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The Denver Nuggets were able to even the series up 2-2 after Game 4, sending them back to Denver for Game 5 against the Los Angeles Clippers, looking to take the coveted 3-2 lead to put them in a position to win the series. With Russell Westbrook returning to the rotation after a left foot injury kept him sidelined in the prior contest, the Nuggets delivered big time.
Denver took the lead in the first quarter and didn't look back, taking the win 131-115 over LA. While it was another triple-double for Nikola Jokic and a stellar performance from Russell Westbrook, Jamal Murray was actually the star of the show. Speaking on his performance, Nuggets interim coach David Adelman kept it straightforward with his comments after the game.
David Adelman on Jamal Murray:
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) April 30, 2025
“He was born for this.”
Full presser ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/J97FUnGtOM
“He was born for this," Adelman said regarding Murray's 43-point game. Murray's 43 points are his highest in a playoff game since August 23rd, 2020, when he scored 50 points in the NBA Bubble against the Utah Jazz.
As mentioned by Adelman, Murray's shot-making was sensational on Tuesday night. His 43 points also came on just one free throw attempt, making his scoring performance even more impressive. Instead of having to rely entirely on Jokic for offense, Murray showed flashes of the player who averaged 26.1 points per game during their 2023 NBA Finals run.
Jamal Murray put on a show in Game 5 vs. the Clippers
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 30, 2025
Murray leads the Nuggets to the 3-2 series lead‼️ pic.twitter.com/rcfJKpFvf1
Looking to put in the knock-out blow to the Clippers, the series returns to Los Angeles on Thursday for Game 6, with tip-off set for 10:00 p.m. EST.
More must-reads:
- Mavericks' Mark Cuban sends strong message on Anthony Davis, but he should change his tune
- Pelicans' Derik Queen lives up to 'Baby Jokic' nickname vs. Nuggets
- The 'NFL single-game completions leaders' quiz
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Celtics Reunite with Former Superstar Isaiah Thomas After Bitter Trade Divorce
The Boston Celtics have had many household and essential players who have played a role in what they've become today. The Celtics are arguably the best franchise not only in all of basketball but also in all of sports. Boston is a rich town with a rich history, and their sports teams are no exception. While the Celtics are all about titles, there was a stretch that captivated the entire town, specifically when former All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas made his name with the Celtics. Thomas joined the Celtics after the 2015 trade deadline and made a name for himself, and then some. His time in Boston may have been short, but it was certainly memorable. The Washington product recently came back where his career took off and shared that moment on X. More news: Celtics Star Sends Clear Message on Next Goal After Career Season Thomas didn't only come back to Boston to revisit old memories, but he returned to the city to be honored. Thomas was honored at the Sports Museum's The Tradition. The museum in Boston honors a host of sports legends at the event. Players, no matter the sport, like Bill Russell, Ted Williams, David Ortiz, Martina Navratilova, Jack Nicklaus, Larry Bird, Ray Bourque, Doug Flutie, and Red Auerbach, to name a few, have been honored at the museum. In an interview with Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, Thomas shared that he was surprised by the call to be honored. “When I was selected, I was honored and I was surprised,” Thomas told the Globe on Monday. “What is this going on eight years after [I left]? It’s super dope to get the memo and for people to explain to me what the award was. It was super cool, [I’m] thankful and I’m honored. To read on the history on the past guys who have accepted the award, it’s really legendary people in the city.” Thomas spent a little over two seasons with the Celtics, delivering the best stretch of his NBA career. Across 179 games in Boston, he averaged 24.7 points, 6.0 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game, shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from deep while logging 32.2 minutes a night. More news: Celtics' Joe Mazzulla Sends Message on Controversial Rotation Decision vs 76ers During that run, the now 36-year-old earned back-to-back All-Star nods and made the All-NBA Second Team in 2016–17, a season in which he also finished top five in MVP voting. He helped carry Boston to the Eastern Conference Finals that year before the Celtics fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games. A beloved fan favorite, Thomas was traded in the summer of 2017 in the blockbuster deal that sent him, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and an unprotected 2018 first-round pick from the Brooklyn Nets to the Cavaliers in exchange for Kyrie Irving. Although he was there for only a short time, Thomas' impact on the team and the city is unlike any other. Latest Celtics News For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.
