Knicks, Timberwolves go up 3-1; Jayson Tatum suffers serious injury; Mavericks win lottery in stunner

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🏀 Good morning to all, but especially to ...

THE NEW YORK KNICKS AND THE MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES ...

The Knicks haven't been to the conference finals since 2000. They're 48 minutes away from changing that after their third stirring comeback in four games. New York overcame a 14-point third quarter deficit to beat the Celtics, 121-113, behind late-game explosions from, well, pretty much everyone.

• Jalen Brunson finished with 39 points -- 26 of which came after halftime -- and his 102 fourth-quarter points this postseason are the most by anyone through a team's first 10 playoff games of a single campaign.
• One could argue the scoring Brunson didn't have to do was the key. Mikal Bridges went for 23 points -- 10 in the fourth quarter -- Karl-Anthony Towns racked up 23 points and 11 rebounds, and OG Anunoby added 20 points.
• Jayson Tatum was magnificent for Boston until his night took a potentially disastrous turn. Sitting on 42 points late in the fourth quarter, Tatum suffered a lower body injury and is set for an MRI today.

We'll get to more on Tatum in a bit. But even when he exited the game with under three minutes left, New York led by nine. I'm so impressed, obviously, by Brunson, but really by Bridges and Anunoby. Bridges hit several tough midrange shots in the fourth, and Anunoby shot a perfect 4 for 4 in the final frame.

These guys were brought in primarily to defend Tatum and Jaylen Brown (they were excellent at the latter), but they're showing impressive offensive repertoires, too.

The Timberwolves, meanwhile, are also one game away from the conference finals after a 117-110 win over the Warriors, and for the second straight game, Anthony Edwards' mesmerizing talent turned the game on its head. Edwards scored 16 points in the third quarter, nearly outscoring Golden State by himself, as Minnesota turned a 60-58 halftime deficit into an 87-67 lead.

Edwards finished with 30 points, and Julius Randle had 31. Minnesota shot 16 for 34 (47%) from 3, while a Stephen Curry-less Golden State was 8 for 27 (30%) from deep. Jimmy Butler (14 points) continues to be far too passive in Curry's absence, Brad Botkin writes.

... AND ALSO A GOOD MORNING TO THE DALLAS MAVERICKS ...

From a 1.8% chance to the 100% unmitigated joy: The Mavericks won the NBA Draft lottery -- and the right to draft Cooper Flagg -- in a stunning turn of events, especially given the carnage of the Luka Dončić trade.

• The Mavericks had the 11th-best odds (1.8%) to win the lottery. That's the fourth-lowest percentage ever to win.
• Yes, these are the same Mavericks who dealt Dončić for Anthony Davis at the trade deadline -- a move ridiculed by many -- then saw Kyrie Irving tear his ACL. Still, Dallas made the Play-In Tournament. Now they have the No. 1 pick.
• It gets even wilder: The Mavericks only had these odds thanks to a coin flip and another team making the playoffs.
• Here's how much-maligned GM Nico Harrison and the rest of the front office reacted. It's a second chance Harrison doesn't deserve, Jasmyn Wimbish writes.

It's also one that completely reshapes the Mavericks' outlook, Sam Quinn writes.

Here's the top four:

1. Mavericks
2. Spurs
3. 76ers
4. Hornets

You'll notice neither the Jazz nor the Wizards -- owners of the two worst records in the NBA -- aren't there. They're fifth and sixth, respectively, and we'll discuss them in a bit. You'll notice, too, that the Spurs moved up, and the 76ers not only moved up but get to keep their pick, putting both among Brad Botkin's lottery winners.

Flagg, the National Player of the Year, is awesome. Flat-out awesome. He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists in one season at Duke -- a season he reclassified up one year for. He is a dynamic scorer, tremendous defender, very good shooter (38.5% from 3), outstanding athlete and dogged competitor. With him alongside Davis and fellow former Blue Devil Dereck Lively II, Dallas has a monstrous defense in the making.

Here's the top five from Kyle Boone's mock draft ...

1. Mavericks: SF Cooper Flagg, Duke
2. Spurs: PG Dylan Harper, Rutgers
3. 76ers: SF Ace Bailey, Rutgers
4. Hornets: SG VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
5. Jazz: SG Tre Johnson, Texas

... and here's the full draft order.

👍 Honorable mentions 🏀 And not such a good morning for ...

JAYSON TATUM AND THE BOSTON CELTICS ...

We don't know the severity of Tatum's injury for certain, but it wasn't a particularly promising sight. He writhed on the ground, got carried off the floor and was wheelchaired out, full of emotions.

If it's as serious as it appears to be, it has devastating impacts, obviously in the short term but also in the long term. The Celtics were already going to have trouble keeping their championship core together, and a lengthy Tatum absence could accelerate that dismantling.

Short-term, the Celtics losing this one stings, especially given Tatum's excellence. Brown faltered as the second star, James Herbert writes.

• Herbert: "Brown committed four turnovers on Monday, but he also missed three shots when attacking the basket, all of which effectively functioned as live-ball turnovers because New York was able to run the other way with an advantage. A few of his off-the-dribble 3s were ill-advised, too. Foul trouble limited him to 33 minutes ..."

... AND IT'S ALSO NOT SUCH A GOOD MORNING FOR THE UTAH JAZZ AND THE WASHINGTON WIZARDS

The Jazz and the Wizards getting the fifth and sixth picks, respectively -- the worst pick either could have gotten -- is brutal.

It continues an awful run of lottery luck, not only for the Jazz but for the NBA's worst teams of late. Since the league changed its lottery odds format in 2019 to discourage tanking, the No. 1 pick is yet to go to the league's worst team, I noted.

• Pereles: "Perhaps karma came for the Jazz, who were, after all, fined $100,000 for violating the league's player participation policy during the season for resting star Lauri Markkanen. ... On the other hand, the Jazz have never moved up in the draft lottery, which was instituted in 1985, nor have they ever had the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft."

The Wizards actually played their guys but are simply bad after years of front office mismanagement.

The NBA's worst team has fallen to No. 5 three years in a row. A play-in team has won the lottery two years in a row. It's time for another lottery reform, especially considering the current ones aren't working, and Sam has one major change to start.

👎 Not so honorable mentions ⛳ PGA Championship preview: Can Rory McIlroy go back to back?

With two playoffs and the NBA Draft lottery going on, it's easy to forget we're two days away from the PGA Championship.

Rory McIlroy was the story entering The Masters, and he delivered, finishing the career Grand Slam with his first major title since 2014 and winning at a place that had caused him nightmares. Now, he's at a place he loves: Quail Hollow, where he earned his first PGA Tour win and also won last year.

So are we in for a Rory run of two straight? That leads Patrick McDonald's storylines, and McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler have the two shortest odds, followed closely by Bryson DeChambeau.

McIlroy isn't the only one feeling at home this week, Robby Kalland notes in his sleepers.

• Kalland: "Max Homa is a two-time winner of the Wells Fargo, and while only one of those came at Quail Hollow, he's got a great track record on the course. On top of his win there in 2019, he has back-to-back T8 finishes in 2023-24. We saw at the Masters how a return to a course he's had some success on can bring some of the positive vibes ..."

Here's more:

📺 What we're watching Tuesday

⚾ Red Sox at Tigers, 6:40 p.m. on TBS 🏀 Pacers at Cavaliers (Pacers lead 3-1), 7 p.m. on TNT/truTV 🏒 Jets at Stars (Stars lead 2-1), 8 p.m. on ESPN 🏀 Nuggets at Thunder (Series tied 2-2), 9:30 p.m. on TNT/truTV