Klay Thompson was glowing in his praise of Jordan Poole, whose 30 points on his playoff debut propelled the Golden State Warriors to a 123-107 Game 1 win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.
Poole's performance even overshadowed the return of the previously injured Stephen Curry to a degree, with the two-time MVP starting off the bench.
Thompson – the third-year player's starting teammate in the backcourt on Saturday with Curry's return being managed – was full of compliments after the game, claiming Poole should be guaranteed the NBA's Most Improved Player award this season.
"Jordan Poole, wow, what a playoff debut. I mean, all his hard work is paying off," Thompson said post-game. "If he doesn't get Most Improved Player, it doesn't make sense. Without him, we would not be where we're at.
"So, Dub Nation, we should be very grateful for Jordan's development and the type of player he's become, he's just incredible. What a star in the making."
Poole and Thompson have been able to develop handy chemistry for the Dubs in the run-in to the playoffs with Curry still out, combining for 49 points off 16-of-28 shooting from the floor, including 10-of-17 from beyond the arc.
Curry and Poole's quick releases and accuracy in shooting, as well as their ability to operate off the dribble out of the pick-and-roll, means three-guard lineups for Golden State will likely be prominent this post-season.
All the same, according to Thompson, for both Curry and Poole can provide him clean looks.
"I play off Jordan very well," Thompson said. "He's so good in the ball screen, that allows me to play off the ball and fly off screens. Allows me to be that catch-and-shoot sniper that I always was.
"He's like Steph with the ball in his hands, as far as his ability to shoot off the pick-and-roll, and we just developed a great chemistry over the last month or two just playing ball."
NBA: Thunder pull away from Mavs, Celtics rout Cavaliers in opener
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 29 points, nine rebounds and nine assists and the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder kept Luka Dončić in check to pull away for a 117-95 victory in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Tuesday.
Chet Holmgren had 19 points and seven rebounds and Jalen Williams scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter as the Thunder remained unbeaten in the playoffs.
Game 2 is Thursday night in Oklahoma City.
Doncic entered this series averaging just under 30 points per game in these playoffs but was limited to 19 on 6-of-19 shooting, including 1 of 8 from 3-point range, and had five turnovers.
Kyrie Irving led Dallas with 20 points and Daniel Gafford had 16, 11 rebounds and five blocks.
The Thunder held just a 69-67 lead midway through the third quarter before a 20-7 run increased the advantage to 89-74.
Dallas got the deficit down to 96-87 on Irving’s 3 with 8:31 remaining, but Williams hit consecutive 3s and then dunked to make it 104-87.
Celtics handle Cavs in Game 1
Jaylen Brown scored 32 points and Derrick White added 25 with seven 3-pointers to lead the Boston Celtics to a 120-95 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the opener of their Eastern Conference second-round series.
Jayson Tatum had 18 points and 11 rebounds and Payton Pritchard scored 16 for the Celtics, who improved to 5-1 in this postseason and will host Game 2 on Thursday night.
Donovan Mitchell had 33 points and six assists and Evan Mobley added 17 and 13 rebounds as Cleveland lost for the fourth time in as many road playoff games.
Boston shot 18 of 46 from 3-point range and took a 15-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Celtics started the final quarter with a 10-2 run to essentially put the game out of reach.
Both teams played without their starting centres. Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen missed his fourth straight game with a bruised rib and Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis was sidelined for the second consecutive game with a strained right calf.
Gobert voted Defensive Player of the Year for 4th time
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert was voted as the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the fourth time in his career, beating out rookie sensation and fellow Frenchman Victor Wembanyama.
Gobert – who previously won the award as a member of the Utah Jazz in 2018, 2019 and 2021 – joins Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace as the only players to be named the league’s top defender four times.
Gobert received 72 of a possible 99 first-place votes after anchoring the Wolves’ top-ranked defence all year. Wembanyama received 19 first-place votes to finish second. Bam Adebayo narrowly edged Anthony Davis for third, while Herbert Jones rounded out the top five.
The Timberwolves allowed an NBA-low 106.5 points per game this season, almost two points ahead of the second-place New York Knicks (108.2). Gobert played 76 games while averaging 12.9 rebounds (second in the NBA) and 2.13 blocks (sixth).
Many of Gobert’s teammates in Minnesota have said that Gobert helped cultivate a culture that values defence, which has been on display throughout the Timberwolves’ 6-0 start to the playoffs.
“This year, training camp, we came Day 1 and said we wanted to be a top defence in this league,” Gobert said on TNT while accepting his award. “Every guy has bought in. Everyone has put in the work every single day, and now we’re here with one goal in mind, to try to get this championship.”
Many fans and analysts criticised the trade that brought Gobert to Minnesota as too expensive for a limited offensive player.
Tim Connelly, the Wolves’ president of basketball operations, has seen his vision manifested beautifully, as Minnesota leads the defending champion Denver Nuggets 2-0 in their Western Conference semifinals series that continues Friday.
The future of this award seems to be firmly in the giant palms of Wembanyama, who led the NBA with 3.58 blocked shots per game.
Joakim Noah became the first French player to be voted Defensive Player of the Year in 2014, and Gobert has built on that with his impressive run.
It would not be shocking if Wembanyama, 20, had a similar run of dominance in the near future.
'Whatever we need, he'll provide' – Brunson continues stunning playoff run for Knicks
New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau hailed Jalen Brunson after he became just the fourth player to score 40 points in four straight playoff games, saying: "Whatever it is we need, he'll provide."
Brunson continued his incredible postseason form with 43 points in the Knicks' 121-117 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the teams' Eastern Conference semifinal series on Monday.
He is just the fourth player to achieve that feat in NBA history and the first since Hall of Famer Michael Jordan in 1993. Jerry West and Bernard King are the other players to do so.
Brunson also added six rebounds and six assists, while Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart supported him with 25 and 24 points respectively.
Speaking after the game, Thibodeau credited Brunson for his single-minded approach as he said: "You could go on and on every night, and the thing I love about him is he's all about the team.
"All he cares about is winning, and he cares about his team-mates, and he's like, in the end, what do we need? Do we need a big bucket? Whatever it is we need, he'll provide."
Brunson has averaged 12.4 fourth-quarter points in his last five games, and he came up clutch again on Monday by making six of 10 shots and all eight of his free throws in the final period.
The All-Star guard, however, chose to give credit to his team-mates, saying: "The little things can go a long way. The 40 points are cool and all, but it's the little things that help us win games like that.
"So I'm just happy I have the group of guys that I do. I just know that we're going to fight every single day. That's all I'm thinking about."
There was a hint of controversy about the Knicks' win as Indiana center Myles Turner was called for a moving screen on DiVincenzo with just 12.7 seconds left.
The Pacers challenged the call but failed to overturn it, having earlier seen Aaron Nesmith contentiously pulled up for a kicked ball – a decision the referees admitted to getting wrong after the game.
Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said: "We're not expecting to get calls in here. It would have been nice if they laid off that one, but they didn't. So that's just the way it goes."
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