The Steelers’ Keys To Victory In The Windy City In Week 12
The Pittsburgh Steelers will face the Chicago Bears in Week 12, and it won’t be an easy game. Both teams are coming off of exhilarating divisional wins in Week 11, and they are both in first place in their division. This game will be a battle of the North Division leaders, but someone won’t be the leader in their division after this game. The Steelers can beat the Bears, but it will have to be a collective team effort. 5. Play The New Guys The two newest Steelers didn’t get to suit up in Week 11, but it’s time to cut them loose. Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Asante Samuel can both be contributors to the team. Despite great games from Joey Porter Jr and James Pierre in Week 11, Pittsburgh could use all the help it can get in the cornerback department. Samuel will be a great addition. The offense needs another weapon. It couldn’t hurt to add Valdes-Scantling to the mix. 4. Feed D.K. Metcalf D.K. Metcalf has now stacked underwhelming weeks, but Chicago could be the perfect slump buster for him. They allow 154 receiving yards per game to receivers and 14 touchdowns to the position group in 10 games. Metcalf hasn’t found the endzone since Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers, but a touchdown against the Bears will make him 3/3 against NFC North teams this season. Regardless of who the quarterback is, he needs to feed Metcalf. 3. Pound The Rock Jaylen Warren sustained an ankle injury in the Steelers’ Week 11 win, but Kenneth Gainwell stepped into his place smoothly and put the Steelers’ offense on his back. Whoever is playing in Week 12 needs to have a good game. Chicago is allowing 103 rushing yards per game and nine touchdowns in 10 games to running backs. Establishing the run will be a recipe for success in the Windy City. 2. Take Care Of The Football The Bears are a good football team, but a large portion of their success has come from taking the ball away from opponents. They lead the NFL with 22 takeaways in 10 games. The Steelers have to limit those opportunities for Ben Johnson’s team. Don’t give them free possessions with good field position. Strap in and protect the pigskin. Keeping the ball out of Caleb Williams’ hands will result in success for Pittsburgh. Winning the time of possession battle feels impossible for the Steelers, but it would go a long way in Week 12. 1. Reverse The Curse The Steelers are 1-12 all-time when they go to Chicago. Their only win came in 1995. Pittsburgh is 8-19 against the Bears in total. Historically, Chicago owns Pittsburgh, but that needs to change in Week 12. Last time the teams met in 2021, the Steelers won while T.J. Watt got three sacks and Pat Freiermuth scored two touchdowns. They will need a similar performance from both players to pick up a win in Week 12. End Of My Pittsburgh Steelers Rant Pittsburgh is up to 6-4 after the win against the Cincinnati Bengals, but there is no time to rest. They have to keep stacking wins with the Baltimore Ravens closely gaining on them in the division. With six games remaining, the Steelers have no choice but to win a minimum of four of them while dominating the divisional matchups. If this team wants to sniff the playoffs, they will need to reach 10 wins or more. A win in the Windy City would be a great start to the home stretch.
Three teams getting too much credit from College Football Playoff committee
The College Football Playoff committee released its latest set of rankings on Tuesday night without too many surprises. Oklahoma was the biggest mover, going up to No. 8 after a road win over Alabama, which dropped to No. 10. The Crimson Tide are effectively holding onto the last playoff spot. Miami, the top-ranked ACC team, is projected to get that league's spot for now, while Tulane would get the last automatic berth, going to the fifth-highest-ranked conference champion. That leaves BYU and Utah on the outside looking in. Vanderbilt, USC, Georgia Tech and Michigan are some other teams looming. USC can make a statement this weekend, with a road win over Oregon. The Ducks are ranked seventh, while USC is 15th. For the Trojans, a win this week likely catapults them into the top 10. It could also expose a top-10 team that doesn't have the resume of a top-10 team. Three teams are being overvalued by the College Football Playoff committee, and the list starts with Oregon. Oregon (No. 7) The Ducks have beaten up on some weak opponents, but their best wins this season were an ugly victory at Iowa and a 20-point road win over Northwestern. They don't have a single win over a currently ranked team. Alabama has beaten two teams in the top 14 and four in the top 25. Oregon passes the eye test. But it feels like the Ducks are getting too much credit for a win at Penn State that's not all that impressive, and a close home loss to Indiana, something the Ducks share with Iowa. Oregon has looked great at times. It also looked unimpressive in a 21-7 win over 3-7 Wisconsin. Saturday's game will answer some questions, yet the Ducks are being overvalued by the committee. Tennessee (No. 20) Strength of schedule should matter, but not when the College Football Playoff committee is artificially pumping up the schedule strength of one conference in particular: the SEC. The five teams in the top 10 are worthy. It's hard to argue against them. But outside of that, the SEC feels propped up. Tennessee, for instance, hasn't beaten a single team with a winning record this season. Losing to Georgia in overtime and to Oklahoma by single digits isn't a good enough reason to be ranked. Missouri (No. 22) Like Tennessee, the best achievement of the Missouri Tigers has been losing to ranked teams. SMU, from the ACC, has a similar record. It has three losses to teams with winning records, plus a win over No. 13 Miami, a better win than Tennessee or Missouri, yet the Mustangs didn't crack the top 25. No. 23 Houston is 8-2. The Cougars lost to fifth-ranked Texas Tech earlier in the season, plus to West Virginia. They also beat 25th-ranked Arizona State on the road, yet are ranked behind two teams that haven't beaten a single team with a winning record. It feels like the College Football Playoff committee continues to favor the SEC, but it's about more than that. Too much is being based on the eye test. That's why Oregon is ranked where it's at and some SEC teams, too. The resume should matter above everything. Performance on the field should be the determining factor, but once again, that doesn't appear to be the case.
Josh Jacobs update emerges amid injury concerns before Week 12 Packers-Vikings
The Green Bay Packers are entering Week 12 with some uncertainties, particularly on the injury front. For one, star running back Josh Jacobs is one of the 17 players on the injury report released by Green Bay on Wednesday. The former Alabama Crimson Tide star tailback did not practice on Wednesday, which isn’t exactly surprising, as he suffered a knee injury in last Sunday’s 27-20 victory against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. Jacobs exited the Giants game in the second quarter and was later ruled out for the rest of the contest in the second half. He only had 40 rushing yards on seven carries for an average of 5.7 yards per attempt. Packers are taking a careful approach to Jacobs’ injury Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur had said beforehand that Jacob wouldn’t take part in Wednesday’s practice, but he also provided a hint on the running back’s status with regards to his availability for this coming Sunday’s game at Lambeau Field versus the Minnesota Vikings. “We have a plan, yes,” LaFleur said Wednesday (h/t Zach Kruse of Packers Wire). “He will not practice today. The plan is to try and get him healthy enough to go. It’s just going to be a day by day thing. He’s truly day to day. We’ll see how he progresses as the week unfolds.” In case Jacobs won’t be able to give it a go against the Vikings, Green Bay has running backs Emanuel Wilson and Chris Books to share the load for the team’s ground attack. Wilson is likely to be the lead back in that scenario after rushing 11 times for 40 yards against the Giants, while Brooks only had a carry for eight yards in the same game.
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