Celtics, Knicks, Pacers can advance Tuesday in Game 5s, but Nuggets-Clippers is too close to call

NEW YORK (AP) — The Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers are on the verge of a second round that appears to be taking shape quickly in the Eastern Conference.

Nothing can be decided Tuesday night in the only game out West, where the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers might be nowhere near finished in a series that’s too close to call as they play their Game 5.

The Celtics, Knicks and Pacers will all be on their home floors with 3-1 leads they took with road victories on Sunday. Teams have failed to advance with that lead only 13 times in NBA history, so all three are in good shape to return to the conference semifinals for the second straight year.

The defending champion Celtics, seeded second, and No. 3-seeded Knicks would set up the first playoff meeting between the longtime rivals since 2013. Boston needs one more victory over Orlando, while New York can finish off Detroit after pulling out a 94-93 victory in Game 4 after officials said they missed what should have been a foul call against Josh Hart on Tim Hardaway Jr.'s 3-point attempt with 0.3 seconds remaining.

The No. 4-seeded Pacers can knock out Milwaukee, playing without Damian Lillard, for the second straight year. They would advance to face top-seeded Cleveland, which finished a sweep of Miami on Monday in the most lopsided series win in NBA playoff history.

“Everybody in the locker room knows what the deal is. We’ve got to go into Indiana, play some good basketball," Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo said. "Obviously we don’t have Dame. But the next guy’s got to step up. We’ve got to do what we’ve got to do. Move the ball, play together, try to win the game and come back.”

The Nuggets and Clippers, on the other hand, might be going down to the wire.

They sure did on Saturday, when Aaron Gordon's dunk of Nikola Jokic's missed shot at the buzzer tied the series at 2-2. The Clippers had won Game 3 easily, but the other three games have been decided by three or fewer points.

So Gordon and the Nuggets didn't celebrate too long after that victory.

“(It's) 2-2 right now,” teammate Michael Porter Jr. said. “Big win. We get to go back home, but it's so far from over."

When/Where to Watch: Game 5, 8:30 p.m. EDT (NBA TV)

Series: Celtics lead, 3-1.

BetMGM says: Celtics by 12.5

What to Know: Boston took the two games at home rather easily before things got tougher in Orlando, where the Magic won Game 3 and pushed the Celtics deep into Game 4 before falling 107-98. Jayson Tatum scored 36 and 37 points in the last two after missing Game 2 with a wrist injury. The Celtics will be without starting guard Jrue Holiday for a third straight game with a strained right hamstring. Orlando's Paolo Banchero has scored 25 or more in seven straight playoff games, tied with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kobe Bryant for the longest streak by players under 23.

When/Where to Watch: Game 5, 7:30 p.m. EDT (TNT)

Series: Knicks lead, 3-1.

BetMGM says: Knicks by 5.5

What to Know: The Knicks failed to close out a series in this same situation last year, losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in overtime at home in Game 5 and forcing them to win the series on the road. The Pistons are 3-1 at Madison Square Garden this season, counting their victory in Game 2 of the series, when Karl-Anthony Towns scored just 10 points. But the Knicks got their All-Star center going in Detroit, where he averaged 29 points in the Knicks' two victories. Jalen Brunson has scored 12 or more points in the fourth quarter of all four games and is averaging 33.3 in the series, just behind Antetokounmpo's 33.8 for tops in the postseason.

When/Where to Watch: Game 5, 6 p.m. EDT (NBA TV)

Series: Pacers lead 3-1

BetMGM Sportsbook: Pacers by 7 ½

What to Know: The Pacers look to eliminate Milwaukee for a second straight season after winning 4-2 last year. The Bucks have lost eight straight road playoff games, and the last five came at Indiana. Milwaukee is having to regroup without seven-time All-Star Lillard, who was helped off the court midway through the first quarter of the Bucks’ 129-103 Game 4 loss at Milwaukee on Sunday. With or without Lillard, the Bucks have been unable to slow Indiana down in this series. Indiana has compiled at least 115 points in each of their three series wins and shot 60.2% in Game 4 with eight Pacers scoring in double figures. Six Pacers are scoring at least 12 points per game in this series, including Pascal Siakam’s 22.3. Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton is averaging 12.3 assists in this series and had 15 on Sunday. Antetokounmpo has 33.8 points, 14.3 rebounds and 5 assists per game in this series, but he isn’t getting enough help. Lillard’s injury likely means a greater role for Kevin Porter Jr., who had 23 points and six assists off the bench Sunday.

When/Where to Watch: Game 5, 10 p.m. EDT (TNT)

Series: Tied, 2-2

BetMGM says: Clippers by 1.5

What to Know: The Clippers' two losses in the series are one fewer than they had in a little more than a month to finish the regular season, when they went 18-3. Jokic, after averaging a triple-double during the regular season, is second in the playoffs in both rebounds (13.5) and assists (10.8) per game while averaging 28.5 points. The Nuggets have won 12 of their last 13 playoff games when holding the opponent below 100 points.

