Three stars from Monday's NBA playoff games

New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby | 29 points, six 3PM

OG Anunoby led all players with six three-pointers in Monday's 108-105 overtime win in Boston. He was a huge threat shooting from the corner, going 6-for-11 on threes. Anunoby scored eight points in the fourth quarter, which included a go-ahead three with 1:08 to go.

In overtime, Anunoby started the scoring with a three-point play, then found Mikal Bridges for a three-pointer.

While his scoring was huge, perhaps even more important was his work as the primary defender on Jayson Tatum. The Celtics' All-NBA forward scored 23 points, but shot 7-for-23 and turned the ball over five times. 

For the rest of the series, the Celtics need to keep an eye on Anunoby in the corner. They should have learned their lesson after Anunoby beat them in Game 3 of their 2020 playoff series with a three-ball from that same spot.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic | 42 points, 22 rebounds, six assists

Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the two leading MVP candidates in the NBA this season, and they had a scoring duel Monday night. SGA finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, but Jokic took it to another level, nearly single-handedly bringing the Nuggets back for a 121-119 upset win over the Oklahoma City Thunder with a 42-point, 22-rebound, six-assist effort.

Jokic never relented in the fourth quarter, even after picking up his fifth foul with 6:48 to play. He scored 16 points after that flagrant foul, and from that point on, the Nuggets outscored the Thunder, 26-11. 

Jokic made his last four field goal attempts, including his only two three-pointers of the game and shot 8-for-10 from the foul line.

Jokic was swarmed all game by the Thunder's defense and at times was the Nuggets' entire offense, but he stepped up in a huge way when the game appeared lost, and showed that regardless of whoever wins MVP, he's the best player in this series.

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon | 22 points, 14 rebounds, one game-winner

If a player hits a game-winning three ball to cap off an epic playoff comeback against a 68-win team on their home court, that player is one of the stars of the night. Apologies to Alex Caruso (five threes, five steals, two blocks), who was the third star in an earlier draft of this piece before Aaron Gordon hit the greatest shot of the 2025 playoffs so far.

Gordon had the best three-point shooting season of his career this year, sinking 43.6% of his shots behind the arc. He went 3-for-6 Monday night, none bigger than the last-second shot that gave the Nuggets a two-point win on the Thunder's home court.

He also sank two free throws one possession earlier to put Denver in position for the miracle game-winner. For the game, the Nuggets were +16 in Gordon's 39 minutes, as he played his usual solid defense, committed only two fouls and one turnover and grabbed seven offensive rebounds.

Facing the best team in the NBA, Gordon gave Jokic just enough help to steal back home-court advantage and rack up his second game-winner in nine days. If he and Jokic are both making threes, the imposing Thunder defense has their work cut out for them the rest of the series.