Sunday’s NBA playoffs takeaways: Wolves finish sweep, Clippers hold off Mavs, Knicks open lead

By Fred Katz, Mike Vorkunov, David Aldridge, Tim Cato, Law Murray, Eric Nehm, Kelly Iko, Jon Krawczynski and Doug Haller

The Minnesota Timberwolves completed a first-round sweep of the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, advancing to the second round where they’ll play either the Denver Nuggets or Los Angeles Lakers.

The earliest the second-round series could be played is Saturday if the Nuggets win Monday in Denver.

Here are Sunday’s playoff takeaways.

Timberwolves 122, Suns 116

Series: Timberwolves advance with 4-0 sweep

Anthony Edwards shines over Suns

Before the playoffs began last season against the Nuggets, Anthony Edwards was asked about being one of the league’s young stars.

He said he couldn’t be considered a young star because he had yet to win in the playoffs. Well, he’s a young star now. A super one.

Edwards scored 31 of his 40 points in the second half to lead his Wolves into the second round of the playoffs for just the second time in the franchise’s 35-year history.

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The Wolves struggled to hit shots in the first half, Edwards chief among them. He had just nine points on 2-of-8 shooting in the first half, but made 11 of 15 shots in the second half, including 6 of 7 from 3-point range, to vanquish the Suns.

His soaring dunk in the fourth quarter was the exclamation point, but he also hit a deep 3 and blocked Devin Booker’s shot at the rim, a jaw-dropping display of two-way force.

When he was coming out of Georgia four years ago, Edwards heard questions about his motivation and love of the game. All of those seem so silly now. These Timberwolves believe in him like they haven’t believed in a player since Kevin Garnett.

Edwards scored 33 in Game 1 and 36 in Game 3 and capped it with his best game yet to make sure the Wolves will get some rest before playing either Denver or Los Angeles in the second round. The time off also gives coach Chris Finch time to deal with a ruptured patellar tendon he suffered in his right leg on a collision with Mike Conley late in the fourth quarter — Jon Krawczynski, Timberwolves beat writer

Where do the Suns go from here?

And in the fourth game, the Phoenix Suns finally played with urgency. Booker looked like the star he is. Kevin Durant made the kind of shots that have made him famous. The two combined for 82 points — and it still wasn’t enough. Minnesota took Phoenix’s best shot and still pulled through in the fourth quarter to complete a four-game sweep.

This Phoenix team began the season with championship hopes. With Booker, Durant and Bradley Beal, the Suns figured to have enough star power to overcome a top-heavy roster. In the end, they were exposed. Outside of Game 4, the Timberwolves controlled this series. They were better defensively. They had better chemistry. After a couple of games, the end wasn’t hard to see. It was just a matter of when Minnesota would wrap this up — in four games or five. Sometimes it’s best to end the misery.

It’s hard to believe the Suns were in the NBA Finals only three years ago. Since then, the organization has dribbled in the wrong direction, losing twice in the Western Conference semifinals. Now this. It’s not the same group — much has changed, from ownership to the coach to the players. But a championship window that once appeared to be wide open has since closed. Maybe not completely, but close. It happened fast.— Doug Haller, Arizona sports reporter

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Pacers 126, Bucks 113

Series: Pacers lead 3-1

Game 5: TBA Tuesday in Milwaukee

Bucks’ injuries too much to overcome

The Bucks needed to be just about perfect without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard in Game 4. And that necessary discipline was not there in the first quarter as Bobby Portis and Andrew Nembhard got twisted up during play and got into a brief altercation resulting in an ejection for Portis. With that sequence, the shorthanded Bucks were forced to play even more shorthanded and ultimately didn’t have enough to keep up with the Pacers, who shot over 50 percent from 3 en route to a 126-113 victory.

Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez put in professional performances and kept the Bucks in the game, but now the Bucks are one loss away from being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for a second straight season. In both postseasons, they have dealt with injuries to Antetokounmpo with the two-time NBA MVP only playing in roughly half of last season’s first-round loss to the Miami Heat.

