{"id":3738,"date":"2025-04-29T14:45:23","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T14:45:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/3738\/"},"modified":"2025-04-29T14:45:23","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T14:45:23","slug":"starting-5-april-29","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/3738\/","title":{"rendered":"Starting 5, April 29"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"How big was Golden State\u2019s Game 4 win in the Bay?<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll let Steph Curry answer that.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

5 STORIES IN TODAY\u2019S EDITION \ud83c\udfc0
April 29, 2025<\/p>\n

Warriors Win Thriller: Jimmy Butler III takes Golden State home in battle over Houston<\/p>\n

Cavaliers Advance: The East\u2019s top seed makes history in dominant sweep<\/p>\n

Pivotal Game 5: Clippers-Nuggets verging on a legendary series entering tonight\u2019s game<\/p>\n

Beasts Out East: All-Star point guards have Knicks, Pacers one win away<\/p>\n

JT In The Spotlight: As Boston tries to advance tonight, go inside Jayson Tatum\u2019s mindset<\/p>\n

BUT FIRST \u2026 \u23f0
Yesterday\u2019s scores & what to watch today\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Four Game 5s tip off tonight, as the Pacers (vs. Bucks, 6 ET, NBA TV<\/a>), Knicks (vs. Pistons, 7:30 ET, TNT<\/a>) and Celtics (vs. Magic, 8:30 ET, NBA TV<\/a>) look to clinch their First Round series at home, the Clippers and Nuggets meet for a pivotal Game 5 (10 ET, TNT<\/a>).<\/p>\n

1. WARRIORS OUTLAST ROCKETS AS PLAYOFF JIMMY RIDES AGAIN<\/p>\n

\"Jimmy<\/p>\n

Noah Graham\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cJimmy! Jimmy!\u201d<\/p>\n

Warriors 109, Rockets 106: The Chase Center crowd chanted in approval as Butler capped a\u00a014-point 4th quarter<\/a> \u2014 including the Dubs\u2019 last seven \u2014 with 2 clutch FTs in the final 4 seconds to seal a hard-fought win and a 3-1 lead. Recap<\/a> | 5 Takeaways<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cSomebody said something to me,\u201d Butler, who missed Game 3 due to injury, said afterwards about his motivation. \u201cThat\u2019s all it takes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jimmy<\/p>\n

Noah Graham\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

It had been a battle, featuring 11 lead changes and 10 ties. The score was within five points throughout the 4th, as the teams didn\u2019t give an inch.<\/p>\n

Down the stretch, the Warriors\u2019 experience \u2013 and Butler\u2019s clutch credentials \u2013 shined through.<\/p>\n

Playoff Jimmy: Butler III was 12-12 at the free throw line while scoring over half of the Warriors 4th-quarter points
\n\u201cIt\u2019s the Playoffs, and he\u2019s Jimmy Butler. This is what he does<\/a>,\u201d said Warriors coach Steve Kerr
\n\u201cSheer determination and will,\u201d said Steph Curry on Butler\u2019s gutsy Game 4 performance<\/a> after missing Game 3
\nStepping Up: On an off-night for Steph, Brandin Podziemski (26 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl) & Buddy Hield (15 pts) combined for nine 3s<\/p>\n

\"Bradin,<\/p>\n

Ezra Shaw\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

While Jimmy was Batman on Monday leading the offense, his Robin was Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year finalist Draymond Green, who proved why he\u2019s one of the top defenders in the game.<\/p>\n

Defensive Backbone: Houston started the 4th shooting 5-of-7 from the field to take a 91-90 lead with 7:51 remaining. Draymond entered, and helped hold Houston to 6-of-16 shooting \u2013 including the game-sealing stand<\/a> on Sengun with six seconds remaining
\n\u201cHe\u2019s the best defender<\/a> I\u2019ve ever seen in my life,\u201d said Kerr of Draymond
\n\u201cI told Dray if you get this stop<\/a>, I will get this rebound,\u201d said Jimmy on his role in the game-winning play<\/p>\n

\"\"Sengun (31 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast) became the sixth Rocket to put up 30\/10\/5 in a Playoff game in the loss, joining Hakeem Olajuwon, James Harden, Charles Barkley, Tracy McGrady and Ralph Sampson.<\/p>\n

VanVleet Heats Up: After making six 3s on 20.9% shooting from deep in Games 1-3 combined, Fred VanVleet splashed eight 3s on Monday to match his Playoff career-high. | Best of Sengun & FVV<\/a>
\nStanding Tall: Steven Adams (5 pts, 7 reb, 4 blk) was +16 in 26 minutes off the bench for the Rockets, who outrebounded Golden State and outscored them in the paint 48-28
\n\u201cWe\u2019ll take a look at everything,\u201d said Rockets coach Ime Udoka when asked about the starters after Game 4. \u201cObviously, certain lineups have been much better at times.\u201d
\nLooking For Buckets: Jalen Green (8 points on 8 shots) scored in single-digits for the third time this series. He scored 38 points in Houston\u2019s Game 2 win<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next: Golden State leads 3-1 as the series shifts back to Houston for Game 5 on Wednesday (7:30 ET, TNT).<\/p>\n

