Aaron Gordon went to the postgame interview room after his latest heroic moment for the Denver Nuggets, took a seat with his two nephews on his lap and waited for somebody to say something.
He finally broke the silence.
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Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon shoots during the second half in Game 6 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) hugs his father John Haliburton following Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks, Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
President of the New York Knicks Leon Rose, left, hugs guard Jalen Brunson (11) as they leave the court following a Game 6 win in an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Detroit Pistons, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Denver Nuggets' Jamal Murray (27) and Aaron Gordon, center right, celebrate after Gordon sunk a basket late in the second half that sealed the team's win in Game 1 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series against the the Oklahoma City Thunder Monday, May 5, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
“Any questions?” he asked.
Seems about right that he would ask that, given that so far in these NBA playoffs Gordon has been one of the players with all the answers in the biggest moments — when games are on the line.
He is one of the contenders for the unofficial title of Mr. Game Winner of these playoffs, his case built around a no-time-left dunk — believed to be the first of its kind in postseason history — to beat the Los Angeles Clippers in Round 1, then a 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds left to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.
“Did I know it was in? I knew it wasn't a miss," Gordon said of his latest game winner.
And Gordon isn't alone in being part of these down-to-the-wire moments.
Tyrese Haliburton — another Mr. Game Winner candidate — now has two such shots as well in these playoffs, the latest coming in the form of a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left to beat top-seeded Cleveland 120-119 on Tuesday night for a 2-0 Pacers lead in that series. That one came after he had a layup with 1.4 seconds left in overtime of the Pacers’ series-clinching, frantic Game 5 rally in the final moments to oust Milwaukee.
“Obviously, had to get lucky,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Tuesday night after Haliburton’s latest heroics led his team's second successful comeback from seven points down and less than a minute left in a three-game span. “Tyrese hit another amazing shot to win the game. You don’t see this very often, let alone twice in one week. We’re very fortunate.”
He’s right. You don’t see this very often.
There are five players — Robert Horry in 2002, LeBron James in 2006 and 2018, Jamal Murray last year, and now Gordon and Haliburton this year — who have hit two go-ahead shots in the final 10 seconds of wins in the same postseason. That’s it. That’s the whole list.
“This is what I do,” Haliburton said in the on-court interview afterward, still out of breath.
Round 2 is just getting underway in these NBA playoffs and already there have been 15 games decided by three points or fewer, matching or exceeding the total from each of the last 10 playoff years. The New York Knicks have won five games so far in the playoffs, four of them by three points or fewer.
“We’re just going to keep fighting,” the Knicks' Mikal Bridges said after the Game 1 win at Boston on Monday night. “That’s who we are ... and we keep showing it.”
This is not normal: So far, 30% of games in this year's playoffs going into Tuesday have been decided by three points or fewer. It's happening about twice as often as it did last season and about three times as often as it did in other postseason runs over the last decade.
Of those 15 games so far decided by three points or fewer, five of them have had a go-ahead basket in the final 10 seconds. There's the two by Haliburton, the two by Gordon, and the other was New York’s Jalen Brunson hitting a 3-pointer to beat Detroit in Round 1.
Brunson was the NBA's top clutch player this season. Haliburton is an Olympic champion. Gordon was part of Denver's run to the NBA title two years ago. In the biggest moments, they know what is required.
“It’s not about putting the team on my back," Brunson said. "I have confidence in them. They have confidence in me. We're going to compete. We're going to find the best way to attack each possession. It may look like I get the credit ... but it's not just me.”
Brunson had a chance to win Game 1 at Boston with a last-second floater in regulation — “not clutch enough,” he mused when asked about it after the Knicks finished off the overtime win — but the Knicks found a way anyway.
New York was down by 20 in that game and won; Boston was 40-1 this season in games when it had a lead of 20 or more.
Denver was down by 14 at Oklahoma City and won; the Thunder are 64-2 this season in games in which they led by at least 12 points against anybody besides the Nuggets, but they're only 2-3 in such games against Denver.
The Nuggets now have three wins by three points or fewer so far in these playoffs.
“We make stupid mistakes,” Denver star Nikola Jokic, who had a historic 42-point, 22-rebound effort, told Altitude TV after the Game 1 win. “But we find a way.”
At this time of year, finding a way is the only thing that's required. Haliburton, Gordon and Brunson have proven that.
Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon shoots during the second half in Game 6 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) hugs his father John Haliburton following Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks, Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
President of the New York Knicks Leon Rose, left, hugs guard Jalen Brunson (11) as they leave the court following a Game 6 win in an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Detroit Pistons, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Denver Nuggets' Jamal Murray (27) and Aaron Gordon, center right, celebrate after Gordon sunk a basket late in the second half that sealed the team's win in Game 1 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series against the the Oklahoma City Thunder Monday, May 5, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
U.S. President Donald Trump says Iran has proposed negotiations after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic as an ongoing crackdown on demonstrators has led to hundreds of deaths.
