The Timberwolves beat Nikola Jokic's Nuggets 110-98 and eliminated them to face Victor Wembanyama's Spurs, while the Knicks handed the Hawks a historic thrashing to advance to the first round of the NBA playoffs on Thursday.

Jokic out, Wolves head to Wembley

The Minnesota Timberwolves pulled off a minor upset by knocking out the Denver Nuggets, featuring three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, 110-98 and 4-2 in this first-round series reminiscent of a heavyweight battle.

Twice Western Conference finalists in 2024 and 2025, the Wolves had the profile to qualify, but above all they managed to snatch this 4th victory despite an avalanche of injuries on their back line, starting with their star Anthony Edwards.

Also without Donte DiVincenzo, whose season ended this week with a ruptured Achilles tendon, and rising star Ayo Dosunmu (calf), the Wolves put on a magnificent collective effort and brought new faces to the fore, at the end of a suffocating encounter.

The athletic Jaden McDaniels shone with a career-high 32 points and 10 rebounds. He was supported by a young, relatively unknown player, Terrence Shannon Jr., who was magnificent in attacking the basket and finished with 24 points.

French center Rudy Gobert once again battled to limit the influence of Nikola Jokic (28 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists), finishing the game with 10 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks and 8 assists, showing skill in finding his teammates in traffic.

The linchpin of the Wolves' defense and the trigger for offensive actions with his screens, Gobert, four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, will offer in the next round an enticing duel of French centers with Victor Wembanyama, crowned best defender this season.

The disappointment is immense for the Nuggets, champions in 2023, who fail to get past the first round of the playoffs for only the second time in the last eight seasons.

Having suffered a hyperextension of his left knee and a bone contusion during Game 4 against the Nuggets, Anthony Edwards is not expected to recover for the start of the conference semi-final, scheduled for Monday in Texas.

The Hawks were thrashed by the Knicks.

The New York Knicks handed the Atlanta Hawks a historic thrashing, humiliating them 140-89 on their home court, in order to qualify for the second round.

After leading the series 2-1 thanks to two close victories, the Hawks lost the next three games quite decisively. The Knicks will face either the Philadelphia 76ers or the Boston Celtics in the next round, with the Celtics needing a Game 7 to decide the series on Saturday in Massachusetts.

On Thursday, the New Yorkers trailed for a few minutes before producing 20 minutes of unreal basketball to take an 83-36 halftime lead, a playoff record. The gap then ballooned to 61 points, another record, before a meaningless finish between the reserves.

By limiting the gap to 51 points, the Hawks at least avoided suffering the biggest defeat in NBA playoff history (58).

OG Anunoby (29 points) propelled the Knicks, also helped by Karl-Anthony Towns' triple-double (12 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists).

The 76ers take the Celtics to Game 7

The Philadelphia 76ers won 106-93 at home to even the series at 3-3 against the Boston Celtics, who will have the advantage of hosting Game 7, a perfect conclusion to the 23rd series between the two rival franchises, an NBA record.

Boston was leading the series 3-1, a gap that has only been overturned 13 times in playoff history out of 298 occurrences (or in 4.4% of cases).

The 76ers were dominant on their home court, led by point guard Tyrese Maxey (30 points, 5 assists).

Paul George delivered (23 points on 8 of 17 shooting) as did the 2023 MVP Joel Embiid, with 19 points despite poor shooting (6 of 18), 10 rebounds and 8 assists.

The center, whose career has been slowed by injuries in recent years, delighted his fans with his activity and antics, such as the series of push-ups in the 4th quarter after he found himself on the ground.