The NBA playoffs are underway, and the action has never been hotter. On Monday, the Thunder eliminated the Pelicans with with a 4-0 sweep. The Celtics also took a commanding 3-1 lead over the Heat. And to close out the night, the Nuggets sent the Lakers home packing for a second consecutive season.
Before that, Sunday gave us our first elimination as the Timberwolves completed the 4-0 sweep of the Suns to notch their first playoff series win in 20 years. It was a 122-116 victory that remained tight until the very end. Prior to that, 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. Jalen Brunson got the playoff party started on Sunday, 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.
Then, the Pacers took a 3-1 lead over the Bucks with a 126-113 victory. In doing so, Indiana has pushed the injury-riddled Bucks to the brink of elimination.
Previously, on Saturday, the Magic overcame a 2-0 series hole to tie things up at 2-2 with a 112-89 win over the Cavaliers. Then, the Oklahoma City Thunder took a commanding 3-0 series lead over New Orleans, while the Celtics jumped ahead to 2-1 over the Heat. To close out Saturday, the Lakers finally got a win over the Nuggets to avoid a sweep.
The first round of these NBA playoffs will run through May 5. Here’s how CBS Sports experts are picking their brackets.
Monday’s playoff games
Game 4: Celtics 102, Heat 88 (BOS leads 3-1) — Recap
Game 4: Thunder 97, Pelicans 89 (OKC wins series 4-0) — Recap
Game 5: Nuggets 108, Lakers 106 (DEN wins series 4-1) — Recap
Below is a look at the complete playoff bracket. You can see the full playoff schedule here.