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Four stars from Tuesday's NBA playoff games
Two teams advanced to the second round, one team saved their season and another shot the lights out. Here are four stars from a very busy night of NBA playoff basketball.
Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson | 22 points, seven rebounds, two blocks
When the Detroit Pistons had their backs against the wall down 3-1 in their first-round series, 22-year-old Ausar Thompson came through with 22 points. He shot 8-for-10 from the field, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots in a strong defensive effort from the whole Pistons team.
Plus he dunked. A lot.
Ausar getting pic.twitter.com/pdqGSoY5lp
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) April 30, 2025
Cade lob to Ausar to open the second half pic.twitter.com/fAlrbdHwt3
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) April 30, 2025
Ausar is dunking EVERYTHING
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) April 30, 2025
7️⃣ dunks (and counting) so far pic.twitter.com/WqsSIlYXQ8
On a night where the Pistons went 8-for-29 from three-point range, the easy points they got from Thompson were crucial in their 106-103 win over the New York Knicks.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum | 35 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds
Jayson Tatum didn't shoot like a player coming back from an injured shooting hand in the Boston Celtics' 120-89 win over the Orlando Magic. He was 4-for-5 on three-pointers, 11-for-11 on free throws and 10-for-16 overall on his way to 35 points.
TATUM COMES UP BIG TO CLINCH THE SERIES
— NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2025
☘️ 35 PTS
☘️ 10 AST
☘️ 8 REB
☘️ 4-5 3PM@celtics will face winner of Pistons/Knicks. pic.twitter.com/DiJtwBvyZT
Not only did Tatum lead all players in scoring Tuesday night, he led the Celtics in assists and rebounds and spearheaded a Celtics defense that held Orlando to only 13 points in the third quarter. Maybe all he needed was a few days off before returning to MVP form.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo | 30 points, 20 rebounds, 13 assists
The Milwaukee Bucks lost another first-round series when the Indiana Pacers beat them, 119-118, in overtime, but it's hard to imagine what more Antetokounmpo could have done on Tuesday night. He put up a triple-double with 20 rebounds, found teammates for 13 assists and added two blocks and two steals.
Giannis for three! pic.twitter.com/8TBBDIJNwM
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 29, 2025
For the series, Antetokounmpo averaged 33 points, 15.4 rebounds and six assists, while shooting over 60% and committing just 2.4 fouls per game. It's a shame he's out of the playoffs already, though he didn't need to take out his frustrations on Bennedict Mathurin and Tyrese Haliburton's father.
Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray | 43 points, seven assists, three steals
Tied 2-2 in their first-round series with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Denver Nuggets desperately needed points from someone other than Nikola Jokic. Tuesday night, Jamal Murray came through with the kind of shooting night he's become famous for in the playoffs.
MAKE IT 43 POINTS ‼️
— NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2025
Murray's Game 5 TAKEOVER has Denver on the verge of taking a 3-2 series lead! https://t.co/MEGgxZq1np pic.twitter.com/xWnhA1iJ8B
Murray scored 43 points with eight three-pointers, shooting 17-for-26 overall. That means Murray cracked 40 points with the benefit of only a single free throw. Counting points scored on his assists, Murray was involved in 59 of Denver's 131 points in their 131-115 win over the Clippers, giving it a 3-2 series lead.
GORDON UP TOP FROM MURRAY pic.twitter.com/b1lwAHt6BD
— NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2025
Jokic had a quiet (for him) triple-double, with 13 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. Murray's big night — and Russell Westbrook's 21 bench points — meant that for one night, the Nuggets didn't need their big man to do it all.
More must-reads:
- Watch: Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton eliminate the Bucks in OT
- Celtics advance with dominant second half against Magic
- The 'NBA No. 3 draft picks in the lottery era' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
USA Basketball upset by Uruguay at FIBA AmeriCup
The FIBA AmeriCup 2025 in Managua, Nicaragua, has been turned upside down. USA, one of the tournament favorites, was upset by Uruguay, 86-85, on Sunday. After trailing for the majority of the game, USA briefly regained the lead 83-82 with 1:18 remaining in the fourth quarter, but Uruguay quickly responded with a mini four-point run to help seal the victory. Former Tennessee Volunteers guard Santiago Vescovi led Uruguay in scoring with 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field, along with five assists and two rebounds. Langston Galloway led the way for USA with a game-high 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field. The result is significant because after two games in Group A, Uruguay and USA sit in second and third place, respectively, at 1-1. The final games in the group are that much more important now, as USA will face one of the tournament favorites, Brazil (2-0), while Uruguay will face Bahamas (0-2). There are a number of scenarios that could play out depending on who wins these games. For the tournament, the top two teams from each of the three groups will advance to the quarterfinals, along with two of the best third-place teams. Point differential is a big factor in FIBA Basketball, and USA currently has a +/- of +11, so even with a loss to Brazil, it would still be in a likely position to advance to the quarterfinals. The only difference is that it might find itself in a little bit of unfamiliar territory, playing as the "underdog" against a higher-seeded team.
