Bucks’ Antetokounmpo ruled out of Game 3 against Miami
Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo was ruled out of the third game of the Bucks' NBA playoff series against the Miami Heat on Saturday an hour before tip-off. The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player will miss a second straight game with a lower back contusion, suffering in a bad fall in the opening game of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series. Head coach Mike Budenholzer had indicated Friday that Antetokounmpo might be ready to take the floor, but said in his pre-game remarks to reporters that it's not clear when he will return. "We'll continue to monitor him throughout the day (Sunday) and the next day," Budenholzer said. "It's not always a linear thing. He's not in a position where he can play, so we're going to continue to monitor and work with him and hope for the best." Without Antetokounmpo the Bucks won game two of the series to go into Saturday's game in Miami level at 1-1. Antetokounmpo is just one of the high-profile players with injury concerns in the first round of the playoffs. The Philadelphia 76ers were without another MVP candidate in star center Joel Embiid Saturday but still beat Brooklyn 96-88 to complete their sweep of the Nets. The Clippers were without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in their 112-100 loss to the Phoenix Suns and Memphis's star point guard Ja Morant was questionable for the Grizzlies' game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. The post Bucks’ Antetokounmpo ruled out of Game 3 against Miami appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sixers take 3-0 lead over Nets; Warriors win
The Philadelphia 76ers pushed the Brooklyn Nets to the brink of elimination on Thursday as the Golden State Warriors clawed back in their NBA playoff series against Sacramento with a 114-97 rout of the Kings......»»
Wild win carries 76ers to 3-0 lead over Nets
The Philadelphia 76ers beat Brooklyn 102-97 on Thursday in a rugged clash that featured two ejections and a controversial kick from Joel Embiid and moved the Sixers one win away from a sweep of their NBA first-round playoff series. The 76ers, down by five with 2:15 remaining at Brooklyn's Barclays Center, surged home to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series, the Nets well aware that no NBA team has come back from 3-0 down to win a series. Embiid, Philadelphia's MVP candidate, scored just 14 points but pulled down 10 rebounds and produced a crucial block with eight seconds remaining and Philadelphia up by two. Plenty of pundits will argue he should have been out of the game by then, but Embiid wasn't ejected when he aimed a kick from the floor at Nic Claxton's groin as the Nets player stepped over him in the first quarter. Sixers star James Harden was tossed late in the third quarter after piling his shoulder into Royce O'Neale's body on a drive to the basket. And Brooklyn's Claxton was ejected early in the fourth when he picked up a second technical foul for taunting Embiid. "We stayed together," Embiid said of the key to the hard-fought victory. "We kept playing through everything that was going on." Tyrese Maxey keyed the late surge, scoring 10 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter. His step-back three-pointer with 44.7 seconds left gave the Sixers a 99-96 lead. Spencer Dinwiddie cut the deficit by one with a free throw and looked headed for a game-tying layup when Embiid soared up to reject the shot and the Sixers held on. Mikal Bridges led the Nets with 26 points and Dinwiddie added 20, but Brooklyn are in danger of being swept for the second straight season. Embiid, who went to the locker room briefly in the first quarter and could be seen limping later in the game said that despite their commanding lead the Sixers need to be better in Saturday's game four. "Tonight was probably our worst night," he said. "I wasn't good at all, so I'm going to be better." In other games Thursday, the defending champion Golden State Warriors tried to claw out of a 2-0 hole when they hosted the Sacramento Kings. The Warriors were without star Draymond Green, who was suspended one game after stamping on Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis in game two. The Los Angeles Clippers were without injured Kawhi Leonard as they hosted the Phoenix Suns in game three of their Western Conference series. The teams split the first two games in Phoenix. The post Wild win carries 76ers to 3-0 lead over Nets appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Maxey stars as Sixers take 2-0 lead over Nets
Tyrese Maxey scored 33 points as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 96-84 to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff series on Monday. With Brooklyn double-teaming Sixers star Joel Embiid throughout, it was left to Maxey to do the damage for Philadelphia with a shooting clinic that leaves Doc Rivers' team two wins away from a series victory. Maxey's 33-point haul from 13-of-23 shooting included six from three-point range as Brooklyn finally succumbed after making a bright start that saw them lead by 10 points in the second quarter. But Brooklyn were left ruing their inability to make the most of their first-half dominance against a sluggish-looking Sixers, who nevertheless restricted the Nets to just a five-point advantage as the teams went in for half-time at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center. Philadelphia's adjustments paid dividends in the third and fourth quarters, with the Sixers outscoring Brooklyn 24-14 in the third before wrapping up victory in the fourth. "They did a few different things defensively tonight, but we were prepared," said Maxey, paying tribute to Embiid's decisive contribution despite being closely marked throughout by Brooklyn. "At half-time we figured out what we were going to do. But hats off to Joel -– to be so dominant when you're trapped every single play, and you still make the right basketball play –- that's big-time." Embiid finished with 20 points and 19 rebounds while laying on seven assists as Maxey and Tobias Harris (20 points) shouldered the offensive responsibilities. "He trusts in me, and he trusts in Tobias to make the big shots tonight and that's what we did," Maxey said of Embiid's selfless performance. Cameron Johnson led the Brooklyn scoring with 28 points while Mikal Bridges finished with 21 and Spencer Dinwiddie 12. Game three in the series takes place in Brooklyn on Thursday. The post Maxey stars as Sixers take 2-0 lead over Nets appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Embiid, Harden spark 76ers over Nets in NBA playoff opener
