NEW YORK -- Jalen Brunson's historic scoring run is marching onward with a new opponent feeling his wrath.

Brunson had yet another brilliant fourth quarter Monday, with relentless basket attacks and masterful shot creating leading to 21 of his 43 points as the New York Knicks clawed out a 121-117 Game 1 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Reminiscent of his late-game flourishes in the previous round against the Philadelphia 76ers, Brunson now has 40 points in four straight playoff games. Added to his six assists, he became the first player in NBA history to have a run of four consecutive 40-point, 5-assist playoff games.

"The little things can go a long way," Brunson said. "So yeah, the 40 points are cool and all, but it's the little things that help us win games like that. So I'm just happy I have the group of guys that I do. I just know that we're going to fight every single day. That's all I'm thinking about."

Brunson has scored or assisted on 321 points in his past five games, the second most over a five-game span in NBA postseason history. He trails only Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic from last year (329 over five playoff games).

The final assist in Game 1 was the biggest. Just as he did in the last two victories over the 76ers, Brunson took advantage of defenders rushing at him to fire a laser to Donte DiVincenzo. His former Villanova teammate nailed a 3-pointer to break a 115-115 tie with 40 seconds left and provide the separation the Knicks rode to victory.

DiVincenzo scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half, making 8 of 10 shots.

But it was also a controversial moment. The Knicks retained that possession after Pacers guard Aaron Nesmith was called for a kicked ball when he deflected a Brunson pass in what looked like a steal and fast-break opportunity for the Pacers.

The ball hit Nesmith's hand, but his foot was also outstretched and referees ruled he'd kicked the ball, triggering a violation. The Pacers had a challenge available but such plays are not reviewable.

After the game, referees admitted they had missed the call.

"On the floor we felt that would be a kicked ball violation. Postgame review did show that it hit the defender's hand, which would be legal," crew chief Zach Zarba said in a pool report.

Then with 12.7 seconds left and the Pacers down a point with the ball, center Myles Turner was called for a moving screen on DiVincenzo as he tried to free point guard Tyrese Haliburton. It was a close play and the Pacers challenged the call, but it was upheld on review.

"We're not expecting to get calls in here," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "It would be nice if they laid off that one, but they didn't. So that's just the way it goes."

Turner, who led with Pacers with 23 points in the loss, credited DiVincenzo for selling the foul. Like his coach, he also took the high road after the bitter defeat.

"Just in my experience in this league, I think it's best when players decide the outcome of the game," Turner said. "For the most part you can't leave the game to be decided by the refs, so we have to take accountability as well."

The Pacers lamented putting Brunson on the line 14 times, he made them all, and allowing DiVincenzo and Josh Hart, who had 24 points, to be such offensive factors. The Knicks shot 65% in the second half.

Hart played all 48 minutes for the third time this postseason, the most since Jimmy Butler did it five times in the 2013 playoffs.

Haliburton, who has been bothered by back spasms and was listed as questionable coming into the game, scored just six points and only took one shot inside the 3-point line. Brunson dominated that matchup of star point guards to a degree that was hard for the Pacers to overcome.

Brunson is averaging 12.4 points per game in the fourth quarter over the past five games. He made 6 of 10 shots and was 8-of-8 from the line down the stretch as he delivered time and again under pressure.

"You could go on and on every night, and the thing I love about him is he's all about the team," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. "All he cares about is winning, and he cares about his teammates, and I think when that happens, he's, in the end, what do we need? Do we need a big bucket? Whatever it is we need, he'll provide."

DENVER -- Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns powered Minnesota's 106-80 blitz of the Denver Nuggets on Monday night that gave the Timberwolves a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals over the reigning but reeling NBA champions.

Towns and Edwards both scored 27 points as the Wolves improved to 6-0 in the playoffs and gave themselves a chance to close out the fuming Nuggets with wins Friday night and Sunday in Minneapolis.

So dominant were the Wolves that they had the Nuggets throwing both fits (Michael Malone) and objects onto the court (Jamal Murray).

