NBA madness: Tatum tears Achilles tendon, amazing Joker not enough, Indiana are through

The Boston Celtics announced that superstar forward Jayson Tatum underwent surgery to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon Tuesday afternoon. He previously suffered the injury late in the fourth quarter of Monday's Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks (3-1 in the series for the Knicks.

The team said the surgery was a success and that no timetable was available for his return.

Tatum was in the midst of one of the best playoff games of his career, scoring 42 points on 16-for-28 shooting, before he crumpled to the ground in immense pain with three minutes to go in the fourth quarter Monday night.

He has been one of the most successful players in the league since being selected third overall by Boston in 2017. Tatum led the team in points, rebounds and assists during last year's run to the team's record-breaking 18th NBA title.

Jokic can't do it all alone

Nikola Jokic delivered a spectacular performance. He gave everything he had, dominated the court, schooled his opponent, and looked unstoppable. Yet, it was all in vain as his teammates froze when it mattered most.

Jokic finished the game with 44 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, and two steals, but the Denver Nuggets fell short as the Oklahoma City Thunder mounted a comeback to win 112–105. The Thunder now lead the series 3–2, with Game 6 set to return to Denver. The top seed in the West will face elimination in a must-win matchup early Friday morning at 3.30am.

Denver held a double-digit lead in the second quarter, but lots of turnovers and efficient shooting from the Thunder bench quickly erased that advantage. Instead of building a comfortable lead, the Nuggets went into halftime up by just two points. Jokic had already notched 19 points and nine rebounds by then. Aside from some questionable decisions and turnovers, Jamal Murray had a solid first half, as did the ever-reliable Aaron Gordon. Denver had a plan, a vision, and the results to show for it - until it all unraveled.

Everything seemed under control until Canadian international Luguentz Dort caught fire. Previously ice-cold, Dort suddenly drained three consecutive three-pointers, cutting Denver's lead to a single possession with six minutes remaining. Missed open shots came back to haunt the Nuggets, who stubbornly stuck to shooting from deep despite going nearly five minutes without a single field goal.

Still, Jokic kept Denver within striking distance and, with just over a minute and a half left, sank a deep, eight-meter three-pointer - his signature "Sombor Shuffle" over Chet Holmgren to tie the game. But Jalen Williams answered right back with a clutch three of his own, restoring a three-point Thunder lead with 1:18 remaining.

After key misses by Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander knocked down a three to stretch the lead to six with 47 seconds left. He then sealed the game at the free-throw line.

It's worth noting: in the entire fourth quarter, no Nuggets player besides Jokic made a single field goal!

Top-sedeed side on East is out

Indiana Pacers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-105, eliminating the East's top-seeded team on their home floor by winning the series 4-1.

The Pacers, who trailed by 19 points in the first half, went on a 16-4 second-quarter run, thanks Tyrese Haliburton's threes, to cut the Cavaliers' lead to six points en route to silencing Rocket Mortgage Center. Indiana continued its onslaught in the third quarter with a 17-2 run in just under five minutes to grab a 6-point advantage.

Haliburton led Indiana with 31 points, six rebounds and eight assists, Pascal Siakam tallied 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and Andrew Nembhard scored 18. Aaron Nesmith added a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double.

The Pacers will play the winner of the New York Knicks-Boston Celtics series in the Eastern Conference finals.