The Bucks can’t rely on their superstar getting back on the floor and also can’t force him to return if he isn’t ready, but that might be the only way they can keep their season alive. — Eric Nehm, Bucks beat writer

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Enter Myles Turner

Through the first four games of this series, it’s become clear that outside of the plethora of in-game adjustments the Pacers and Bucks have made, this matchup ultimately boils down to X-factors.

For Indiana, it’s clearly Myles Turner, the veteran floor-spacing, shot-blocking center who made his name in the league early on with his defensive prowess. Turner has never won a Defensive Player of the Year award, but he’s led the league in blocks on two occasions. Surprisingly, it’s not his commitment to that side of the floor that has made the difference in this series. It’s his offense. He’s emerged as an effective third option, a release valve for Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam and an offensive hub Indiana can structure its halfcourt around.

Heading into Game 4, Turner was averaging 22.7 points per game and shooting an impressive 40 percent from 3 on a shade over eight attempts a night. On Sunday, he finished with that game-high 29 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three blocks and seven 3s made. Turner’s penchant for above-the-break shots puts Milwaukee in a bind considering Lopez’s preference for staying close to the rim.

Turner has given Milwaukee fits with his screening ability, relocation and underrated footwork. He’s also established himself as somewhat of a brute force attacking the rim, proving too quick for Lopez on numerous occasions. If the Pacers are able to finish off the Bucks in Game 5, it likely will come down to how efficient Turner is not only spacing the floor but also punishing Milwaukee’s defensive game plan. — Kelly Iko, NBA staff writer

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Clippers 116, Mavericks 111

Series: Tied 2-2

Game 5: 10 p.m. ET Wednesday in Los Angeles

Close but no cigar

There are no almosts in the historical record, and the Dallas Mavericks wouldn’t want Sunday’s Game 4 defeat remembered, either. The team nearly erased a 31-point deficit, even taking a one-point lead over the Clippers at the 2:15 mark of the fourth quarter. It lost that lead, and then the game, and along with it the chance at a chokehold over this series.

Dallas fell behind 55-24 about halfway through the second quarter, its offense sputtering and dragging when led by an exceptionally non-forceful Luka Dončić. It was then that Kyrie Irving, scoreless to that point, took over. He often starts games slowly, letting Dončić get the team started before he sits. In this instance, though, he sensed the team’s urgent need for a spark and finished with 16 points that closed the halftime lead to 17.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks expended a lot of energy on both ends. By the fourth quarter, the team was, at times, visibly exhausted and hampered with foul trouble — especially Dončić’s fifth, picked up with 5:55 remaining in the final frame, which triggered Harden’s clutch closing spurt.

Dallas lost Game 1 with a horrendous offensive first half, too. Dončić must be more impactful but it’s hard to know how much his knee injury is hampering him, or if that’s the reason he has shot just 26.5 percent on 3s so far this series, an old weakness re-emerging after he became the league’s second-most prolific 3-point shooter. It’s certainly not the only reason the team’s offense has struggled, but it starts with Dončić and Irving, brilliant as they are.— Tim Cato, Mavericks beat writer

Turnovers and fouls

Kawhi Leonard was ruled out ahead of Game 4 and is likely not returning in this series. But Paul George responded early by not having a first-half foul and scoring 26 points in the first half with the extra playing time. The Clippers took a 31-point first-half lead and had only five first-half turnovers to Dallas’ nine.

How did the Mavericks eventually take a lead in Game 4 after being down 31? Seven third-quarter turnovers by the Clippers, and another one early in the fourth quarter after an illegal screen by Norman Powell.

But the Clippers didn’t have a turnover in the last 11:22 of Game 4. And after George got himself off the mat and hit a prayer of a corner 3 out of a timeout with 2:14 to play, Dallas’ brief time leading Game 4 was over as well.

The Clippers lost the possession battle overall in Game 4, with Dallas beating the Clippers 14-5 on offensive rebounds. But taking care of the basketball and not fouling allowed the Clippers to build a huge lead and not squander the game completely while outscoring Dallas 23-12 off turnovers. Now, the series resets to a best of three, and the Clippers have home-court advantage and multiple wins over the Mavericks without Leonard. — Law Murray, Clippers beat writer

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Knicks 97, 76ers 92.