Aaron Gordon led Denver with 20 points, and Nikola Jokic put up 16 points and 16 rebounds, but their third-leading scorer was sub Justin Holiday with 13 points. Murray scored eight points on 3-of-18 shooting.

The Wolves staggered the Nuggets with body blow after body blow even though their starting center Rudy Gobert was back home in Minneapolis attending the birth of his son on Sunday. But the Wolves didn't need Gobert's shot-blocking prowess and rim protection on this night to continue their domination of the Nuggets at Ball Arena, where Denver was 36-8 before their back-to-back losses to Minnesota.

Kyle Anderson replaced Gobert in the starting lineup, and the Timberwolves hounded Jokic and disrupted Denver's offense just the same.

During a 43-18 first-half flourish by Minnesota -- Edwards was on the bench for much of it, no less -- the Nuggets grew so frustrated that Malone ran way out onto the court and got in official Marc Davis' face for an extended blowup during a timeout and somehow avoided being assessed a technical foul.

Murray, Denver's ailing point guard, threw a heat pack onto the court in frustration as Towns was about to score on a layup in the second quarter. It wasn't clear if the officials realized it was Murray who threw the object onto the court and not a fan. He will likely face punishment from the league, however.

Perturbed by their slow starts -- the Nuggets have trailed by double digits in six of their seven playoff games and by nine in the other -- Malone challenged his team to get off to a strong start for once.

"What are we waiting for?" he pleaded after Sunday's practice.

Only Aaron Gordon heeded his coach's call, scoring 13 quick points, including a 3-pointer that brought the Nuggets to 18-17 late in the first quarter.

Things unraveled for Denver after that because Jokic was the only other starter to score for the Nuggets before the second quarter. Jokic had just eight points by halftime and Murray, still bothered by a strained left calf, scored just two first-half points for the duo's worst offensive output in a half this season.

Trailing 61-35 at the break, the Nuggets' 26-point halftime deficit was Denver's largest in a home playoff game in franchise history.

The Wolves led 82-60 after three quarters and cruised the rest of the way.

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers placed another one of their high-leverage relievers on the injured list Monday, when Joe Kelly went down with what the team described as a posterior strain in his right, throwing shoulder.

Kelly, whose IL placement was the corresponding move for activating Walker Buehler ahead of his start against the Miami Marlins, joins fellow late-game relievers Ryan Brasier and Evan Phillips on the shelf, all of whom have suffered their injuries over the past six days.

Brasier (calf strain), Phillips (hamstring strain) and Kelly have accounted for more than a quarter of the Dodgers' bullpen innings this season. Brusdar Graterol, one of the Dodgers' primary setup men last year, has yet to make his 2024 debut while recovering from shoulder inflammation, but Blake Treinen returned from a prolonged absence on Sunday.

Kelly, 35, has a 4.73 ERA in 15 appearances this season and was last used to record the final out of the seventh inning in Sunday's win over the Atlanta Braves.

LOS ANGELES -- Walker Buehler went four innings and struck out four Monday night for the Los Angeles Dodgers against Miami, his first major league start in nearly two years.

The right-hander allowed three runs and six hits. He threw 77 pitches, including 49 strikes. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game that Buehler's pitch count would be anywhere from 80 to 85.

Buehler did not factor in the decision, but did depart with the Dodgers holding a 6-3 lead on the strength of four home runs, including Shohei Ohtani's fourth in three games.

It was Buehler's first start since since June 10, 2022, at San Francisco The 29-year-old two-time All-Star had his second Tommy John surgery on Aug. 23 that year. The first reconstructive surgery on his right elbow was in 2015 shortly after he was drafted in the first round by the Dodgers.

Buehler was 0-2 with a 4.15 ERA in six minor league starts this season, mostly with Triple-A Oklahoma City. He had 21 strikeouts and nine walks in 21 innings.

"For Walker to still stay focused on getting ready and seeing the light on the end of the tunnel, I'm proud that he could navigate that. It's hard, especially the second time around," Roberts said of Buehler's comeback. "The compete is still in there. I know it has been caged up for quite a while."

