Basketball

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Nikola Jokic was nearly unstoppable against Oklahoma City’s gritty, aggressive defense. The Thunder made a valiant effort to disrupt him, as they have all series.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 112-105 on Tuesday night to go up 3-2 in their Western Conference semifinal series.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Tyrese Haliburton scored 31 points, Pascal Siakam added 21 and the Indiana Pacers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals with a 114-105 victory over Cleveland on Tuesday night, eliminating the top-seeded Cavaliers in five games.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell thought this Cleveland Cavaliers team would be the one to get him to a conference final for the first time. Instead, this trip ended with the same heartbreak as his other three to this point in the playoffs.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Indiana coach Rick Carlisle put it best in summing up his team's finishing punch in the Eastern Conference semifinals. “The winning team writes the script," he said.

These are the NBA playoffs of survival, where not even the stars are safe.

The diagnosis of a torn Achilles tendon for All-Star forward Jayson Tatum is a devastating blow to the defending champion Boston Celtics and the second injury of its kind during the NBA playoffs.

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — There was no shortage of “WNBA Portland” T-shirts among the fans at the New York Liberty's preseason game at the University of Oregon.

BOSTON (AP) — When Jayson Tatum toppled to the court, writhing in pain and grabbing at his right foot late in the Celtics’ Eastern Conference semifinals Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks, it looked like a potentially season-altering injury.

BOSTON (AP) — Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves are on the brink of their second straight trip to the Western Conference finals.