Joel Embiid scored 26 points and James Harden added 23 to lead the Philadelphia 76ers over the Brooklyn Nets 121-101 in an NBA first-round playoff series opener on Saturday. The host Sixers, who led the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage, sank a club playoff record 21 3-pointers in 43 attempts to seize a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference best-of-seven opening series, which continues Monday in Philadelphia. "(That) was a good win for us," Harden said. "We'll be watching film. Game two is going to be the toughest game of the series for us. We'll be ready to go." Also winning an East series opener were the Boston Celtics, who ripped Atlanta 112-99. Embiid, the NBA season-scoring leader with 33.1 points a game, was often double-teamed defensively by the Nets but effectively brought teammates into scoring positions. The Cameroonian 7-footer (2.13m) went 7-of-15 from the floor but was 11-of-11 from the freethrow line and contributed five rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots and a steal. NBA season assists leader Harden, who hit 7-of-13 from 3-point range, made 13 assists. He became the first player in 76ers history with 20 points, 10 assists and five 3-pointers in one contest. He also helped eight Sixers in all to make 3-pointers. "Just finding ways to impact the game possession by possession," said Harden, a former Nets backcourt star. "It's the playoffs. Things don't go the way you want as much as you want them to. You've got to keep pushing, keeping fighting, and I'm happy we got a win." In the times the Nets stifled Embiid, Harden picked them apart with inside moves, skilled shotmaking and precision passing. "I've been doing it for a very, very long time at the highest level so it's pretty easy," Harden said. "As long as I get into the paint and create good shots, I'm doing my job. Most of the time my teammates are making the shots." Philadelphia made a club one-half playoff record of 13 3-pointers on the way to a 67-58 halftime edge. While excited at the triumph, Harden tried to keep a perspective on the first step in a two-month playoff chase for the championship. "Stay even keel," he said. "There are going to be some good moments, some low moments. You win a game. You lose a game. Stay even keel and look at the bigger picture." Brooklyn's Mikal Bridges scored a game-high 30 points, but only seven in the second half. At Boston, Jaylen Brown scored 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Celtics over Atlanta. He played with a wrapping on cut fingers and a protective mask he has had for two months due to a facial fracture. "Got to come out and be ready to go," he said. "My team depends on me. My city depends on me. I don't make no excuses. I come out and play ball." Jayson Tatum added 25 points and 11 rebounds while Derrick White contributed 24 points for Boston, which used a 20-3 second-quarter run to seize a 74-44 half-time lead. Atlanta, led by Dejounte Murray's 24 points, rallied in the second half but could not mount a sustained threat. "Starts on defense," Brown said. "Coming out and being locked in defensively. That's a good young team. We've got to give them respect and come out and play them tight and stay aggressive." Brown wants to avoid second-half fades after building big leads. "That's the journey for us, to stay and keep that mentality locked in throughout the playoffs, 48 minutes throughout the game," he said. "Tonight we waned a little bit but we will pick it up as the playoffs go on." Saturday's other Eastern Conference first-round series opener finds New York at Cleveland while the Western Conference opener sends defending champion Golden State to Sacramento, where the host Kings make their first playoff appearance since 2006. The post Embiid, Harden spark 76ers over Nets in NBA playoff opener appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Jokic, Antetokounmpo, Embiid NBA MVP finalists
Back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets is on track for a third straight MVP award, an accolade that was last achieved by the great Larry Bird (1984-1986). He is joined as MVP finalist by another two-time MVP winner Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers. Jokic finished the regular season as the only player to have averaged at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists on a 60 percent shooting clip throughout the year. The Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is also making a strong case for the MVP award that could land him among the league’s elite – joining Bird, Moses Malone, and Magic Johnson. But Embiid gets to have the inside track, too, for the Michael Jordan Trophy, having an explosive run late in the season. The post Jokic, Antetokounmpo, Embiid NBA MVP finalists appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
No MVP clash: Jokic feasts in Nuggets win as Embiid sits for Sixers
2-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic has his way in the Denver Nuggets' tight win over a Philadelphia 76ers' side that opted to sit out MVP candidate Joel Embiid.....»»
