NBA

Conley is officially available after the Timberwolves listed him as questionable on the initial injury report. The veteran point guard takes his usual place in the starting lineup alongside Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Rudy Gobert.

The All-NBA first team offered no surprises, including the top four vote-getters for Most Valuable Player. Jokic, who won his third MVP in four seasons, led the way, with Gilgeous-Alexander, Doncic, and Tatum next. Rounding out the squad was Antetokounmpo, named All-NBA for the eighth time in his career. SGA earned All-NBA honors for the first time in his career.

As expected, Doncic will play in the Western Conference Finals opener after being listed as probable on the initial injury report. He’ll take on his usual workload, with the Timberwolves likely assigning Jaden McDaniels to him defensively.

Tillman was not with the Celtics for Tuesday’s overtime victory. His absence did not impact the Celtics’ rotation, as he’s no higher than third in the pecking order behind Al Horford and Luke Kornet.

The Pacers reserves scored 30 points in Game 1, enjoying a 17-point advantage in that category. Toppin and T.J. McConnell (13/3/4/1 in 25 minutes) were responsible for 28 of those 30 points, but it wasn’t enough to help the Pacers hold onto Game 1. Getting outscored by a 24-9 margin at the foul line and committing 21 turnovers were the issues for the Pacers, who had a three-point lead with 46.1 seconds remaining in regulation. A Jaylen Brown 3-pointer with six seconds remaining forced overtime, with Boston taking a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 is on Thursday night, and this is another series in which Toppin and McConnell will have an advantage.

In the final games of the Pacers’ second-round series win over New York, Siakam did most of his damage in the mid-range and restricted areas, which was also the case on Tuesday. He missed both 3-point attempts and did not attempt a free throw. In addition to the turnovers, of which Indiana had 21, the charity stripe is where the Pacers lost Game 1, as Boston outscored them by a 24-9 margin. Siakam isn’t elite at getting to the line, as he averaged 4.2 attempts per game with the Pacers during the regular season (and 4.0 per game against New York). But he and the Pacers will have to do a better job of getting those opportunities to score when the clock is stopped, as Boston leads all playoff teams in free throws made differential (+5.8). Indiana is dead last at minus-6.0.

After hitting six 3-pointers in Indiana’s Game 7 win over the Knicks, Haliburton hit six more in the Eastern Conference Finals opener. However, turnovers and a minus-15 margin at the foul line proved costly for the Pacers. Haliburton was only responsible for three of the team’s 21 turnovers, but many of the team’s miscues were unforced. While Indiana can take solace in having a chance to win Game 1 against a well-rested opponent, the truth is that they let this one get away. Haliburton and the Pacers will look to grab home-court advantage in Game 2 on Thursday.

Turner came out scalding hot in Tuesday’s Game 1, shooting 7-of-10 from the field and scoring 18 points in the first half. He went quiet in the second half and overtime, only attempting three shots while most of the offense ran through Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. With Kristaps Porzingis unlikely to return before Game 4 on Monday, Turner is well-positioned to make some things happen offensively. However, he has to be consistently aggressive for that to be the case. Game 2 is on Thursday night in Boston.

After scoring just 11 points in Boston’s series-clinching win over Cleveland on May 15, Brown got his Eastern Conference Finals off to a good start. The Celtics star has scored 26 points or more in three of the team’s last four games, shooting 50% or better in each. What also has DFS players pleased is the production in other categories, most notably the assists, steals, and blocks. While Brown was responsible for seven assists in that Game 5 victory over Cleveland, the four “stocks” are the most in a game for him this postseason. Boston will need similar efforts against the Pacers, who also possess a potent offensive attack.

Holiday has seemingly found his groove after struggling to begin this postseason. He’s shot 54.5% or better in each of Boston’s last four games, and the 28 points scored in Tuesday’s Game 1 were a postseason high. Holiday was also effective as a distributor and rebounder, with five of his seven boards coming on the offensive end of the floor. With Derrick White (15/6/9/2/1 with three 3-pointers) shooting 5-of-13 from the field, Holiday scoring as efficiently as he did gave the Celtics a welcome boost. Game 2 is on Thursday night.