A dazzling performance from Josh Giddey has helped Oklahoma City move one game closer to the next stage of the playoffs after a 21-point victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The victory gave the Thunder a 3-0 series lead over New Orleans and will now have the chance to close out the series on Tuesday (AEST).
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Giddey was one of the Thunder’s best against the Pelicans, scoring 21 points and racking up eight rebounds along with six assists.
Jalen Williams and superstar point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also made big scoring contributions with 21 and 24 points respectively.
Although Giddey’s postseason career is just three games old, his performance in game three against the Pelicans was the best of the lot and proved he can handle the occasion.
He also sent NBA fans into meltdown with a slick move on the Pelicans’ CJ McCollum early in the second quarter.
Giddey picked up the ball from his own baseline and drove up the court before breezing past McCollum at the halfway line when he bounced the ball around his back, putting the Pelicans man into a spin.
The Aussie then got past McCollum once again with a Euro step before converting for an easy lay-up.
The Thunder Podcast reposted the vision with the caption: “MY GOODNESS”.
The Athletic’s Andrew Schlecht also described Giddey’s move as “special”.
It was one of Giddey’s eight field-goals made from 13 attempted while also converting four three-pointers from seven.
LAKERS END NUGGETS CURSE
The Los Angeles Lakers, fueled by 30 points from superstar LeBron James, stayed alive in the NBA playoffs with a 119-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Down 3-0 to the defending champions and facing elimination, the Lakers stood firm on their home floor, weathering a triple-double from Nuggets star Nikola Jokic to send the series back to Denver for game five on Monday.
After the Lakers let double-digit leads evaporate in losing each of the first three games, James scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to ensure it didn’t happen again.
“I love the fourth quarter,” James said. “I understand it is close-out time and we haven’t been able to do that versus this team through three games.
“So tonight I had an opportunity to do that and I wanted to deliver,” added the 39-year-old, who connected on six of eight shots in the final period, drew a charge and came up with a steal that he parlayed into a dunk at the other end.
But the four-time NBA champion wasn’t ready to celebrate the Lakers’ first win over Denver in 12 contests, since December of 2022, knowing that no NBA team has rallied from 3-0 down to win a playoff series.
“We’re still down 3-1,” he said. “So each and every game will be its own challenge. We took care of business tonight to extend the series, but we’ve got to be even better.”
Anthony Davis added 25 points and a whopping 23 rebounds for Los Angeles. Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell scored 21 points apiece.
Russell repaid the faith of coach Darvin Ham, who kept him in the starting lineup after he went scoreless in game three.
Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic scored 33 points with 14 rebounds and 14 assists.
Michael Porter Jr. added 25 points and 10 rebounds and Jamal Murray added 16 for the Nuggets in defeat.
BOSTON BACK IN DRIVER’S SEAT
In Miami, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown scored 22 points apiece, Tatum adding 11 rebounds and six assists as the Celtics led from start to finish in a 104-84 victory over the Heat.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 18 points and Derrick White chipped in 16 for the Celtics, who allowed the Heat the fewest points of any Celtics opponent this season.
“That’s where we’re going to win games at, on defensive end,” Tatum told broadcaster TNT, adding that even if shots aren’t falling “if you can get stops, you can figure it out.” Boston appeared to have this one figured out early, leading 21-12 after the first quarter before erupting for 42 points in the second period.
They were up by 24 points at halftime, having dominated every facet of the game and scored 19 points off Miami turnovers. They pushed the lead to as many as 29 in the second half.
Miami, who had just nine three-pointers after raining 23 treys in their game two victory, will try to regroup when they host game four on Monday.
MAGIC STAR DELIVERS AS SERIES TIED
The Orlando Magic, with 32 points from Franz Wagner and a dominant second half, thrashed the Cleveland Cavaliers 112-89 on Saturday to level their NBA Eastern Conference playoff series at 2-2.
The Cavs, who were blown out by the Magic in game three at Orlando, scored just 29 points after the interval as the Magic erased a nine-point halftime deficit and relentlessly pulled away.
With Magic star Paolo Banchero struggling to just nine points and four rebounds, Germany’s Wagner filled the void, grabbing 13 rebounds with four assists and a blocked shot.
The Magic’s suffocating defence made Cleveland’s offence disappear in the second half, when the Cavs went more than six minutes without scoring.
Orlando took full advantage, ripping through a 31-5 scoring run that carried them to a 92-70 lead early in the fourth quarter before Caris LeVert ended the Cavs’ drought with a jump shot.
But LeVert was one of several Cavs to endure a tough shooting night, connecting on two of eight attempts on the way to five points.
Jarrett Allen led Cleveland with 21 points and nine rebounds with Cavs star Donovan Mitchell finishing with 18 points.
“Our guys made the right adjustments,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said of his team’s big second half.
“(They) realised it was about the body and ball movement, sharing it, moving it, trusting the pass,” Mosley said, calling their defensive effort “special.” The series returns to Cleveland for game five on Tuesday.
FULL NBA PLAYOFF RESULTS
Magic 112-89 Cavaliers (Series tied 2-2)
Pelicans 85-106 Thunder (OKC leads 3-0)
Heat 84-104 Celtics (Celtics lead 2-1)
Lakers 119-108 Nuggets (Nuggets lead 3-1)
Originally published as ‘My goodness’: Josh Giddey dazzles with ‘special’ act as OKC roll
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