AP Sports Writer Steve Megargee in Milwaukee contributed to this report.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, drives the court while under pressure from Los Angeles Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic during the second half in Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton (0) drives against the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo during the second half of Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) walks across the court as New York Knicks center Ariel Hukporti, third from right, guard Josh Hart (3) and center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) celebrate after winning Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun, left, shoots as Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell defends during the second half in Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) tries to get past Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the first half in game 3 of a first-round NBA playoff basketball series,, Friday, April 25, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

U.S. forces have boarded another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea. The announcement was made Friday by the U.S. military. The Trump administration has been targeting sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.

The pre-dawn action was carried out by U.S. Marines and Navy, taking part in the monthslong buildup of forces in the Caribbean, according to U.S. Southern Command, which declared “there is no safe haven for criminals” as it announced the seizure of the vessel called the Olina.

Navy officials couldn’t immediately provide details about whether the Coast Guard was part of the force that took control of the vessel as has been the case in the previous seizures. A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard said there was no immediate comment on the seizure.

The Olina is the fifth tanker that has been seized by U.S. forces as part of a broader effort by Trump’s administration to control the distribution of Venezuela’s oil products globally following the U.S. ouster of President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid.

The latest:

Richard Grenell, president of the Kennedy Center, says a documentary film about first lady Melania Trump will make its premiere later this month, posting a trailer on X.

As the Trumps prepared to return to the White House last year, Amazon Prime Video announced a year ago that it had obtained exclusive licensing rights for a streaming and theatrical release directed by Brett Ratner.

Melania Trump also released a self-titled memoir in late 2024.

Some artists have canceled scheduled Kennedy Center performances after a newly installed board voted to add President Donald Trump’s to the facility, prompting Grenell to accuse the performers of making their decisions because of politics.

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum says that she has asked her foreign affairs secretary to reach out directly to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio or Trump regarding comments by the American leader that the U.S. cold begin ground attacks against drug cartels.

In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News aired Thursday night, Trump said, “We’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water and we are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico. It’s very sad to watch.”

As she has on previous occasions, Sheinbaum downplayed the remarks, saying “it is part of his way of communicating.” She said she asked her Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente to strengthen coordination with the U.S.

Sheinbaum has repeatedly rebuffed Trump’s offer to send U.S. troops after Mexican drug cartels. She emphasizes that there will be no violation of Mexico’s sovereignty, but the two governments will continue to collaborate closely.

Analysts do not see a U.S. incursion in Mexico as a real possibility, in part because Sheinbaum’s administration has been doing nearly everything Trump has asked and Mexico is a critical trade partner.

Trump says he wants to secure $100 billion to remake Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, a lofty goal going into a 2:30 meeting on Friday with executives from leading oil companies. His plan rides on oil producers being comfortable in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.

The president has said that the U.S. will control distribution worldwide of Venezuela’s oil and will share some of the proceeds with the country’s population from accounts that it controls.

“At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.

Trump is banking on the idea that he can tap more of Venezuela’s petroleum reserves to keep oil prices and gasoline costs low.

At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.

Trump is expected to meet with oil executives at the White House on Friday.

He hopes to secure $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s oil industry. The goal rides on the executives’ comfort with investing in a country facing instability and inflation.

Since a U.S. military raid captured former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has said there’s a new opportunity to use the country’s oil to keep gasoline prices low.

The full list of executives invited to the meeting has not been disclosed, but Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips are expected to attend.

Attorneys general in five Democratic-led states have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration after it said it would freeze money for several public benefit programs.

The Trump administration has cited concerns about fraud in the programs designed to help low-income families and their children. California, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois and New York states filed the lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The lawsuit asks the courts to order the administration to release the funds. The attorneys general have called the funding freeze an unconstitutional abuse of power.

Iran’s judiciary chief has vowed decisive punishment for protesters, signaling a coming crackdown against demonstrations.

Iranian state television reported the comments from Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei on Friday. They came after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized Trump’s support for the protesters, calling Trump’s hands “stained with the blood of Iranians.”

The government has shut down the internet and is blocking international calls. State media has labeled the demonstrators as “terrorists.”

The protests began over Iran’s struggling economy and have become a significant challenge to the government. Violence has killed at least 50 people, and more than 2,270 have been detained.

Trump questions why a president’s party often loses in midterm elections and suggests voters “want, maybe a check or something”

Trump suggested voters want to check a president’s power and that’s why they often deliver wins for an opposing party in midterm elections, which he’s facing this year.

“There’s something down, deep psychologically with the voters that they want, maybe a check or something. I don’t know what it is, exactly,” he said.

He said that one would expect that after winning an election and having “a great, successful presidency, it would be an automatic win, but it’s never been a win.”

Hiring likely remained subdued last month as many companies have sought to avoid expanding their workforces, though the job gains may be enough to bring down the unemployment rate.

December’s jobs report, to be released Friday, is likely to show that employers added a modest 55,000 jobs, economists forecast. That figure would be below November’s 64,000 but an improvement after the economy lost jobs in October. The unemployment rate is expected to slip to 4.5%, according to data provider FactSet, from a four-year high of 4.6% in November.

The figures will be closely watched on Wall Street and in Washington because they will be the first clean readings on the labor market in three months. The government didn’t issue a report in October because of the six-week government shutdown, and November’s data was distorted by the closure, which lasted until Nov. 12.

FILE - President Donald Trump dances as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)