Trump said late Sunday that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports mount of increasing deaths and the government continues to arrest protesters.
“The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night.
Iran did not acknowledge Trump’s comments immediately. It has previously warned the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has accurately reported on past unrest in Iran, gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran cross checking information. It said at least 544 people have been killed so far, including 496 protesters and 48 people from the security forces. It said more than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests.
With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.
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A witness told the AP that the streets of Tehran empty at the sunset call to prayers each night.
Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”
Another text, addressed “Dear parents,” which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.
The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.
—- By Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Iran drew tens of thousands of pro-government demonstrators to the streets Monday in a show of power after nationwide protests challenging the country’s theocracy.
Iranian state television showed images of demonstrators thronging Tehran toward Enghelab Square in the capital.
It called the demonstration an “Iranian uprising against American-Zionist terrorism,” without addressing the underlying anger in the country over the nation’s ailing economy. That sparked the protests over two weeks ago.
State television aired images of such demonstrations around the country, trying to signal it had overcome the protests, as claimed by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier in the day.
China says it opposes the use of force in international relations and expressed hope the Iranian government and people are “able to overcome the current difficulties and maintain national stability.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Monday that Beijing “always opposes interference in other countries’ internal affairs, maintains that the sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected under international law, and opposes the use or threat of use of force in international relations.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned “in the strongest terms the violence that the leadership in Iran is directing against its own people.”
He said it was a sign of weakness rather than strength, adding that “this violence must end.”
Merz said during a visit to India that the demonstrators deserve “the greatest respect” for the courage with which “they are resisting the disproportional, brutal violence of Iranian security forces.”
He said: “I call on the Iranian leadership to protect its population rather than threatening it.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman on Monday suggested that a channel remained open with the United States.
Esmail Baghaei made the comment during a news conference in Tehran.
“It is open and whenever needed, through that channel, the necessary messages are exchanged,” he said.
However, Baghaei said such talks needed to be “based on the acceptance of mutual interests and concerns, not a negotiation that is one-sided, unilateral and based on dictation.”
The semiofficial Fars news agency in Iran, which is close to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, on Monday began calling out Iranian celebrities and leaders on social media who have expressed support for the protests over the past two weeks, especially before the internet was shut down.
The threat comes as writers and other cultural leaders were targeted even before protests. The news agency highlighted specific celebrities who posted in solidarity with the protesters and scolded them for not condemning vandalism and destruction to public property or the deaths of security forces killed during clashes. The news agency accused those celebrities and leaders of inciting riots by expressing their support.
Canada said it “stands with the brave people of Iran” in a statement on social media that strongly condemned the killing of protesters during widespread protests that have rocked the country over the past two weeks.
“The Iranian regime must halt its horrific repression and intimidation and respect the human rights of its citizens,” Canada’s government said on Monday.
Iran’s foreign minister claimed Monday that “the situation has come under total control” after a bloody crackdown on nationwide protests in the country.
Abbas Araghchi offered no evidence for his claim.
Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.
Iran’s foreign minister alleged Monday that nationwide protests in his nation “turned violent and bloody to give an excuse” for U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene.
Abbas Araghchi offered no evidence for his claim, which comes after over 500 have been reported killed by activists -- the vast majority coming from demonstrators.
Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.
Iran has summoned the British ambassador over protesters twice taking down the Iranian flag at their embassy in London.
Iranian state television also said Monday that it complained about “certain terrorist organization that, under the guise of media, spread lies and promote violence and terrorism.” The United Kingdom is home to offices of the BBC’s Persian service and Iran International, both which long have been targeted by Iran.
A huge crowd of demonstrators, some waving the flag of Iran, gathered Sunday afternoon along Veteran Avenue in LA’s Westwood neighborhood to protest against the Iranian government. Police eventually issued a dispersal order, and by early evening only about a hundred protesters were still in the area, ABC7 reported.
Los Angeles is home to the largest Iranian community outside of Iran.
Los Angeles police responded Sunday after somebody drove a U-Haul box truck down a street crowded with the the demonstrators, causing protesters to scramble out of the way and then run after the speeding vehicle to try to attack the driver. A police statement said one person was hit by the truck but nobody was seriously hurt.
The driver, a man who was not identified, was detained “pending further investigation,” police said in a statement Sunday evening.
Shiite Muslims hold placards and chant slogans during a protest against the U.S. and show solidarity with Iran in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Activists carrying a photograph of Reza Pahlavi take part in a rally supporting protesters in Iran at Lafayette Park, across from the White House, in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Activists take part in a rally supporting protesters in Iran at Lafayette Park, across from the White House in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Protesters burn the Iranian national flag during a rally in support of the nationwide mass demonstrations in Iran against the government in Paris, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
