BBNBA: Huge nights from Booker, Murray lead Suns, Nuggets to 2nd round

*Only* three former Kentucky Wildcats were in action for Tuesday night’s slate of NBA Playoff action, but when that trio combines to score 108 points between them, there’s still plenty to talk about.

We’ll start in Denver, where Jamal Murray and the top-seeded Nuggets polished off its opening-round series against Karl-Anthony Towns and the eight-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves. Both of the one-time ‘Cats produced impressive stat lines, but it was Murray’s squad that came away with the series-clinching 112-109 Game 5 victory.

Murray finished his night with 35 points, four rebounds, and five assists on 12-23 overall shooting, including a 5-9 clip from beyond the arc in 41 minutes. Nikola Jokic chipped in a triple-double consisting of 28 points, 17 rebounds, and 12 assists for Denver. Meanwhile, Towns went for a double-double of 26 points (9-17 FG), 11 rebounds, and three assists in his 38 minutes of action with the Wolves.

Needing just one win to advance to the second round, the Nuggets started off Game 5 slow. Denver trailed by as many as 13 points in the opening quarter before quickly battling back behind a 15-4 run ahead of the halftime break that made it 48-47 in favor of the Nuggets. Denver shot a combined 32-36 from the free throw line on the night to help secure the victory. Too many key injuries across the board for Minnesota made a comeback attempt far too difficult.

Minnesota was able to avoid the sweep but will bow out of the postseason with a 4-1 first-round loss. Towns missing 51 games this season due to a calf strain certainly didn’t help the franchise’s chances of building continuity, especially with seven-footer Rudy Gobert being brought into the fold during the offseason. They’ll look to bounce back next year with a healthy roster and a full offseason of work put in. Or maybe we’ll see Towns on the trading block. Who knows.

With the win, Denver will move on to the Western Conference Semifinals where they’ll take on the four-seeded Phoenix Suns and Devin Booker. Speaking of…

Booker’s 47 points ends Clippers’ season

It’s been a strange postseason (and last few years, honestly) for the LA Clippers, with Paul George sidelined due to injury and Kawhi Leonard playing just Games 1 and 2 before suffering the same fate. Down their two superstars, the five-seeded Clips never truly stood a chance against the Suns, which have all of its star components in Booker, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton getting more and more comfortable with each other. While LA found ways to make the games closer than they should have been, Phoenix always felt in control. That was the case again on Tuesday night.

Powered by a playoff career-high-tying 47 points on 19-27 shooting (4-7 3PT) from Booker, the Suns put the finishing touches on this matchup, beating the Clippers 136-130 to wrap up the series in five games. Phoenix actually trailed by nine at the intermission, but an unbelievable 25-point third-quarter effort (on 10-11 shooting, too) for Booker was too much for the Clippers to completely overcome — although they certainly did try. The Suns held a 20-point lead early in the fourth before LA stormed back and nearly tied the score up on multiple occasions in the closing minutes.

But Durant, who finished with 31 points of his own, iced the game away with a layup and two free throws to make it a six-point Suns lead with just 31 seconds left.

In addition to Booker’s 47 points, he also registered eight rebounds and 10 rebounds in 41 minutes. The former Wildcat became just the third player in the last 25 seasons to score at least 25 points in a single quarter during a playoff game, joining an impressive list of Damian Lillard (25 in 2019) and Allen Iverson (26 in 2001).

“It was spiritual,” Durant said of watching Booker’s third-quarter performance. “I don’t scream too much in games as I get older, but when he hit that 3 at the top of the key, I felt that energy and I know everyone in the crowd felt it. We feed off his aggression.”

Phoenix will now move on to the Western Conference Semifinals to face the top-seeded Nuggets. Game 1 is set for Saturday in Denver.

4/25/23 statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
Devin Booker (PHX)	136-130 W vs. LAC	47	19-27 (4-7)	8	10	2	0	3	11	41
Jamal Murray (DEN)	112-109 W vs. MIN	35	12-23 (5-9)	4	5	1	0	2	-5	41
Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN)	109-112 L @ DEN	26	9-17 (1-6)	11	3	1	1	3	-9	38
Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC)	130-136 L @ PHX	DNP-CD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Tonight in the NBA

7:00 (NBA TV): No. 5 Knicks (Randle, Quickley) @ No. 4 Cavaliers | NYK leads 3-1
7:30 (TNT): No. 7 Lakers (Davis, Gabriel, Vanderbilt) @ No. 2 Grizzlies | LAL leads 3-1
9:30 (NBA TV): No. 8 Heat (Adebayo, Herro: out) @ No. 1 Bucks | MIA leads 3-1
10:00 (TNT): No. 6 Warriors @ No. 3 Kings (Fox, Lyles, Monk) | Tied 2-2