Doncic, Irving finally click
Luka Doncic scored 42 points and Kyrie Irving added 40 as the Dallas Mavericks thwarted the Philadelphia 76ers’ late comeback bid Thursday in a wild 133-126 NBA victory......»»
Lillard wins NBA three-point title; Unheralded McClung is dunk king
SALT LAKE CITY (AFP) — Portland’s Damian Lillard won the Three-Point Contest and unheralded Mac McClung captured the Slam Dunk Contest crown on Saturday, Feb. 18, at NBA All-Star Game weekend festivities. Mac McClung of the Philadelphia 76ers dunks the ball during the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest as part of ........»»
LeBron hits 38,000 barrier
Joel Embiid scored 35 points with 11 rebounds, James Harden added 24 points with 13 assists and the Philadelphia 76ers made it consecutive wins to open a five-game road trip by earning a 113-112 victory Sunday over the Los Angeles Lakers......»»
Powell to return for Bay Area?
Former Philadelphia 76ers guard Myles Powell may be reactivated to return to the Bay Area Dragons lineup for the game against Rain or Shine in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo tomorrow......»»
Harden, Embiid tapos na kapaan
MAY paglalagyan ang ibang teams sa Eastern Conference kung full force ang Philadelphia 76ers sa susunod na season. The post Harden, Embiid tapos na kapaan first appeared on Abante......»»
Harden hiking pakondisyon
HINDI naging maganda ang nakaraang NBA season para sa 76ers star na si James Harden dahil sa kanyang inindang hamstring injury. The post Harden hiking pakondisyon first appeared on Abante......»»
Sixers& rsquo; Embiid agrees to 4-year $196-million contract extension
Los Angeles---The Philadelphia 76ers have agreed to a multi-million dollar contract extension with Joel Embiid, locking up their all-star centre through the 2026-27 NBA season......»»
Danny Green agrees to two years and $20 million with the 76ers
Free agent guard Danny Green He agreed to a two-year, $20 million contract to stay with the Philadelphia 76ers, his agent, Raymond Brothers of Roc.....»»
Hawks upset top seeded Sixers, Booker pours in 40 points in Suns win
Kevin Huerter scored a playoff career-high 27 points as the upstart Atlanta Hawks punched their ticket to their first Eastern Conference finals in six years on Sunday, with a 103-96 game seven win over the Philadelphia 76ers......»»
Sixers outlast Hawks, force Game 7 in NBA Eastern semis
LOS ANGELES – Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers played with more urgency on Friday, using a collective offensive effort to come from behind and force a game seven in their second-round NBA playoff series. Tobias Harris and Seth Curry each scored 24 points and Embiid tallied 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the […] The post Sixers outlast Hawks, force Game 7 in NBA Eastern semis appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Hawks, Clippers score against-the-odds wins over top-seeded rivals
LOS ANGELES (AFP) – The top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz were left on the brink of elimination from the NBA playoffs on Wednesday as the Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Clippers notched against-the-odds victories on the road. In Philadelphia, Trae Young scored 39 points as Atlanta overturned a 26-point second-half deficit to lead the […].....»»
NBA Conference Semifinals: Phoenix ibinaon ang Denver, 3-0; Philadelphia umabante kontra Atlanta, 2-1
Kapwa kumbinsidong panalo ang sinungkit ng Phoenix Suns at Philadelphia 76ers sa magkahiwalay nilang laban sa Conference Seminals ng NBA playoffs. Tinalo ng bumisitang Suns ang Denver Nuggets, 116 – 102, para makuha ang 3-0 bentahe sa kanilang serye. Pinagsamang 55 puntos ng ginawa nina Chris Paul at Devin Booker para pangunahan ang Phoenix. Kumamada […] The post NBA Conference Semifinals: Phoenix ibinaon ang Denver, 3-0; Philadelphia umabante kontra Atlanta, 2-1 appeared first on Bandera......»»
Sixers, Hawks, Jazz advance; Mavs win
Los Angeles—The Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz powered into the conference semi-finals of the NBA playoffs on Wednesday as an electrifying display from Luka Doncic took the Dallas Mavericks to the brink of a series victory......»»