In sports, it’s not about how many times you fall—it’s about how many times you get back up. And after a blowout loss in Game 3, the Pacers rose again.

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to Malaki Branham and Mo Bamba! 🎉

Playoff Recap

Pacers drop 80 first-half points, down Cavs 129-109 for 3-1 series lead

There’s “going on a run”. There’s total dominance. And then there’s whatever the Pacers did in the first half of Game 4 against the Cavs.

After a blowout loss in Game 3, Indiana took the East’s top seed to school on Sunday night, dropping 80 PTS in the first half en route to a 20-point win. The Pacers fired on all cylinders after opening up an early 61-37 lead… and then proceeded to find another gear entirely, ripping off a 17-0 run and connecting on 7 straight field goals to claim a 41-point halftime lead.

Like many of Indiana’s best games, this was a full team effort with seven Pacers scoring in double figures. Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner each scored 20+ and combined to shoot 6/6 from three, while Obi Toppin added 20 PTS of his own including two on this Dr. J-esque lay (and on the anniversary, too!). The Pacers also recorded 37 assists, the most of any team in these playoffs.

With the win, Indiana goes up 3-1 and puts Cleveland on the brink of elimination. The Cavs will have a chance to battle back as the series returns to Cleveland on Tuesday…

OKC wins 92-87 slugfest, ties series with Denver 2-2

After the Nuggets’ gutsy Game 3 win, our boy Kenny dove deep into Denver’s insane ability to pull out unlikely wins. On Sunday, however, it was the Thunder who executed when it mattered most.

In a pivotal Game 4, OKC proved they have what it takes to win in the clutch, pulling out a narrow five-point victory over the Nuggets to tie the series at two games apiece. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the star of the show, scoring 9 of his 25 PTS in the fourth quarter and leading the way for a Thunder team that made clutch play after clutch play down the stretch. Nikola Jokic had 27 PTS and 13 REB for Denver but shot just 7/22 from the field, with the battle between the Joker and OKC’s oversized front-court of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein going the Thunder’s way.

This series is a perfect example of what makes the postseason special—despite winning 68 games in the regular season, many have questioned the Thunder’s ability to win close games given their youth and relative inexperience in the playoffs. On the flip side, the Nuggets have a core of hardened playoff veterans and former champions, and that pedigree showed in Games 1 and 3. But OKC reversed the narrative in Game 4, and it’s now a best-of-three for a spot in the WCF. Bring us the next one! 🍿

Elsewhere around the playoff bracket…

• After two game-winning defensive stops from the Knicks in Games 1 and 2, Boston took no risks in Game 3. The Celtics threw a three-point party at MSG on Saturday, winning 115-93 and avoiding a 3-0 deficit against the Knicks. After Mikal Bridges spoiled the Celtics’ late-game offense early in the series, Joe Mazulla’s squad refused to let this game get close, hitting 14 of their first 22 threes and 20 overall to blow by the Knicks. 6MOTY Payton Pritchard led the way with a playoff career-high 23 PTS and five threes off the bench, while Jayson Tatum added 22 and five triples of his own. While the resale market for this game was absolutely nuts, the New York faithful will have to wait until at least Game 4 before they see a W.

• If we told you the Warriors made fewer threes than usual without Steph Curry in the lineup, you probably wouldn’t be surprised. But if we told you they didn’t make a single three in the first half, you’d probably be as shocked as we were. Despite their slow start, the Warriors were up on Minnesota at the half and led by five in the fourth quarter… but Anthony Edwards (36 PTS) caught fire late and delivered the Wolves a 102-97 dub. Golden State has shown they can execute without Steph—see Jimmy Butler’s 33 PTS and Jonathan Kuminga’s 30—but to win this series and make a deep playoff run, they’ll likely need the Chef in uniform. Curry has been rumored for a potential Game 6 return, but only time will tell.

Feeling Lucky

While some of the league’s teams are still duking it out in the playoffs, others are looking to the future. Tonight, the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery will determine this year’s selection order—let’s break down the odds of some of the top contenders.

Utah Jazz: 17-65, 14% chance at No. 1 pick

In the thick of a rebuild, the Jazz find themselves atop the lottery board. While Duke phenom Cooper Flagg is the presumed top choice, Utah’s 52.1% chance at a top-four pick means they’ll likely walk away with a new franchise cornerstone no matter what. With other young studs like Walker Kessler, Keyonte George, Kyle Filipowski, and Isaiah Collier, Utah has the pieces to take a step forward but needs a true superstar in the middle.

Washington Wizards: 18-64, 14% chance at No. 1 pick

Like Utah, Washington isn’t without young talent. Alex Sarr finished fourth in ROTY voting this season while Bilal Coulibaly and Bub Carrington have both shown significant flashes. That said, some luck in the lottery would go a long way towards accelerating Washington’s timeline, particularly if they land Flagg or another immediate impact player such as Rutgers’ Ace Bailey or Dylan Harper.

Charlotte Hornets: 19-63, 14% chance at No. 1 pick

Perhaps the top-three lottery team with the most immediate potential, Charlotte already has an All-Star caliber point guard in LaMelo Ball and a young impact scorer in Brandon Miller. Adding Flagg or another top prospect like Harper, Bailey, or Texas’s Tre Johnson would instantly make the Hornets one of the league’s most dynamic young squads. Keeping Flagg in North Carolina would just be an added bonus.

Other top odds:

New Orleans Pelicans — 21-61, 12.5% chance at No. 1 pick

Philadelphia 76ers — 24-58, 10.5% chance at No. 1 pick

Brooklyn Nets — 26-56, 9% chance at No. 1 pick

Toronto Raptors — 30-52, 7.5% chance at No. 1 pick

San Antonio Spurs — 34-48, 6% chance at No. 1 pick

The rest of the lottery:

Houston Rockets (via Phoenix Suns) — 3.8% chance at No. 1 pick

Portland Trail Blazers — 3.7% chance at No. 1 pick

Dallas Mavericks — 1.8% chance at No. 1 pick

Chicago Bulls — 1.7% chance at No. 1 pick

Atlanta Hawks (via Sacramento Kings) — 0.8% chance at No. 1 pick

San Antonio Spurs (via Atlanta Hawks) — 0.7% chance at No. 1 pick

Sim the lottery for yourself!

Three in the Key

Signing Off

And we out! Thanks for spending a portion of your day with us. This week, try to give yourself an adventure to look forward to. Whether it’s a get-together with friends, a weekend road trip, or just starting a new book, it always helps to have good things on the horizon. See you soon!

Walker Carnathan