Buehler allowed four hits his first time through the order, including RBI singles by Bryan De La Cruz and Jesus Sanchez in the first and Nick Gordon's solo homer in the second, but only one his second time around.

Buehler threw 13 pitches of 96 mph or more, including a 97.6 mph fastball that leadoff hitter Jazz Chisholm Jr. fouled off in the first inning.

Roberts tried to ramp down expectations about Buehler's velocity before the game, instead turning the focus to his fastball command.

"I do expect command at some point. That will allow him to do different things," Roberts said. "If he doesn't command it, then you are sort of trying to mix and match and trick guys. I still think he's going to be a very good pitcher. He has weapons to get right and left-handers out and he has to use them."

Buehler appeared anxious during his warmup pitches before facing Chisholm.

The nerves didn't subside when the Marlins' center fielder fouled off four straight pitches and got aboard with an infield single inside the third-base line on the ninth pitch of the at-bat with the infield shifted to the right.

Chisholm stole second and scored on De La Cruz's base hit to right-center. Buehler retired the next two batters, but De La Cruz scored on Jesús Sánchez's single to right. Buehler got out of the inning when Tim Anderson was called out on batter interference when Sánchez tried to steal second.

After the Dodgers scored three in the bottom of the first, Gordon tied it with a solo shot just over the right-field wall on a full-count cutter from Buehler that was slightly elevated.

Buehler settled down after that and allowed only two more hits. He put two more Marlins aboard after a throwing error and a hit batter, but prevented any damage.

Buehler threw 25 pitches, with 17 being strikes, in the first. He was at 48 pitches after two innings.

Roberts and the Dodgers are hoping Buehler can return to a semblance of his past form. They're not focused on his potential role in the playoffs right now.

"It's about him being good in the regular season. Once we get to October, we'll figure that out," Roberts said.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Anaheim Ducks goaltending coach Sudarshan Maharaj has been declared cancer-free one year after his diagnosis.

The Ducks announced the news Monday that Maharaj -- better known as "Sudsie" -- is free of pancreatic cancer.

The team said Maharaj faced low odds of survival but persevered through 11 rounds of chemotherapy and major surgery to remove his gallbladder and parts of his pancreas, small intestine and stomach.

The 59-year-old Maharaj received treatment in Toronto, and he triumphantly rang the bell at a party last weekend to celebrate.

Maharaj thanked Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli, team president Aaron Teats, general manager Pat Verbeek and the entire organization for standing by him during his treatment. Maharaj joined the Anaheim organization in 2013, and he moved up to the Ducks' NHL coaching staff in 2016.

"It's been an emotional year for my family and me, culminating with the incredible news that I am cancer-free," Maharaj said. "The support I received from around the league is beyond words. The hockey world is an incredible place."

Maharaj was raised in Toronto, and he played professional hockey in Sweden before becoming a coach. He joined the Ducks after eight years of working for the New York Islanders organization.

Mike Stothers, another Ducks assistant coach, is also responding well to treatment for advanced melanoma after his diagnosis last year, the Ducks said. After serving two years on former Ducks coach Dallas Eakins' staff, Stothers is now a special adviser to the coaches running the Ducks and their AHL affiliate in San Diego.

Los Angeles Kings general manager Rob Blake said that the team will not buy out the contract of maligned star center Pierre-Luc Dubois, who struggled in his first season with the team.

The Kings acquired Dubois from the Winnipeg Jets in a blockbuster trade last June. Los Angeles sent forwards Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari and Gabriel Vilardi and a 2024 second-round pick for Dubois, who was signed to an 8-year, $68 million contract ($8.5 million average annual value) that kicked in this season.

Dubois, 25, had 40 points in 82 games for the Kings, a 23-point drop in production. Dubois had one goal and 20 penalty minutes in five playoff games against the Edmonton Oilers, who eliminated the Kings in the first round for the third straight season.

While speculation around the league was that the Kings might explore a buyout with Dubois, the team's general manager shut that down.

"We need to make him better," Blake said Monday, while also confirming that he'll remain the general manager for the Kings. "He's had a consistent performance over his career so far and deviated from that this year. It's up to us to help him become more productive to us."

