For the first time since May 3, 2013, the NBA playoffs will feature four games on a single weeknight. So break out your second screen and get ready for five-plus hours of wall-to-wall postseason action, as we bring you live coverage from Cleveland, Toronto, Oklahoma City and Houston all night long.
Series tied 2-2 | Gamecast
Cavs erase the halftime deficit
The Cavs tie it up 56-56 with 8:51 in the 3rd quarter. Indiana calls timeout. Tristan Thompson bounces off the bench to chest bump every single Cleveland player -- both the guys in the game and the guys out of the game -- before they settle down on the bench to talk to Tyronn Lue.
Ty Lue has been begging the new guys to make an imprint on the series by hustle plays -- deflections, taking a charge, setting a hard screen, diving for a loose ball, anything. Jose Calderon drawing that jump ball with Bogdanovic is exactly that. Iman Shumpert helped the Cavs sweep Indiana in the first round last season by coming into to get a couple of stops on Paul George. What Calderon said after Game 4 about spot contributions was very applicable: "We got to do a better job, everybody, to whoever is out there -- two minutes, one minute, one shot, one rebound -- we just got to try to help. It doesn't matter what you do. It's about the team and we have to realize that."
HALFTIME: Pacers 56, Cavaliers 49
Cavs trail 56-49 at the half to Indiana. LeBron James has 20 points on 9-for-11 shooting. The rest of the Cavs are shooting a combined 10-for-30 (and 3-for-12 for 3). Cleveland has kept Indiana's back court in check -- Victor Oladipo and Darren Collison are a combined 3-for-13 -- but the rest of the Pacers roster are eating Cleveland up, led by Domantas Sabonis (12 points on 4-for-6) and Thaddeus Young (8 points on 4-for-4).
LeBron doing it himself
Cavs trail 25-23 after the first quarter. Good sign for Cleveland: LeBron James is living in the paint, totaling 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting. Bad sign for Cleveland: The rest of the Cavs not named LeBron James are 3-for-15 from the field (including a 1-for-9 mark from 3). Victor Oladipo leads the Pacers with 6 points.
The Cavs were able to sustain LeBron James' rest to begin the 2nd quarter. In the 4:15 he sat, Cleveland outscored Indiana by three.
Another slow start for Cleveland
The Cavs fell down 13-7 early but have made a little indentation here by stringing together some stops. JR Smith has two steals. The Pacers have four turnovers. And now the score reads 15-13 in favor of Indiana.
Back home in his Kingdom
LeBron James has arrived for Game 5
1:04
LeBron James says that many of his teammates can shoot 3s, but he balances that by pressuring the defense in the paint.
How'd we get here?
The Pacers won wire-to-wire in Game 1, and the Cavs did the same in Game 2. The Pacers erased a 17-point deficit to win Game 3. They then erased a 16-point deficit in Game 4, and had the lead midway through the fourth quarter, but Cleveland outscored Indiana 13-7 in the final four minutes to escape with a win to even the series.
What's at stake?
With a win, the Pacers can put the Cavaliers on the brink of elimination heading back to Indiana for Game 6. The Pacers haven't been beyond the first round of the playoffs since 2014, when they lost to James' Miami Heat squad in the Eastern Conference finals.
Impact injuries:
Cavs starting point guard George Hill, who missed Game 4 because of back spasms, has been ruled out for Game 5.
We could see some lineup wrinkles as this series moves on between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers. Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said he could go to rookie Cedi Osman while George Hill (back) is out. Pacers coach Nate McMillan said that Glenn Robinson III could get his number called.
Series tied 2-2 | Gamecast
DeRozan's big night continues
DeMar DeRozan scored 10 points in the third quarter, giving him 30 for the game. Vince Carter, who set a Raptors postseason record with 50 points against the 76ers in 2001, is the only Toronto player to reach the 40-point mark in the playoffs.
HALFTIME: Raptors 48, Wizards 47
DeMar DeRozan leads all scorers with 20 points, more than halfway to his postseason career high of 37 (which he matched earlier in this series). John Wall is flirting with a triple-double, putting up 12 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in the first half.
