Canadians are playing big roles in the NBA playoffs

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Though the country's best basketball star and a good role player were eliminated last week when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort's Oklahoma City Thunder lost their play-in game at Minnesota, six Canadians are still alive in the NBA playoffs. Here's a look at them, with a focus on the four playing the biggest roles:

Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets)

After having his past two seasons ruined by a devastating knee injury, the 26-year-old guard made an emphatic return to the playoffs on Sunday night. Murray scored a game-high 24 points and dished out eight assists as top-seeded Denver routed Minnesota, 109-80, in their Western Conference series opener.

This was Murray's first post-season appearance since his breakout performance in the 2020 bubble, where he had a pair of 50-point games and two others with at least 40 to help Denver reach the final four. With Murray looking healthy and incomparable big man Nikola Jokic in the running for his third consecutive MVP award, the Nuggets could go all the way this year.

Among the Timberwolves standing in Murray and Jokic's way is Canada's Nickeil Alexander-Walker. He was promoted to the starting lineup for Friday's play-in game vs. Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder and responded with 12 points and six assists to help eliminate his cousin. Alexander-Walker also started Game 1 vs. Denver and had seven points.

Andrew Wiggins (Golden State Warriors)

Remarkably talented, admirably unselfish but somewhat diffident, Wiggins was miscast as a franchise player by Minnesota after he went No. 1 overall in the 2014 draft. The more savvy