stop shooting just because you've missed five or six balls, I don't care, in order for us to win, we need you to score." "It's not just Towns, the Timberwolves need Conley and Reed to score more points.
In terms of injuries, the Timberwolves are fully healthy, the Nuggets' Cankar is out, and Murray is doubtful.
ESPN Predicted Win Percentage: Timberwolves 43.9%, Nuggets 56.1%