Browns abandon four-QB approach by trading Kenny Pickett
The Cleveland Browns will not be keeping four quarterbacks on their roster heading into the 2025 regular season, after all. The Browns agreed to a deal on Monday to trade Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders, according to multiple reports. Cleveland will receive a 2026 fifth-round draft pick in return. Pickett spent just five months in Cleveland, as the Browns acquired him in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles back in March. They gave up Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round draft pick in that deal. There had been reports throughout the summer that Pickett was not exactly lighting it up in Browns camp. Joe Flacco has been named Cleveland's Week 1 starter, so rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders will now back the 40-year-old up. The Raiders needed a veteran quarterback after Aidan O'Connell fractured his wrist in the team's preseason finale over the weekend. O'Connell is expected to be sidelined for around two months. Pickett began his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who drafted him 20th overall in 2022. The former University of Pittsburgh QB started 12 games as a rookie and did not play well, finishing with 2,404 yards, seven touchdown passes and nine interceptions. Pickett started another 12 games for the Steelers in 2023 before being benched and later traded to Philadelphia. In total, Pickett has completed 62.4 percent of his career passes for 4,765 yards, 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Texans releasing former Pro Bowl OL
Amid a full-scale offensive line makeover, the Texans are set to move on from a player they took a flier on this offseason. They are releasing Trent Brown, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The 10-year veteran spent the summer on Houston’s active/PUP list, having suffered a torn patellar tendon during what amounted to a brief cameo in Cincinnati. The Texans needed to either activate Brown or send him to the reserve/PUP list. Option C, however, will be used. This will be the first time a team has released Brown. This release comes as Brown was moving toward a recovery from knee surgery, according to Wilson. But he will head back to free agency instead. The 380-plus-pound blocker having suffered a major knee injury during an age-31 season invited questions about his future, but a reunion with Nick Caserio — a Patriots exec when the team traded for Brown in 2018 — provided a lifeline. The Texans gave Brown a one-year, $2.35M deal with $550K guaranteed. Houston will eat only the $550K in dead money. Brown being nearly recovered is certainly notable, as it could lead to another chance given his history as a starter. Brown has made 96 starts, including three to open last season with the Bengals. Brown had spent the previous three years back in New England, after Las Vegas conducted an O-line makeover in 2021 that involved shedding a big-ticket Brown contract. Brown did not live up to the Raiders deal but became a regular again with the Patriots, starting at both LT and RT during his second stint. Brown has been injury-prone throughout his career, and although the former 49ers seventh-round pick operated as the Pats’ full-time LT during their 2018 Super Bowl-winning season, he has played more than 11 games just once since. The Texans also added two more tackles — Cam Robinson, Aireontae Ersery — this offseason. Robinson has emerged as a trade candidate. With Brown out of the picture, Ersery is moving toward the starting LT job (opposite the versatile Tytus Howard) with 2024 second-rounder Blake Fisher then set to be a swing tackle.
Jets May Pursue 'Dream WR Trade Target' After Malachi Corley Release
The New York Jets desperately need to add wide receivers to their offense or quarterback Justin Fields is going to struggle in year one with the team. Beyond Garrett Wilson, there's nothing to be too excited about in New York's wide receiver room. In fact, it's hard to tell who the second option is. To make matters even worse, the Jets recently opted to cut ties with second-year wide receiver Malachi Corley. This decision further depletes their pass-catching room. Justin Fried of the Jet Press recently urged the Jets to trade for disgruntled Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers. Meyers would be the dream addition for the Jets following Corley's release. Jakobi Meyers would be the dream addition for the Jets "Meyers spent the first four years of his NFL career in New England, where he developed into one of the more underrated wide receivers in football. He signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Raiders in 2023, essentially receiving the same deal the Jets gave to Allen Lazard that very offseason," Fried wrote. "While Lazard has fallen well short of expectations in New York, Meyers continued to overachieve in Vegas. The NC State product is fresh off a career year in 2024 in which he finished with 87 catches for 1,027 yards and four touchdowns. "Meyers was targeted a whopping 126 times in 2024 and wasn't credited with a single drop. His 2.3% drop rate ranks fourth-best among all NFL wide receivers since 2020, behind only DeAndre Hopkins, Tyler Boyd, and Amon-Ra St. Brown." Meyers recently requested a trade from the Raiders and the Jets could benefit from this decision in a huge way. Adding the talented wideout across from Wilson would open them both up for the future. It would provide Fields with a stable second option on offense rather than having to deal with the struggles that would come with the Jets' wide receiver room. In training camp, the Jets struggled with drops. Meyers has some of the best hands in football. Pair that with his talent, and the Jets have their dream wide receiver target sitting right in front of them.
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