"It's out of my control," Debois said of a contract buyout or trade this summer during Kings players' final media availability last week. "I can only control what I can control."

Dubois put the blame on himself for his first-year flop in Los Angeles.

"If play like I can play, we're not having these questions right now. I take the blame. I take responsibility. It's on me," he said. "I'm committed to having a better season. I'll do anything to be better."

Dubois said it was a challenging transition going from Winnipeg to Los Angeles, and from playing in a more defensive system to having his average ice time (15:42) drop by nearly three minutes per game over last season (18:27). "When you show up to a new team, there's a lot of new roles and new systems. I played on a lot of lines this year. I think any player at the end of the day wants consistency, knowing who you're going out there with," Dubois said.

Los Angeles is the third NHL team for Dubois, who was drafted third overall in 2016 by the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets traded him in January 2021 to the Jets for winger Patrik Laine. In seven NHL seasons, Dubois has 342 points in 516 games.

"I'm not panicking. I'm not stressed. Was it frustrating? Sure. But [my game] is not lost. I just got to get back to it, and that's on me," he said.

Michael Olise scored a brace of goals as Crystal Palace completed a league double over Manchester United for the first time in their history with a thumping 4-0 victory at Selhurst Park on Monday that will add to the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag.

A makeshift United defence that included Casemiro at centre-back was easily picked apart by Palace on several occasions as Jean-Philippe Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell joined the scoresheet in the impressive win.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

United remain in eighth place with 54 points from 35 games, two points behind Newcastle United in sixth, with their hopes of European football next season fading fast. Palace are still in 14th with 43 points from 36 matches.

United had several injury absentees and were without Bruno Fernandes, the first time in his 230-game Old Trafford career he has missed a match with injury, but the ease with which they were beaten will be a huge concern for everyone at the club.

"A big disappointment. We just had an off-day and we weren't in it," midfielder Christian Eriksen told the BBC. "It is what it is. We can't really change the injury things. We have to do what we can on the pitch to change it.

"Today it didn't matter who we played. Everyone could have done better. We tried to do what we could but we were not good enough. We'll take the blame as players."

It is the first time in the Premier League era United have lost 13 games in a season, and the scoreline might have been worse.

Palace have found their groove under new manager Oliver Glasner, but United are limping to the end of a season that cannot finish soon enough for Ten Hag.

The home side took the lead inside 12 minutes, and it was far too easy. Olise collected a throw and evaded a limp challenge from Casemiro, and with no United player attempting to close him down, was able to unleash a low shot from just inside the box.

United had the ball in the back of the net from Casemiro's header, but the effort was ruled out after contact from Rasmus Højlund on Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

It was 2-0 to the home side five minutes before the break as Mateta breezed past United defender Jonny Evans and thrashed the ball into the net for a ninth goal in 11 games since the arrival of Glasner in February.

The striker had scored 11 goals in his previous 80 games for Palace.

United's defence was struggling to contain the movement of their hosts, and when Diogo Dalot failed to deal with a ball to the back post, Mitchell had a tap-in with home players queuing up to score.

Olise's second goal added more salt to the wound and it could have been worse for the visitors as Odsonne Édouard saw his shot come back off the woodwork late on.

"I think we could have got a few more. That shows the potential we have to play against any team in the league," Palace defender Chris Richards said.

Eric ten Hag vowed to keep fighting as Manchester United manager, but said his players did not follow the "plan and script" in their 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Monday.

It was United's 13th Premier League defeat this season, their worst ever return. The defeat leaves them in eighth, out of the qualification spots for Europe, and the alarming manner of the defeat only served to increase the pressure on Ten Hag, who said this defeat was lowest point of the season.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

United were without new absentees Bruno Fernandes, Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire for the trip to Selhurst Park, leaving them with a makeshift centre-back combination of Casemiro and Jonny Evans. And Palace pulled them apart, with Michael Olise scoring two brilliant goals in either half, Jean-Philippe Mateta slotting home a brilliant effort and Tyrick Mitchell also tapping home.

When asked on Sky Sports post-match if he was the right man for the job, Ten Hag replied: "Absolutely. The right players are there. We have a good squad."

