Oklahoma City closed out the Phoenix Suns 131-122 on Monday to complete a first-round sweep, while the Detroit Pistons fell into a 3-1 hole against the Orlando Magic and the Denver Nuggets staved off elimination against Minnesota. It was the kind of night that reshapes the playoff picture in a hurry.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points to seal the Thunder's series at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. Oklahoma City, which swept its first-round opponent last season during its championship run, will face either the Los Angeles Lakers or the Houston Rockets in the second round. The Lakers lead that series 3-1.
"We just came in ready," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "We do it for each other. None of us are selfish. We all want the next man to succeed and when you have those three things and put them together you get success."
In Orlando, the Magic held Detroit to 88 points and won 94-88, pushing the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference to the edge. Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 25 points, but Detroit committed 20 turnovers in another sluggish performance. Orlando, which finished eighth in the East, has not reached the second round of the playoffs since 2010, losing six first-round series and missing the postseason nine other times. One more win changes all of that.
The most dramatic game of the night played out in Denver. The Nuggets trailed 3-1 heading into Game 5 at Ball Arena, facing elimination at home. Nikola Jokic delivered a triple-double, finishing with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 16 assists. Jamal Murray was the game's leading scorer with 24 points. Denver won 125-113 to force a Game 6 on Thursday in Minneapolis.
"We had to play like we was down 3-1," Murray said. "I think we did a good job of bringing energy into the game and playing for 48 minutes, not letting up off the gas. That was a great team win."
Monday also brought an individual award. Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, 19, was named NBA Rookie of the Year, edging his former Duke roommate Kon Knueppel by just 26 voting points, the second-smallest margin between the top two finishers in the award's history. Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft, averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists. That made him only the fourth rookie since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976 to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and four assists in a season, joining Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Luka Doncic.
"I think dealing with that and adjusting and kind of getting thrown in on the fly right away like that helped me long-term," Flagg said, referencing the expectations that came with being the top pick. "I grew in a lot of different areas."
He is the second youngest player to win the award, behind LeBron James.
Game 6 between Denver and Minnesota tips off Thursday. Detroit faces elimination in Game 5.
