Everything that happened in the NBA playoffs on Wednesday
For the first time since May 3, 2013, the NBA playoffs featured four games on a single weeknight. If you missed a single second of the action, we have you covered with all the stars, shots, comebacks and clinchings you need to know.
IND-CLE | WSH-TOR | UTAH-OKC | MIN-HOU
CAVALIERS 98, PACERS 95
Cavaliers lead series 3-2 | Box score
LeBron James delivers at the buzzer
James is now 2-3 in the playoffs on potential go-ahead 3-pointers in the final five seconds. He's 1-20 on those same shots in the regular season.
Sabonis ties it up late
Domantas Sabonis scored a game-high 22 points for the Pacers, and his jumper with 33.6 seconds left tied the score at 95-95. The Pacers quickly got the ball back after a LeBron James turnover, but James redeemed himself on the other end with one of his trademark chasedown blocks.
LeBron's big third quarter leads the way
Cavs erase the halftime deficit
HALFTIME: Pacers 56, Cavaliers 49
LeBron doing it himself
Another slow start for Cleveland
WHAT'S NEXT
Game 6 will be Friday night in Indianapolis (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). The Cavaliers are 8-1 all time when leading a series 3-2, with the only loss coming in the 2006 conference semifinals against the Pistons -- James' second postseason series. Including his time in Miami, James' teams are 9-1 when up 3-2 in a series. The Pacers, meanwhile, are just 1-12 in a series when trailing 3-2, with the only win coming in the 2014 first round against the Hawks.
REQUIRED READING
Brian Windhorst writes after another classic LeBron James playoff performance: "Over the years James has learned so many different ways to control games. He has improved his jump shot, he has learned to play with his back to the basket and he has tried to teach teammates to be ready for him to distribute so he can play that role. But this was back-to-brute basics." Read full column
THUNDER 107, JAZZ 99
Jazz lead series 3-2 | Box score
Thunder finish off epic comeback
From down 25 to tied in a heartbeat
During OKC's 32-7 run to end the third quarter, Russell Westbrook was 6-for-7 from the field, 4-for-5 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line for 20 points. Paul George scored the other 12 for the Thunder in that span.
Thunder starting to roll again
Jazz playing their tune
HALFTIME: Jazz 56, Thunder 41
There's no place like home?
Westbrook's struggles continue
The Ingles and Crowder Show
Utah wings Joe Ingles and Jae Crowder nearly outscored the Thunder by themselves in the first quarter, putting up 24 points and going a combined 7-for-9 from beyond the arc.
Jazz catch fire early
A Stache Bros. reunion
Enes Kanter, who used to play for both teams in this series, is still beloved in Oklahoma City and was in the building for Game 5 to support Steven Adams.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The series shifts back to Utah for Game 6 on Friday night (10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN). The Jazz have never lost a series in which they had a 3-1 lead and the Thunder have never made a comeback from down 3-1. Eleven teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a best-of-seven series, most recently the Cavaliers in the 2016 Finals.
REQUIRED READING
Russell Westbrook was the spark that lit an improbable fire, writes Royce Young: "Some other stuff happened, a George layup, a Westbrook 3, an awesome Donovan Mitchell dunk, but the comeback was finally complete when Westbrook stopped and popped to splash a 3 with 35.9 seconds left in the third to tie the score 78-78. After the shot dropped, Westbrook's unleashed a megawatt snarl that could power a fusion generator." Read full column
ROCKETS 122, TIMBERWOLVES 104
Rockets win series 4-1 | Box score
The Beard with the hammer
No Butler for Timberwolves
Things get chippy between former Clipper teammates
Rockets back at it in third quarter
HALFTIME: Timberwolves 59, Rockets 55
Waiting for liftoff from Rockets' backcourt
Wolves switch up the rotation
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Rockets advanced to the second round, where they'll await the winner of the Jazz-Thunder series. Houston beat OKC in the first round a year ago, and last faced Utah in the playoffs in 2008, a first-round series won by the Jazz in six games. The Timberwolves still have advanced beyond the first round only once in franchise history. They hold the 20th pick in June's draft, acquired from the Jazz in last summer's Ricky Rubio trade.
REQUIRED READING
Clint Capela ran Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves out of the playoffs, writes Tim MacMahon: "The centers' raw numbers in the series were pretty similar. Towns averaged 15.2 points and 13.4 rebounds per game, compared to 15.8 points and 14.2 rebounds for Capela. But their impact wasn't comparable, as Capela's relentless energy played a key role in the Houston Rockets finishing off the Timberwolves in five games, a stark contrast to Towns' often passive play." Read full column
RAPTORS 108, WIZARDS 98
Raptors lead series 3-2 | Box score
Raptors on the verge of advancing
DeMar DeRozan finished with 32 points and Delon Wright scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to help the Raptors beat the Wizards and move to within a win of the second round.
Everything going Wright for Toronto
The Raptors regained the lead midway through the fourth quarter, then Delon Wright -- who averaged just 6.5 points in the two losses in Washington -- went on a personal 7-0 run, starting with a deep 3-pointer and ending with free throws to extend the Raptors' lead to eight with two minutes to play.
John Wall doing it again
The Wizards' point guard had 10 points and three assists in the fourth quarter of Game 4 to power the Wizards to a series-tying win, and he looked just as strong Wednesday. Three minutes into the fourth quarter, he had 26 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, giving the Wizards a four-point lead.
And, of course, his feud with Drake continues.
DeRozan's big night continues
DeMar DeRozan scored 10 points in the third quarter, giving him 30 for the game. Vince Carter, who set a Raptors postseason record with 50 points against the 76ers in 2001, is the only Toronto player to reach the 40-point mark in the playoffs.
HALFTIME: Raptors 48, Wizards 47
DeMar DeRozan leads all scorers with 20 points, more than halfway to his postseason career high of 37 (which he matched earlier in this series). John Wall is flirting with a triple-double, putting up 12 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in the first half.
Have Raptors solved turnover problems?
Wall ends first quarter in style
DeRozan starts strong
DeMar DeRozan scored 13 points in the first quarter, but the rest of the Raptors combined for just 10 on 5-for-12 shooting, allowing the Wizards to take a one-point lead heading into the second quarter. DeRozan has scored at least 35 points in two of the past three games.
Somber mood in Toronto
WHAT'S NEXT
Game 6 will be Friday in Washington (7 p.m. ET on ESPNEWS and NBA TV). The Raptors are 3-1 all time in a series when leading 3-2. The Wizards do have history coming back from a 3-2 deficit, having done so three times, but the last of those victories came in 1979.
REQUIRED READING
After Delon Wright came up big in the fourth quarter, Kevin Arnovitz writes of the unlikely star: "The Raptors have spent a full season refashioning their offense into a system more predicated on movement and playmaking. But this new enterprise works only if those being trusted, such as Wright and others in the supporting cast, reciprocate that trust by maximizing opportunities." Read full column
