Top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers on brink of elimination as second-round action continues

The GIST: While the remaining NBA playoff teams are locked in second-round battles, the league’s worst squads are eyeing the ping pong balls that’ll decide their draft fate. That’s right, in addition to the high-stakes hoopla, tonight’s the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes NBA Draft Lottery at 7 p.m. ET.

• In the meantime, here’s the latest from a wild weekend on the hardwood.

🍀 Boston Celtics aren’t done yet: The reigning champs have Payton Pritchard to thank after the reigning Sixth Man of the Year did what he does best — ball out in big moments. Playoff P dropped a team-high 23 points in Boston’s 115–93 Saturday rout of the NY Knicks, bringing the Celtics back within one game of NY heading into tonight’s 7:30 p.m. ET Game 4.

🐺 Anthony Edwards leads Minnesota Timberwolves to Game 3 win: The “Wolverine” impersonator didn’t let an ankle injury in Game 2 slow him down, exploding for 36 points and silencing a raucous Golden State Warriors crowd with a 102–97 Saturday win. The down-to-the-wire dub gives the Wolves a 2-1 series lead ahead of tonight’s 10 p.m. ET Game 4.

• And while a win’s a win for Minnesota, the Warriors are still without superstar Steph Curry, who’s out until at least Game 5 with a pesky hamstring strain. Needless to say, the Wolves will be looking to wrap this one up ASAP.

😥 Top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers on brink of elimination after Game 4 loss: A bounceback performance in Friday’s Game 3 — a game that saw the return of all three injured Cavs — looked like the light at the end of the tunnel for Cleveland, but it was anything but after last night’s 129–109 thrashing by the Indiana Pacers.

• Adding insult to injury? Cavs superstar Donovan Mitchell left the game with an ankle injury. Pain, literally, especially considering the Pacers can close out the series when things shift back to Ohio tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET.

🔥 MVP candidates keep Oklahoma City Thunder (OKC) and Denver Nuggets neck-and-neck: The Nuggets’ 113–104 OT win on Friday was answered by yesterday’s 92–87 Thunder dub, evening the series at two. OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver’s Nikola Jokić have been trading (proverbial) punches all series, so expect more drama tomorrow at 9:30 p.m. ET back in Oklahoma.