The 2024 NBA playoffs continued Friday with a trio of Game 3s. Thursday night provided plenty of action, and Friday was no different.
Pacers vs. Bucks kicked off the night with Indiana and Pascal Siakam gaining a a 2-1 advantage over the Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Bucks in overtime. Elsewhere in the West, the Mavericks won a second straight over the Clippers to move up to 2-1. In the nightcap, the Timberwolves took a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Suns in Phoenix.
After an uneven night in the NBA, here are three takeaways from Friday:
Game of the postseason?
The Knicks' Game 2 comeback against the 76ers might still be the leader in the clubhouse, but the Pacers and Bucks put in a solid entry for best game of the postseason on Friday night. Khris Middleton made a ridiculous 3-pointer with less than two seconds left in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime, then BANKED in another one from the top of the key with just under seven seconds left in overtime to tie the game once again.
But ultimately, it was Tyrese Haliburton who played the hero, getting a full head of steam from the backcourt to deliver a swift, nasty crossover, before hitting an and-one floater for the game-winner.
And those are just a few of the highlights. Our Jack Maloney ranked the five craziest moments from the game for you in case you missed it – or just want to relive it.
Tempers flare in Dallas
The Mavericks controlled their Game 3 win over the Clippers from pretty much the start of the second quarter, but there was plenty of extracurricular activities before the final whistle. It started with a flagrant foul from Russell Westbrook, who hit the head of Mavs forward Josh Green on a dunk attempt.
Later, Mavs forward PJ Washington got into it with Clippers wing Terance Mann, earning both players technical fouls. After the game Washington said that Mann was "mad" that he kept looking at the Clippers' bench. So, of course, Washington posted up with crossed arms and glared at the Clippers' bench from midcourt to conclude the altercation.
Finally, all the undercards came to a head with the main event, when Westbrook delivered a hard foul on Luka Doncic in the fourth quarter, leading to plenty of shoving and eventual ejections for both Westbrook and Washington.
We'll see if there's any further punishment from the league, but either way the Clippers find themselves in a 2-1 hole heading into Sunday's Game 4.
Suns are done
No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series, and the Suns have shown us absolutely zero evidence that they can be the first. They were thoroughly outplayed in a must-win game at home on Friday night, completely unable to get stops against a Timberwolves team that finished 17th in the league in offensive efficiency this season.
The major question now becomes what happens to this Phoenix "superteam," which was built for title contention and instead is on the verge of being swept in the first round. Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal are all signed through at least the 2025-26 season, and their salaries give the front office little flexibility to upgrade an already unstable roster. Are we looking at another trade demand from Durant? Would Beal waive his no-trade clause after a disappointing season? We'll have to wait to find out, but this summer gets a whole lot more interesting with the impending demise of the Suns.
NBA playoffs scores: Friday, April 26
- Pacers 121, Bucks 118 OT (IND leads 2-1) -- Box score
- Mavericks 101, Clippers 90 (DAL leads 2-1) -- Box score
- Timberwolves 126, Suns 109 (MIN leads 3-0 ) -- Box score
CBS Sports provided live updates, analysis and highlights throughout Friday slate. Follow along below.