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Oklahoma City is back in the NBA's final four.
The Thunder — who trailed in the fourth quarter for the first time in these playoffs — eliminated LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, winning 115-110 to close out another four-game sweep.
Oklahoma City also swept Phoenix in Round 1.
The Thunder join the New York Knicks as teams in the conference finals. Their opponents won't be known for at least a couple of days — with both remaining series tied at 2-2.
Game 5 in the Western Conference matchup between San Antonio and Minnesota is on Tuesday. Game 5 in the Eastern Conference semifinal between Detroit and Cleveland is on Wednesday.
— Game 5, Minnesota at San Antonio, 8 p.m. EDT (NBC, Peacock)
Series: Tied, 2-2.
Odds: San Antonio by 10.5.
San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama — who will play, after the NBA said nothing more than an ejection was merited after he elbowed Minnesota's Naz Reid in Game 4 — is about to face the most pressure-packed game of his career, with the Spurs looking to keep home-court advantage against the Timberwolves.
— Game 5, Cleveland at Detroit, 8 p.m. EDT (ESPN)
Series: Tied, 2-2.
Odds: Detroit by 3.5.
Home teams are 4-0 in this series, and the Pistons need to continue that trend. Everyone knows Game 5 in a tied-up series is a swing game, but the Pistons — who fended off elimination three times in the Round 1 win over Orlando — are used to playing amid pressure.
— Cavaliers 112, Pistons 103 to tie series at 2-2. Donovan Mitchell ran wild after halftime.
— Thunder 115, Lakers 110 to win series 4-0. And now, all eyes are on LeBron James' future.
Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell backed up his talk.
He told teammates at halftime Monday night that he had to be better — so he went out and scored 39 of his 43 points in the second half to lead the Cavs to a Game 4 win.
Mitchell's 39 points tied the NBA record for points in a playoff half. Sleepy Floyd also had 39 in the second half for Golden State against the Lakers on May 10, 1987 — a record that was unmatched for, ironically enough, 39 years (and one day).
Charles Barkley (for Phoenix against Golden State on May 4, 1994) and Kevin Durant (for Golden State against the Los Angeles Clippers on April 26, 2019) both had 38-point first halves in playoff games.
A breakdown of this season's NBA awards:
— Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year: DeAndre Jordan, New Orleans.
— Hustle Award: Moussa Diabaté, Charlotte.
— Defensive Player of the Year: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio.
— Clutch Player of the Year: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City.
— Sixth Man of the Year: Keldon Johnson, San Antonio.
— Sportsmanship Award: Derrick White, Boston.
— Most Improved Player: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Atlanta.
— Rookie of the Year: Cooper Flagg, Dallas.
— Executive of the Year: Brad Stevens, Boston.
Among the announcements still to come:
— Most Valuable Player: Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama or Denver's Nikola Jokic.
— Coach of the Year: Johnson, Detroit's J.B. Bickerstaff, or Boston's Joe Mazzulla.
Defending champion Oklahoma City (-165) is favored to win the NBA title, according to oddsmakers.
The Thunder are followed by San Antonio (+350), New York (+600), Detroit (+2000), Cleveland (+4000) and Minnesota (+5000).
— Through Sunday: NBA draft combine.
— May 17 or 19: Eastern Conference finals begin on ESPN and ABC.
— May 18 or 20: Western Conference finals begin on NBC and Peacock.
— June 3: Game 1, NBA Finals on ABC. (Other finals dates: June 5, June 8, June 10, June 13, June 16 and June 19).
— June 23: Round 1, NBA draft.
— June 24: Round 2, NBA draft.
"They threw a lot of pitches at us, and I think we're a better team at the end of the series than we were at the beginning. And that's a credit to them. So, just a tip of the hat to them. Deep respect." — Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault, on the Lakers.
— Oklahoma City got its first fourth-quarter comeback win of these playoffs — because the Thunder had not trailed in the fourth quarter in any of their first seven playoff games this year.
— LeBron James got his 147th playoff double-double Monday night, breaking a tie with Wilt Chamberlain for third-most in NBA postseason history. Only Tim Duncan (164) and Magic Johnson (157) have more.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
