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Celtics stave off elimination with Game 5 win over Knicks

BOSTON (AP) — Derrick White had 34 points, including seven 3-pointers, to lead the Boston Celtics to a 127-102 Game 5 win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night that kept them alive in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Celtics connected on 22 3-pointers to post their first home victory of the series and first without Jayson Tatum following his season-ending Achilles tendon injury.

The Knicks will try again to win the series Friday in New York. If the Celtics win, Game 7 would be in Boston on Monday.

Jaylen Brown added 26 points and 12 assists. Luke Kornet finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks.

The Celtics are looking to become just the 14th team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 deficit in 294 attempts.

TIMBERWOLVES 121, WARRIORS 110

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Julius Randle scored 29 points on 13-for-18 shooting to send Minnesota to the Western Conference finals for the second straight year with a victory over Golden State in Game 5.

Anthony Edwards had 22 points and 12 assists for the sixth-seeded Wolves, who will face the Denver-Oklahoma City winner next. They could get five days off, if the Nuggets beat the Thunder on Thursday to force a Game 7 in the other West semifinal series.

Brandin Podziemski had a playoff career-high 28 points for the Warriors, who again played without star Stephen Curry because of the hamstring strain that forced him out of the second quarter in Game 1 and took the heart out of their entire offensive operation.

Jonathan Kuminga provided another energy boost off the bench with 26 points, but Podziemski’s performance came too late and the production from Jimmy Butler and Buddy Hield was consistently too little after they led the series-opening win. According to Sportradar, the Warriors hadn’t lost four straight games in a single postseason since 1972.

Rudy Gobert was a force around the rim with 17 points, Mike Conley had 16 points and eight assists, and Donte DiVincenzo snapped out of a slump with 13 points as the Wolves shot 77% on 2-pointers (36 for 47).

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