Injuries

Rajon Rondo (back spasms) is unlikely to play in Game 5 on Wednesday.

Anthony Davis (back spasms) is probable for Game 5 on Wednesday.

Damian Lillard (right knee sprain) has been ruled out of Game 5 on Wednesday.

Russell Westbrook (right quad strain) is ruled out for Game 5 on Wednesday.

LeBron James (sore right groin) is probable for Wednesday’s Game 5.

Rundown

UTA 107 @ DEN 117

The Jazz had a chance to end things tonight, but the Nuggets started hot and didn’t cool off. Nikola Jokic (31 points, six rebounds, four assists, one block and seven triples) made his first eight shots and his first five triples which helped give the Nuggets a huge boost. It’s always difficult for him to ride the line between playmaker and scorer, but with his team’s season on the line he did what we expected him to. While he was red-hot to start, Jamal Murray (42 points, 17-for-26 FG with eight boards, eight dimes, a steal and four triples) took the Nuggets home late in this one. He made some huge shots and has been on fire in the last few games. Utah is still getting stellar play from Donovan Mitchell (30 points, two rebounds, five assists, a steal and four triples) who has shown immense growth on the offensive end. It helps that the Nuggets are lacking in wing defenders, but Mitchell has shown much more poise and patience when he has the ball. The big takeaway here is that he and Mike Conley (17 points, four rebounds, five assists, a steal and two triples) both found their groove together. There’s no homecourt so Game 6 will be a tough one for the Jazz.

DAL 111 @ LAC 154

After one of the best individual playoff performances ever, Luka Doncic (22 points, eight boards, four assists, a block and a triple) came back to Earth. He was frustrated by the Clippers physical defense all night and his ankle wasn’t doing him any favors either. The Mavs had a lot of help from their guards, Trey Burke (15 points, one rebound, two assists, a steal and two triples), Tim Hardaway Jr. (19 points, one rebound, three assists and three triples) and Seth Curry (four points and two rebounds), but tonight they didn’t get enough. The offensive numbers were there, but the Mavs had zero idea how to stop Kawhi Leonard (32 points, 12-for-19 FG, seven boards, four dimes, a steal, a block and two triples) as he could not miss a shot. The Clippers dropped 78 points by the half and extended a 25-point lead into a 43-point win. There’s a reason they’re the favorites. Oh and with all of the action around Leonard, Paul George stepped up and delivered his first strong playoff performance with a game-high 35 points on 12-of-18 shooting to go with three boards, two dimes and four triples.