Series: New York leads 3-1

Game 5: 7 p.m. ET Tuesday in New York

Knicks’ defense makes the difference

The Knicks have been one of the NBA’s best defensive teams since they acquired OG Anunoby just before the New Year. And yet, they never even hit their peak until Sunday — especially during the fourth quarter, when a lineup with a couple of reserves shut down the Sixers.

After Isaiah Hartenstein and Mitchell Robinson spent most of the first three games manning the reigning MVP, Joel Embiid, the Knicks rejiggered their matchups. Robinson was hurt. Hartenstein picked up five fouls just in the third quarter. Precious Achiuwa, their third-string center, had guarded Embiid before — and had found success doing it. Instead, they went another route.

Achiuwa defended a wing, usually Kelly Oubre Jr. Anunoby, New York’s most versatile defensive weapon, stuck to Embiid. The Sixers could not find the best way to combat it. Knicks defenders flew around in rotation, closing out on a bevy of Philadelphia shooters. On one play, as the shot clock wound down and with New York in rotation, one that should have led to an open 3, Josh Hart deterred Kyle Lowry from rising for a jumper; then, as Lowry swung it to Embiid, Achiuwa flew over him to swat the 3-point attempt into the stands.

Embiid did not sink a field goal in the final period. He made one free throw. Philadelphia scored only 16 points over the final 12 minutes.

For all the deserved talk of Brunson’s remarkable performance, New York won this game in the most in-character way it could: With try-hard, physical defense that was enough to suffocate the other team. — Fred Katz, Knicks staff writer

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Rebounding woes continue for Sixers

The 76ers have had the best player in this series. They have received great performances from Tyrese Maxey, their other All-Star. And yet, they find themselves down 3-1 in this series and on the precipice of another early elimination. The culprit in Game 4, as it has been all series, was their deficiencies on the boards. They can’t rebound with the Knicks and it has been killing them.

The Knicks once again got second chance after second chance, which not only gave them another shot to score but shortened the game by keeping the ball away from the 76ers. They had 15 offensive rebounds, nearly twice as many as the 76ers (nine). While the 76ers had the biggest guy on the court, the Knicks kept throwing bodies at the boards and coming away with pivotal second opportunities. It has put the 76ers in a bind. Nick Nurse went zone at times during the second half of the fourth quarter and the 76ers struggled to rebound, just as they did in Game 1 when Nurse went zone for long stretches at times. The Knicks had seven offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter alone. — Mike Vorkunov, NBA staff writer

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Knicks seemingly tougher than Sixers

The 76ers were bludgeoned — bludgeoned — again on the glass by the Knicks, and when they look back on their season, which is now close to over after the Knicks’ victory, they’re going to wonder how it happened, again, in a got-to-have Game 4 at home. Philly couldn’t have been set up better going into the fourth quarter, with the Knicks reduced to playing Achiuwa and Anunoby having to guard Embiid after Embiid drew most of the five third-quarter fouls on Hartenstein, forcing him to the bench for almost the entire fourth period.

But the Knicks dominated the fourth quarter anyway, by being as relentless on the offensive glass as you can be. They grabbed a half-dozen offensive rebounds in the fourth, creating multiple second- and third-shot opportunities. That led to a 21-8 Knicks edge in second-chance points, along with a 44-32 edge in points in the paint. Anunoby and Achiuwa — and, of course, Josh Hart — beat bigger Sixers to the ball repeatedly. Meanwhile, Anunoby and Achiuwa hounded Embiid, who had 26 points through three quarters, into fourth-quarter irrelevance. He couldn’t get the ball cleanly on the block, and when he did, the Knicks’ double teams made it impossible for him to get off good looks. He scored but a single free throw in the final quarter.

And, once again, Buddy Hield, the 76ers’ big trade deadline acquisition, was a DNP-CD by Nick Nurse.

So, as Philly faces elimination in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, the Sixers have to look themselves in the mirror. They got smashed, at home, by the smaller, and seemingly tougher, Knicks. — David Aldridge, NBA senior columnist

Monday’s schedule:

Celtics at Heat: 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT (Boston leads 2-1)
Thunder at Pelicans: 8:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV (Oklahoma City leads 3-0)
Lakers at Nuggets: 10 p.m. ET, TNT (Denver leads 3-1)

Required reading

(Photo: Tim Warner / Getty Images)