The Wizards' bigs have been quiet scoring-wise but Washington only trails by one at the half due in part to the Wizards' hustle on the glass. Washington has nine offensive rebounds and has outscored Toronto, 7-0, in second-chance points.
Have Raptors solved turnover problems?
The Raptors have harped on their uncharacteristic turnovers during the series -- particularly in Game 4 -- after ranking 4th in the NBA this season in protecting the ball. They have turned the ball over at a higher rate than any team in the postseason. With 5:19 before halftime, the Raptors have squandered only two possessions. They lead 41-35.
Wall ends first quarter in style
DeRozan starts strong
DeMar DeRozan scored 13 points in the first quarter, but the rest of the Raptors combined for just 10 on 5-for-12 shooting, allowing the Wizards to take a 1-point lead heading into the second quarter. DeRozan has scored at least 35 points in two of the past three games.
Somber mood in Toronto
0:27
Wizards star John Wall says the crowd should be amazing when Washington faces the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night.
There will be a moment of silence and a Toronto Strong banner held on the court before Game 5 for the victims of the deadly van attack that took place in downtown Toronto on Monday.
There's a lot going on in the Toronto sports universe tonight. Besides the Raptors hosting the Wizards for Game 5, the Blue Jays are playing the Red Sox right down the street and Maple Leafs fans gathered downtown to watch the Leafs' Game 7 at Boston tonight as well.
How'd we get here?
The Raptors won their postseason opener for the first time in franchise history, then put up 130 points in a dominating Game 2 win. But when the series shifted to Washington, the Wizards took control, blowing out Toronto in Game 3, then using a dominant fourth quarter in Game 4 to tie the series.
What's at stake?
The Raptors want to avoid being just the fourth top seed to lose to an 8-seed since the first round expanded to seven games. (Of note: The three previous 1-seeds to lose a best-of-seven all lost in six games.) The Wizards are looking to advance to the second round for the second consecutive year, and the fourth time in five years.
Impact injuries:
Second-year guard Fred VanVleet (shoulder contusion), a Sixth Man of the Year candidate, has played only three minutes in this series and will miss Game 5 for the Raptors.
Toronto backup point guard Fred VanVleet will not play tonight. Raptors coach Dwane Casey says the medical team has rendered him not ready to return to the court.
Rockets lead 3-1
How'd we get here?
After Houston took the first two games at home, Minnesota bounced back with a win in Game 3 and trailed by just a point at halftime in Game 4 before a 50-point third quarter pushed the Rockets to a win and left the Timberwolves on the verge of elimination.
What's at stake?
Minnesota is trying to extend its first postseason trip since 2004 for at least another game, and Houston can advance to the second round for the second straight year and third time in four seasons with a win.
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• Tickets on Vivid Seats
Series-defining stat:
The Timberwolves are falling victim to what's becoming known in NBA circles as "the math problem." Minnesota has made only one fewer field goal than Houston in this series (151-150) but is being outscored by 26 points thanks to a huge deficiency at the 3-point line. The Rockets have made 57 3-pointers to only 36 for the Wolves.
Impact injuries:
Ryan Anderson (ankle) returned in Game 3 and has played at least 17 minutes in each of the past two games for the Rockets. Luc Mbah a Moute (shoulder) remains out.
Timberwolves reserve PG Tyus Jones, who did not play Game 4 due to a sore knee, is available for Game 5.
History lesson:
The Rockets have won all seven previous series in which they've taken a 3-1 lead, ending five of those in Game 5, including last year's first-round series against the Thunder. The only other time the Timberwolves faced a 3-1 deficit was in the 2004 Western Conference finals, when they beat the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 to stay alive but lost the series in Game 6.
Tom Thibodeau on the Timberwolves' culture: "It's a work in progress. We're still working at it. It's not something you get in a second. It's what you do every day. Everything matters. It's how you approach everything. We've made great strides, and we still have a lot of strides to make."
Required reading:
Tim MacMahon writes that the Rockets finally found their rhythm in the third quarter of Game 4, and that could be scary for the rest of the NBA.
"That was the game. That was almost certainly the series, with the Rockets
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