NBA – Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets) finishes off the Los Angeles Lakers, the Oklahoma City Thunder also qualified

• Denver wins the series 4-1

The inevitable Jamal Murray. The Lakers will have nightmares about this. Already author of a killer basket at the buzzer earlier in the series, the Canadian leader concluded Game 5 and at the same time this first round duel by scoring two decisive shots in the final seconds, Monday evening. He finished the game with 32 points and 7 assists.

The match was closely fought throughout and it was still 99-99 with 3 minutes to go before the final buzzer. Everything then came to a head. Nikola Jokic scored two baskets from close range which were answered by Austin Reaves – behind the arc – and LeBron James. Then Murray dealt a first blow by drawing a three-pointer at the dawn of the last minute. James equalized a handful of seconds later on the line, before this final possession where Murray played a pick-and-roll with Jokic before taking his chance at mid-distance. Inside. Taurean Prince’s desperate attempt from midfield didn’t even hit the circle.

The offensive rebounds got the better of the Lakers in money time. The Nuggets had several additional chances in the final moments of the game, notably on their superstar’s three-pointer. Jokic finished with 20 rebounds in addition to his 25 points and 9 assists. LeBron had 30 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists. No other Los Angeles player reached the 20-point mark, but the other four starters exceeded 10.

The Lakers come up against the Nuggets once again. But this time from the first round of the NBA playoffs and not in the conference final, like last year.

• Boston leads the series 3-1

The Celtics feel at home in Miami. They have won 14 of the last 17 matches played on the Heat floor. Including the last 6. And maybe Boston’s players won’t return to Florida for a while. Indeed, they took a 3-1 advantage in this series by winning last night (88-102). They are now one victory away from qualifying for the Eastern Conference semi-finals (3-1).

The Massachusetts franchise dominated its subject from start to finish. She led by 10 points after the first quarter and by 17 at the break (36-53). She got into rhythm quickly under the leadership of Derrick White. The veteran signed the best performance of his career by scoring 38 points on 15 of 26 shots, including 8 of 15 from three-point range. His entry hot shot put the Celtics on the right track and they were not caught after that.

The bad news, because there is one and it is big, is the injury to Kristaps Porzingis. The Latvian only played 14 minutes, leaving prematurely after injuring his calf. The Celtics believe that the pivot avoided the worst, namely a rupture of the Achilles tendon, but the player will have to undergo additional examinations. It cannot be ruled out that he will miss several playoff matches.

• Oklahoma City wins the series 4-0

Despite the inexperience of its group, the Thunder did not provide details for its entry into the playoffs. Mark Daigneault’s players (freshly named coach of the year) swept the Pelicans in four dry sets. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams each scored 24 points in Oklahoma City’s fourth straight victory.

The Thunder relied mainly on its defense to make the difference by limiting the Pelicans to 37.6% shooting, including 23.5% from three-point range. The OKC players notably stifled their opponents in the fourth quarter. New Orleans led by a small point at home but only scored 18 units in the last 12 minutes, losing 89-97 on Monday. There was even a moment when CJ McCollum’s teammates only scored one basket in 6 minutes…

Brandon Ingram clearly illustrates his team’s difficulties. The All-Star winger finished 2 of 14 from the field. He is at 34.5% for the entire series. A big disappointment. The Pelicans once again played without Zion Williamson, who still has not experienced the atmosphere of the playoffs. This quick exit in the first round could be synonymous with change in Louisiana.