2. CAVS MAKE HISTORY WITH DOMINANT SERIES-CLINCHING WIN OVER HEAT <\/p>\n

\"\"The Cleveland Cavaliers revved their offense to a new level Monday night, extending a franchise record for scoring brilliance while sweeping the Miami Heat.<\/p>\n

Cavaliers 138, Heat 83: Donovan Mitchell (22 pts) led six Cavaliers in double-figures. Cleveland raced out to a 35-8 advantage after 10 minutes and never looked back, leading by as many as 60 in a rollicking win. | Recap<\/a> | Cavs Best Plays Of First Round<\/a><\/p>\n

Rattling Sabers: The Cavaliers scored 120+ points for a fourth straight Playoff game \u2013 the longest such streak in franchise history
\nAchieving Greatness: Jarrett Allen (14 pts, 12 reb) was +42 in the series-clincher \u2013 tying Kevin Love for the 2nd-best plus-minus in a Cavs Playoff game. LeBron James (+46 in 2017) is the only Cav to ever post a higher number
\nA Historic Win: The 55-point win is the fourth-largest in NBA Playoffs history
\nCavs On Parade: Cleveland\u2019s 30.5 average margin of victory in the series is the largest in a Playoff series in NBA history<\/a>. The previous high was +24.2, when the Nuggets defeated the Hornets in 2009<\/p>\n

\"Donovan<\/p>\n

Megan Briggs\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The Cavs and Thunder \u2013 the No. 1 seeds in each conference \u2013 both swept their first-round series. It\u2019s the first time that\u2019s happened since 2005, when the Heat swept the Nets and the Suns took down the Grizzlies.<\/p>\n

The Cavs offense was explosive all series, but defensively Cleveland saw their intensity level up \u2013 and will look to carry it into the next round<\/p>\n

Allen\u2019s Key Takeaway: \u201cOur intensity on the defensive end. That took leaps and bounds every single game that we played. Tonight was an excellent showing of how intense we can play.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next: The Cavs await the winner of the Indiana-Milwaukee series, which the Pacers lead 3-1 with Game 5 tonight.<\/p>\n

Cavs vs. Pacers: Indy is one of only two East teams \u2013 along with Atlanta \u2013 to win the season series with Cleveland this season (3-1)
\nCavs vs. Bucks: Cleveland swept its season series with Milwaukee (4-0), with an average margin of victory of 9.5 ppg<\/p>\n

3. TONIGHT ON TNT: PIVOTAL GAME 5 BETWEEN NUGGETS & CLIPPERS<\/p>\n

\"Kawhi<\/p>\n

Garrett Ellwood\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

There are good series and there are great series.<\/p>\n

Then, there\u2019s Clippers-Nuggets \u2013 doing what hasn\u2019t been done in a decade with three of their four battles decided by three points or less.<\/p>\n

Denver plays host to the next chapter tonight in Game 5 (10 ET, TNT) following Aaron Gordon\u2019s game-winning, buzzer-beating dunk<\/a> \u2013 the first such Playoff game-winner of the play-by-play era.<\/p>\n

The series is the only one among six remaining first-round matchups to be knotted at 2-2.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach one of these games is its own thing \u2013 its own chapter in the book,\u201d said Nuggets coach David Adelman. \u201cSo learn from what we have to learn from, but also take the positives away from things we really struggled in Game 3 with.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Nikola Joki\u0107 shot a fadeaway 3 that missed the rim, but went directly to Gordon\u2019s hands, ultimately reclaiming home-court advantage. The two often reap rewards for Denver when operating together.<\/p>\n

Ace In The Hole: In 47 games together this regular season, Gordon and Joki\u0107 have led the Nuggets to a 31-16 record and hold a 13.7 Net Rating
\nFrom The Start: Since Denver acquired Gordon in 2021, they\u2019ve connected for a combined 747 assists in the regular season, 2nd most among active duos
\nBoost: Despite playing 24 more games with the 11th-year forward than he did without him, Joki\u0107\u2019s true shooting percentage improved from 64.4% to 67.3% alongside Gordon<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

LA was on the doorstep of a comeback for the ages in Game 3. It trailed by 22 points with 11 minutes to go until the final buzzer, and stifled Denver offensively for just 16 points that frame.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe caught them off guard a little bit and kind of surprised them, and (we were) able to take advantage of that,\u201d said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. \u201cThe 4th quarter was when we really executed and did what we\u2019re supposed to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

A return to the Intuit Dome is inevitable, but if the Clippers want a chance to advance at home during Thursday\u2019s Game 6, they\u2019ll want to avoid 17-point quarters like they produced in the 3rd on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Recent Riser: Norman Powell (22 points in Game 4) has scored more in each game than the last throughout this series, and across the last two, has shot 14-for-25 from the field
\nAt Full Mast: Four starters in Game 3\u2019s 34-point win scored at least 19 but no more than 21, while Nicolas Batum and Derrick Jones Jr. each submitted 10+ off the bench<\/p>\n