He added: "I will keep fighting. I prepared the team in the best way I could do. It was not good enough, it was by far not good enough. I have to take the responsibility for that. But I will find energy and I will prepare them for Sunday's game."

But Ten Hag did admit this defeat was a bitter blow. When asked if this was the lowest point of the season so far, he answered: "Yes. It was very poor how we give the goals away, especially when we prepare the team and the conceding of the first goal is very disappointing. How easy and the easy giveaways.

"That shouldn't happen and certainly not in the circumstances we are in because we have problems but then we have to help each other out."

They were forced to field a makeshift defence, with Ten Hag admitting Evans "wasn't ready for the game" as he made his comeback from injury. But he was left disheartened by the manner of defeat to Palace, where United were comprehensively outplayed.

"It is very disappointing. Under-performing. Definitely the worst defeat," Ten Hag said. "We should have done better. We are aware as a team performance, we were not correct, making big mistakes and not following the plan and the script. And the rules we have. Of course also individual mistakes, but then we should cover each other which we didn't do. We let each other down and then you get a worst defeat."

He added: "This was the fourth defeat in 2024, so far, you have always seen a team that was following a script, we had a lot of wins and hard to beat, and today we weren't hard to beat. Yes I am sure they had the right intention, they were eager from the start, but once we were playing we didn't perform, individuals didn't perform and as a team, we didn't perform."

Ten Hag also said he wished the players had shown the same passion as the travelling support.

"The fans were magnificent," he said. "They were behind the team -- they see the problems we have and I am happy with their support and we should've had taken their fighting spirit into the pitch."

For Crystal Palace, this victory continues their superb run under Oliver Glasner, with the team winning four of their last five top-flight matches.

"Congrats to the team for this win and for the 4-0 at home to Man United," Glasner said on Sky Sports. "I think the first half, we didn't really play well as we could, so it was not that consistent. The defence opened the middle too often and they could find the pockets and we had a little bit of problems, but we were very efficient, so we scored a very nice goals.

"Then, at half-time, we made two or adaptions and the players listened again and in the second half, we were much better and were in much more control of the game. We created a lot of chances, we scored nice goals, but we were a little bit more consistent in our basics and so, it's a great win and congrats to the team."

LONDON -- This is descending into the worst season Manchester United have ever had in the Premier League. And Crystal Palace helped nudge them down that dismal path as they swiped aside Erik ten Hag's side with a completely dominant 4-0 win at Selhurst Park on Monday.

The hosts exploited their injury-hit opponents, pulled apart their new-look combinations and at times toyed with them like a cat playing with a piece of string. They comfortably defeated Ten Hag's beleaguered side thanks to a performance of wonderful attacking ruthlessness spearheaded by their brilliant trio up front of Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Ten Hag has been battling an ever-growing injury list at United this season, and had Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay all adding to the absent contingent in the buildup to this trip to South London. Their absences meant Casemiro and Jonny Evans became the 14th different centre-back combination fielded by Ten Hag this season as he looked to paper over the cracks.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

But Evans and Casemiro looked lost and were no match for the movement and genius of their confident, creative opponents. Olise finished with two -- Palace's first and fourth -- and could've had more. Mateta scored a brilliant first-half goal, and Tyrick Mitchell grabbed another in the second half.

The postmortem will be brutal from a Manchester United perspective. If ever they watch back footage from referee Jarred Gillet's "Ref-Cam," then it'll provide a neat alternative to the "Blair Witch Project." It's difficult to pinpoint one area where they fell apart -- it was a comprehensive capitulation. And few struggled more than the vastly experienced Casemiro, who had an awful match. He was completely at sea for Palace's opener through Olise, and then guilty of getting caught on the ball for the second and fourth goals.

But his struggles just fitted into what felt like a moment: an embarrassment that could hasten action at the end of the season from United's new minority owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe. This was surely the nadir of a poor campaign. There's long-standing uncertainty over Ten Hag's future at the club -- no forthcoming backing from the new chiefs -- and while United still have an FA Cup final to look forward to, this was a brutal reality check.

