If the first semifinal games in the West and East are any indication of the series, then the duels between Oklahoma and Denver, or Boston and New York, will be spectacular. OKC, after a 68-14 record in the league and a 4-0 record against Memphis in the first round of the playoffs, welcomed the Nuggets, but also had to bow to the class of Nikola Jokić and the coolness of Aaron Gordon.
The team from Colorado made a breakthrough right from the start - with 42 points and 22 rebounds from Jokić and a three-pointer from Gordon with three seconds left, they won 121:119.
And all this after losing 115:106 in just under three minutes.
The evening in the NBA was marked by another break, but on the other side of the United States - New York defeated Boston (108:105) in an equally exciting match and took a 1:0 lead against the champions.
The Celtics had several chances to tie the game in overtime, and with three seconds left, Mikal Bridges stole the ball from Jaylen Brown and ended the story at TD Garden.
The clash in Oklahoma also brought a duel between two guys who are the main candidates for the MVP title - Shay Gilges-Alexander was about at his level with 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, but Jokić once again showed that there are no limits for him.
The maestro from Sombor may not have been handing out assists like he usually does (he recorded six), but when the rivals started to arrive in the final minutes, he was a key player for the Nuggets.
What a missed opportunity the Thunder had is also evidenced by the fact that with ten seconds left they had a 119:116 lead, and at 119:118 Chet Holmgren's free throws to take a crucial step towards victory. However, the home team's center missed both free throws, after which Gordon was flawless from outside the 7,24 line.
"When I kicked it, I knew it wouldn't be a miss," Gordon said.
Jokić especially praised the guy who recently knocked out the LA Clippers in a dramatic finale.
"Gordon is the soul of this team. He probably doesn't get the respect he deserves. But I don't think he needs it," Denver's best player pointed out.
Gordon finished the game with 22 points and 14 rebounds, Jamal Murray added 21 points, Russell Westbrook 18 points, and Christian Brown 11 points and 13 steals.
Gilges-Alexander was the most efficient player on the losing team with 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, while Alex Caruso added 20 points and Jaylen Williams had 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
In Boston, the Knicks had an even more spectacular turnaround as they overcame a 20-point deficit in the second half.
They were led to victory by Jalen Brunson with 29 points, five assists and four rebounds, OG Anunoby with 29 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns added 14 points and 13 rebounds.
For Boston, which missed a record 45 three-pointers in the playoffs, Jayson Tatum scored 23 points and had 16 rebounds, and Jaylen Brown had 23 points.
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