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1 day ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Ved Vaze |Tanay Sahai
Welp, that’s all, folks. The Golden State Warriors have officially been sent fishing, bounced out of the playoffs in five games by a Julius Randle-led Minnesota Timberwolves team that looked like they’d been binge-watching prime Spurs ball movement and drinking Gatorade straight from the fountain of youth. Meanwhile, back at the Warriors’ ranch, the vibes were… weird.
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1 day ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Ved Vaze |Tanay Sahai
Just when Celtics fans thought their season might be over, Luke Kornet stepped up in historic fashion. In Boston’s must-win Game 5 against the Knicks, the 7-foot-2 center put on a defensive masterclass. Kornet recorded five blocks in the third quarter alone, becoming just the fourth center in NBA history to tally that many in a single playoff quarter without starting the game. It’s also the most blocks ever recorded by a bench player in one playoff quarter, cementing his place in NBA history.
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2 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Ved Vaze |Tanay Sahai
As the Golden State Warriors gear up for a must-win Game 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, head coach Steve Kerr has delivered a major update on Stephen Curry’s status. While Curry will officially miss his fourth straight game due to a lingering hamstring injury, Kerr didn’t rule out a return for a potential Game 6, saying, “It’s a possibility he could play.”The Warriors, now trailing 3-1 in the series, desperately miss Curry’s production and leadership.
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2 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Ved Vaze |Tanay Sahai
Nikola Jokic may have dropped a monster 44-point, 15-rebound performance in Game 5, but the Denver Nuggets still find themselves on the brink of elimination. After Tuesday night’s heartbreaking loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Nuggets trail 3-2 in the Western Conference semifinals and are desperate for answers ahead of Game 6. The good news? Jokic looks fully back in form. The bad? He’s going to need more help—especially with Hunter Tyson (ankle) and rookie DaRon Holmes II (Achilles) ruled out.
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2 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Ved Vaze |Tanay Sahai
“I don’t feel like talking about the game…” — and honestly, AG didn’t have to. He made headlines anyway. Aaron Gordon didn’t just bring the smoke after the Denver Nuggets’ 112-105 meltdown in Game 5 against the Thunder — he brought the whole grill. While the rest of the squad looked like their controller batteries died in the fourth quarter, AG showed up postgame with a mic drop moment aimed squarely at ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
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2 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Ved Vaze |Tanay Sahai
Donovan Mitchell’s heart-wrenching reaction to the Cavaliers’ playoff exit summed up the emotional toll of one of the most painful losses of his career. After a 35-point performance in Game 5, Mitchell returned to sit silently on the bench nearly an hour after the final buzzer, staring at the court that saw Cleveland’s 64-win season collapse in a 4–1 series loss to Indiana. “I just couldn’t believe it… don’t want to believe it,” Mitchell said.
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2 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Ved Vaze |Tanay Sahai
Donovan Mitchell may be in hot water with the NBA after an emotional postgame outburst following the Cavaliers’ elimination from the playoffs. After Cleveland’s Game 5 loss to the Indiana Pacers, Mitchell didn’t hold back in his media availability, saying, “Y’all gonna write us the f*** off, man. But we’ll be back.” While the sentiment resonated with fans, the profanity—aired live—could trigger disciplinary action from the league.
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2 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Ved Vaze |Tanay Sahai
Jimmy Butler’s Game 5 status has become a hot topic after a sluggish Game 4 outing that left fans scratching their heads. The Golden State Warriors forward, known for his postseason dominance, scored just 14 points on nine shots in the loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves — a performance well below his usual playoff standard. Now, national reporter Dalton Johnson has confirmed what many suspected: Butler has been dealing with an illness.
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2 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Ved Vaze |Tanay Sahai
Donovan Mitchell was cooking all series like Gordon Ramsay on a caffeine high — 33, 48, 43 points in Games 1 through 3 — but then suddenly, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ playoff stove went cold. Like, “left-a-frozen-pizza-in-an-Ohio-basement” cold. And in true Cavs fashion, the season that was once dripping with Eastern Conference Finals hopes just fizzled out like a LaCroix left open overnight. On Sunday in Game 4, Mitchell came out looking human. Twelve points on 3-of-11 shooting?
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3 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Ved Vaze |Tanay Sahai
Draymond Green did something rare after the Warriors’ brutal Game 4 loss to the Timberwolves — he apologized. Not for a flagrant foul, surprisingly, but for skipping the podium. The fiery forward admitted postgame that he avoided speaking to the media out of frustration and fear of getting fined, only to later feel like a “coward” for not facing the heat. Classic Draymond: raw, real, and unfiltered. Of course, his self-reflection didn’t come out of nowhere.
