THE BOSTON Celtics extended their NBA play-off hopes with a dominant 127-102 win over the New York Knicks, while the Minnesota Timberwolves advanced to the Western Conference finals after eliminating the Golden State Warriors.
Down 3-1 in the Eastern Conference semi-final and without star Jayson Tatum—who underwent Achilles surgery—the Celtics responded at TD Garden. Derrick White scored 34 points, and Jaylen Brown added 26 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds.
“We made winning plays on both ends of the floor,” said Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. Game five is set for Friday in New York at 8:00 PM local time.
In Minneapolis, the Timberwolves sealed a 4-1 series win with a 121-110 victory. Julius Randle posted 29 points, while Anthony Edwards had 22 points and 12 assists
Minnesota now awaits either the Thunder or Nuggets in the West finals, with Oklahoma City currently leading 3-2.
“It’s great,” said Randle. “We’ve had a season full of adversity. We stuck together and got through it.”
Golden State, without Stephen Curry since game one due to a hamstring injury, couldn’t recover.
“Injuries are part of the play-offs,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. “The play-offs come down to health and key plays. We’ve been on both ends of it. Credit to Minnesota for what they achieved.”