Jalen Brunson and Anthony Edwards delivered game-changing performances on Monday night to lead the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves to crucial Game 4 victories, pushing both teams to the brink of their respective Conference Finals, MySportDab Reports.
At Madison Square Garden, Brunson poured in 39 points to lift the Knicks to a 121-113 comeback win over the reigning champion Boston Celtics. Down by 14 points early in the third quarter, the Knicks launched a stunning rally behind Brunson’s scoring spree, outscoring Boston 37-23 in the third period to take control of the contest.
The win gives New York a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and puts them one win away from their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 1999.
The game was marred by a potentially season-ending injury to Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who had scored 42 points before crumpling to the floor following a late-game collision. He was later seen leaving the arena in a wheelchair, compounding Boston’s woes ahead of Game 5 in Boston on Wednesday, May 14.
Meanwhile, in San Francisco, Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves past the Golden State Warriors with a 30-point performance in a 117-110 win. A blistering third-quarter run saw Minnesota score 17 unanswered points, turning a close contest into a dominant 20-point advantage heading into the final frame.
The Warriors, still missing sharpshooter Stephen Curry, struggled from long range and managed just eight made threes, compared to Minnesota’s 16-of-34 shooting from deep. Edwards said a stern halftime message from coach Chris Finch lit the fire for the Wolves’ dominant second half.
“Coach said we were playing like losers,” Edwards revealed. “He told me I wasn’t defending or attacking enough, so I made sure to change that.”
With both the Knicks and Timberwolves now holding 3-1 series leads, they’ll look to close things out in front of their home crowds on Wednesday and punch their tickets to the Conference Finals.