It was United's 13th defeat in the Premier League this season, bringing up a new unwanted club record, surpassing the 12 losses they conceded in the 2013-14 and 2021-22 campaigns. And following a weekend where both Newcastle United and Chelsea won convincingly, this defeat sees them remain in eighth -- which would be their worst finish in the Premier League era. On the flip side, this win marked the first time Palace have done the league double over Manchester United after they won 1-0 in the reverse fixture back in September. The Eagles are soaring.

"This was the fourth defeat in 2024, so far," said Ten Hag after the match. "You have always seen a team that was following a script, we had a lot of wins and were hard to beat, and today we weren't hard to beat.

"It's very disappointing, the worst defeat, they should've done better. It was not correct, making big mistakes, not following the plan and script and the moves we have. We can make mistakes, but we didn't cover each other and it was a bad defeat."

But the worrying thing for United? This defeat could and should have been heavier. Olise scored a brilliant opener in the 12th minute as he danced past a reckless Casemiro to run at the heart of the United defence and then finished brilliantly past André Onana.

Palace added a wonderful second in the 40th minute as United managed to get themselves into a midfield tangle and lost the ball through Casemiro.

It left United scrambling, and all that was needed to unlock their defence was a neat pass from Chris Richards to Mateta, who comfortably darted past Evans and hammered it past a marooned Onana. Palace had further first-half chances, with the best perhaps Olise's in the 27th minute as he pounced on a wavering Kobbie Mainoo and ran through clean on goal, only to get the ball tangled in an outstretched Onana.

United came out early for the second half, looking bewildered as they watched back the first-half highlights on the stadium's TV screen while waiting for Palace. Perhaps Ten Hag's half-time team talk would bring about some fight. But any hope of a second-half resurgence was quickly halted. Palace were prodding away, with Eze firing wide after a wonderful one-two with Olise, but they got their just reward with a third when Joachim Andersen outmuscled Diogo Dalot and gave Mitchell the chance to tap home their third.

And then came Olise's second and Palace's fourth. Casemiro -- again -- was at fault as he was caught by Daniel Muñoz on the flank. His inside ball found Olise, who took a couple of touches and then fired past Onana. Palace nearly had a fifth, with Odsonne Édouard striking Onana's right post with a brilliant effort in injury time. The old ground shook -- fans pinching their eyes at Palace securing their fourth win in five under manager Oliver Glasner, who triggered this renaissance when he took charge back in February.

Palace made just one change from their last runout, while United's two changes saw Mason Mount start a league match for the first time since October. They had only one outfield player aged over 21 on the bench (Sofyan Amrabat), compared to the experience at Palace's disposal among their replacements who included Marc Guehi and other club stalwarts like Jordan Ayew and Jeffrey Schlupp.

United did have the ball in the net twice. Casemiro had an effort (perhaps harshly) ruled out in the first half as Rasmus Højlund was deemed to have fouled goalkeeper Dean Henderson as he sought to keep out a looping header from the Brazilian, and the makeshift centre-back then had a second-half effort chalked off for an offside. But their end return of just two shots on goal showed their profligacy. And despite the inclusion of both Casemiro and Evans at the heart of United's defence, it proved to be completely futile. They lacked any resistance and shape, the balance all wrong with players charging out of position. And from there, their foundations collapsed, failing to find any coherence or understanding.

For Palace -- there's an air of excitement and optimism here. This team played brilliantly -- the midfield duo of Adam Wharton and Will Hughes controlling the match, and that Glasner brought on an extra striker in Édouard in the second half to go even more attacking despite being three goals up at the time showed their intents here (and their bloodlust). They're moving in an exciting direction but will need to fend off plenty of admirers for their wonderful talents this summer.

But for United, they have to pick themselves off the canvas before the knockout count and find a way to haul themselves back into the mix for a European spot. They have Arsenal and Newcastle at Old Trafford to come and Brighton & Hove Albion away on the last day, but unless they get some of the injured contingent back, and regain some form and confidence, then they are risking the ignominy of this being their worst ever Premier League season, and with that, the pressure on Ten Hag will only increase.