4. ALL-STAR GUARDS HAVE PACERS, KNICKS 1 WIN AWAY<\/p>\n

\"Jalen<\/p>\n

Brian Sevald\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Jalen Brunson has taken his scoring to a whole new level, and it\u2019s done wonders for New York.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s bumped up his regular-season scoring average by 7.3 points this postseason, marking the highest such increase among players who averaged 20+ ppg this season.<\/p>\n

As reward for his efforts, the Knicks can eliminate the Pistons tonight with a victory in Game 5 (7:30 ET, TNT), having already scrapped out tightly-contested wins in their last two battles. Games 2 through 4 of the first-round series were all decided by six points or fewer.<\/p>\n

Steady As He Goes: The 7th-year guard has scored 30+ points in every game so far this Playoff run, averaging 33.3 and barely trailing Giannis Antetokounmpo (33.8) for the NBA lead this postseason
\nPlayoff Powers: The Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year is also averaging 13.3 points on 63% shooting in the 4th quarter in these Playoffs \u2013 including a league-best 21 total clutch points
\n\u201cHe\u2019s got great belief, and it comes from his preparation,\u201d said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau on Brunson. \u201cIn the end, he\u2019s always going to figure out, \u2018Okay, I can get to this.\u2019 And he\u2019s got a variety of things he can get to.\u201d
\nAnswering The Call: Karl-Anthony Towns only accounted for 10 points on 5-for-11 shooting in Game 2, but has since taken on a higher volume with great results. He\u2019s totaled 58 points across the last two on a 20-for-41 clip<\/p>\n

\"Tyrese<\/p>\n

Stacy Revere\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Tyrese Haliburton, meanwhile, continues to put his squad in winning positions as a playmaker.<\/p>\n

He hasn\u2019t registered a big scoring night this postseason, and he hasn\u2019t needed to.<\/p>\n

Tonight, the Pacers return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse with a chance to knock out the Bucks in Game 5 (6 ET, NBA TV). They just earned the most decisive result of the first-round series with a 26-point win Sunday.<\/p>\n

Unselfish: The 5th-year guard seeks his 5th consecutive points-assists double-double to open a Playoff run, joining Russell Westbrook, Steven Nash, John Stockton and Magic Johnson as the only other players in NBA history to achieve such a feat
\n\u201cTheir game plan is to make me be a scorer \u2013 that\u2019s what it feels like,\u201d Haliburton said on his approach to Milwaukee\u2019s defense. \u201cJust try to take advantage of that, keep getting two feet in the paint and just making the right read.\u201d
\nFear The Facilitator: Set up by Haliburton\u2019s passing, Pascal Siakam has shot the ball exceptionally well with a true shooting percentage of 67.7% this series. He posted 57.8% and 55.8% in the 2024 and 2022 Playoffs, respectively.
\nWinning Plays: Indiana is also 29-8 this season when Haliburton does dish out 10+ assists in a game<\/p>\n

5. TATUM, CELTICS LOOK TO CLOSE IN BOSTON<\/p>\n

\"Jayson<\/p>\n

Brian Babineau\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople remember people that win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jayson Tatum stars in the latest episode of Pass The Rock<\/a>, which just dropped ahead of Game 5 between the Celtics and Magic (8:30 ET, NBA TV), with Boston up 3-1.<\/p>\n

In it, JT talks\u00a0about what has fueled his ironman work ethic and rise to success.<\/p>\n

\u201cI pride myself on being the last to leave practice, the last to leave shootaround. Even though I might not be the most vocal person, trying to lead by example.\u201d
\nTatum\u2019s father, Justin, introduced him to the game of basketball, teaching him to shoot and dribble
\nTatum would wake up at 5:30 AM in high school to work out before class
\n\u201cThere was some kid, somewhere, working out while I was sleeping. I never wanted that to be the reason why my journey didn\u2019t work.\u201d
\n\u201cWinning is the most important. People remember people that win.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jrue<\/p>\n

Brian Babineau\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Tatum also approached his comfort in Boston, which \u201chas a special place in his heart,\u201d and his love for his son, Deuce, born in the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoston has accepted a 19-year-old kid and watched him grow up,\u201d said Tatum. \u201cMy dreams have come true \u2013 and I\u2019m still writing my dreams, my legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tatum had 37 points and 14 rebounds in the Celtics\u2019 Game 4 win over Orlando, keying an inspired all-around effort that brought the series back to Boston with a chance to clinch.<\/p>\n

Securing Possessions: Tatum is one of three players averaging 10+ defensive rebounds this Playoffs, along with Nikola Joki\u0107 and Giannis Antetokounmpo
\nInspired Defense: The Celtics are holding the Magic to 94.8 PPG this series \u2013 Orlando averaged 105.4 this season
\nOne Last Trick? Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are averaging 58 of those points this series \u2013 they have the highest combined usage percentage of any two teammates in the Playoffs at 70.5 (min. 100 minutes)<\/p>\n

Continued Success: With a win, Tatum would lead Boston to the conference semifinals for the seventh time in his eight-year career.<\/p>\n