The Phoenix Suns defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 136-130 in Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference first-round playoffs at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday, winning the series 4-1 and advancing to the West semifinals.

The Suns won Game 4 by 12 points (112-100) despite Russell Westbrook's incredible performance of dropping 37 points at 58.6 percent from the field. They managed to remove Westbrook from Tuesday's competition by blocking his penetration route and forcing him to shoot from the outside. As a result, Westbrook missed 15 of his 18 field goals and multiple layups he is used to producing on usual days.

However, in spite of the absence of their star duo, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, as well as Westbrook's magical touch, the Clippers took the Suns by surprise with the rebounding dominance of Ivica Zubac and Mason Plumlee, which translated into 21 second-chance points for the team in the first half. Moreover, Marcus Morris, who had been struggling with his poor defense and offensive incapability, drained four jumpers in the middle range to add 10 points for the Clippers to lead 70-61 after the first two periods.

The third quarter belongs to Devin Booker who turned on his killer mode to go 10-for-11 from the field to score 25 points. Eight of the shots he made were jumpers and the only missed shot was a 3-pointer. His dominance in addition to Kevin Durant's 13 points in this quarter enabled the Suns to rally 50-24, nearly turning the competition into a long-gone conclusion.

After Bismack Biyombo completed a 3-point play at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Suns extended their lead to 20 points (114-94), but the Clippers' bench squad put the suspense back into the game. Mason Plumlee and Nicolas Batum collaborated to score 21 points in the fourth period while Norman Powell added another 10 points. Their efforts cut the team's deficit to only two points twice in the final three minutes of the game.

Unfortunately, the Clippers failed to reverse the situation after Westbrook, Batum and Powell missed two shots and committed two turnovers in the following two minutes. Despite the lost series, they have done well enough after losing both Leonard and George to injuries. Nonetheless, it shouldn't be surprising if the team goes through a reshuffle this summer.

Trae Young takes the series back to Atlanta

The Atlanta Hawks beat the Boston Celtics 119-117 in Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoffs at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, keeping the series alive at 3-2 and the chance to tie it in their next home game on Thursday.

This should have been the Celtics' best chance to end the series with a gentleman's sweep (4-1) at home because the opponents' second-in-command Dejounte Murray couldn't play on Tuesday night after being suspended for bumping into and verbally abusing an NBA official in Game 4 on April 23.

Jaylen Brown went 10-for-13 from the field in the first half to score 23 points for the Celtics. Then Derrick White and Jayson Tatum joined forces to add another 16 points in the third quarter. Their side remained in a favorable situation during most of the time and still held a 10-point lead (111-101) when there were less than five minutes left in the fourth period.

That's when things went into a precipitous decline for the Celtics. Tatum, Marcus Smart and Brown committed four turnovers in the following three minutes while the Hawks took the opportunity to launch a 13-2 run, leading 114-113 at 1:39. Though Robert Williams III's alley-oop dunk and White's two free throws gained the lead back for their side (117-116), they left 7.3 seconds for the Hawks.

Saddiq Bey threw the ball to Young in the back court. Young dribbled forward to face Brown, who drew back step by step, without expecting Young to shoot a 3-pointer from 30 feet. However, Young took and made that shot, scoring his 16th point in the fourth quarter and postponing offseason for the Hawks.

The Celtics will have to go to State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, to play Game 6. They are still the stronger side compared with the Hawks, but the longer the series grows, the more unpredictable it gets, especially for the team that blows their lead.

Nuggets end Timberwolves' bitter season in Game 5 at home

The Denver Nuggets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-109 in Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference first-round playoffs at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, on Tuesday, winning the series 4-1. They will meet the Suns in the West semifinals.

The Nuggets overcame a 15-point deficit to secure the significant victory on Tuesday night. Though they were playing at home, the basket seemed like a stranger to Nikola Jokic, who shot 8-for-29 from the field. Fortunately for his side, he could still contribute via playmaking and rebounding. Not only did Jokic grab 17 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass, he also delivered 12 assists,

While Jokic was struggling with his shots, Jamal Murray carried the Nuggets' offense with 35 points, including 12 in both the second and the third quarters. On the Timberwolves' side, though Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns missed 11 of their 12 triples collectively, the two collaborated to shoot 17-for-26 in the paint. Rudy Gobert contributed a double-double of 16 points and 15 rebounds before he was fouled out in the fourth period.

Towns made a jumper to tie the score at 104 at 1:12, but then he and Gobert couldn't stop Jokic from making two shots right in front of them next to the rim in the following 40 seconds. Towns also fouled Jokic, enabling him to earn and make a free throw to extend the Nuggets' lead to five points (109-104). Though Mike Conley and Edwards scored five points for the Timberwolves in the rest of the game, it's too little and too late to generate a miracle.

The first season for Towns and Gobert to join hands after the Timberwolves traded nearly everything for the French giant, is a failure. The team will understandably try to fix it during the offseason, but it will be a truly daunting task.