Heat oust depleted Bucks to reach NBA East finals; Lakers down Rockets, up 2-1
Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat drives to the basket against the Milwaukee Bucks during Game Five of the Eastern Conference semifinals of the NBA Playoffs on September 8, 2020 at The Field House in Orlando, Florida. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images/AFP) MIAMI (AFP) — The Miami Heat punched their ticket to the NBA Eastern Conference finals Tuesday, beating top-seeded Milwaukee 103-94 as injured Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo watched from the bench. Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic finished with 17 points apiece as six Heat players scored in double figures and Miami completed a 4-1 series victory in a bruising encounter against the league’s top defensive team. Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 23 points. Antetokounmpo — tipped to scoop a second straight NBA Most Valuable Player award this season — aggravated his sprained right ankle in the first half of the Bucks’ game-four overtime victory over the Heat. The Bucks declared him inactive less than an hour before tipoff on Tuesday. The loss of Antetokounmpo, who averaged career highs of 29.5 points and 13.6 rebounds per game this season, was a huge blow for the Bucks, as they tried to do what no NBA team has done before: come back from an 0-3 deficit to win a seven-game playoff series. It’s the second straight campaign that the Bucks built the best regular-season record only to come up short in the playoffs. In 2019 they fell to the eventual champion Toronto Raptors in six games in the Eastern Conference finals. The fifth-seeded Heat will face either the Boston Celtics or Toronto Raptors for a place in the NBA Finals. The Celtics lead their series against the defending NBA champion Raptors three games to two. Butler, who added 10 rebounds and six assists and was a perfect eight-for-eight from the foul line, said the Heat’s impressive 8-1 record so far in the playoffs means nothing now. “All of that is behind us now,” he said. “We’ll wait and see who we get out of Toronto and Boston and then we’ll lock in on that. “But it’s zero-zero now, we’ve got eight more to get.” The Heat trailed 28-19 after a chaotic first quarter in which they committed six turnovers leading to nine Bucks points. They trailed by as many as 13 in the first period, but settled down in the second, out-scoring the Bucks 33-18 to take a 52-46 lead into halftime. But Milwaukee, with Middleton leading the way, refused to go away. After going scoreless for more than six minutes in the third period the Bucks put together an 8-0 run to pull within five points. Trailing 73-65 going into the final period, the Bucks trimmed the deficit to four multiple times, but the Heat’s depth finally proved too much. “Obviously they missed their MVP,” Butler said. “But we knew we were going to have to get one out of the mud and I think this was the one.” Antetokounmpo said he felt “lost” as he was unable to contribute. “Mentally it was a battle, but at the end of the day you’ve got to trust your teammates and that’s what I decided to do,” he said after the Bucks medical staff persuaded him not to risk further injury by playing. LeBron leads Lakers LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers, left, drives the ball against Ben McLemore #16 of the Houston Rockets during the second quarter in Game Three of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 08, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (AFP) In Western Conference action, LeBron James scored 36 points and Anthony Davis added 26 as the Los Angeles Lakers powered to the finish in a 112-102 victory over the Houston Rockets. The Lakers grabbed a 2-1 series lead and James notched an NBA record 162nd career playoff win. “It says that I’ve played with a lot of great teams,” said James, who won two NBA titles with the Miami Heat and one with the Cleveland Cavaliers. “It says that I’ve played with a lot of great teammates and some great coaches.” James Harden scored 33 points with nine rebounds and nine assists and Russell Westbrook added 30 points for Houston in a back and forth battle that saw 16 lead changes. The Lakers’ reserves scored 42 points, with Houston’s only points off the bench the 16 of Jeff Green. Rajon Rondo, who scored 21 off the bench for Los Angeles, hit back-to-back three-pointers and came up with a steal and layup as the Lakers surged ahead with a 17-5 scoring run to start the fourth quarter. After putting up 64 points in the first half Houston scored just 38 in the second and the Lakers posted their second straight win of the series. There was a frightening moment in the fourth quarter, as Robert Covington and Davis collided as Davis rose for a rebound. Davis’s elbow appeared to hit Covington in head and he left the court holding a bloodied towel to his face, while Davis was hurting from Covington’s elbow in his side......»»
Heat oust depleted Bucks to reach NBA East finals
The Miami Heat punched their ticket to the NBA Eastern Conference finals Tuesday, beating top-seeded Milwaukee, 103-94, as injured Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo watched from the bench. Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic scored 17 points apiece as six Heat players scored in double figures and Miami completed a 4-1 series victory in a bruising encounter […] The post Heat oust depleted Bucks to reach NBA East finals appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Heat oust Bucks to reach NBA East finals
Miami---The Miami Heat punched their ticket to the NBA Eastern Conference finals Tuesday, beating top-seeded Milwaukee 103-94 as injured Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo watched from the bench......»»
2020 NBA Champion doesn t deserve dreaded 'asterisk'
Take your asterisk and file it somewhere else. For former NBA champion Glen Rice, the winner of the 2020 NBA title will be a deserving one. It certainly shouldn't be subject to to any asterisks even as the NBA season was postponed for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If anything, the season delay and the fact that NBA teams had to be subjected inside the bubble for the duration of the playoffs plus an additional eight seeding games makes this year's champion all the more celebrated. "When you have what's going on around everyone, trying to maintain a safe lifestyle in the bubble, at the same time staying aware of what's going on outside the bubble and the nuances that can go as far as COVID creeping in there, if you can get champion out everything that's going on that's really easy to distract you from basketball, I think that's a huge plus for these guys," Rice said in an interview set up by NBA Philippines. "That just goes to show you how determined and focused they were," he added. The 2020 NBA Champion will be one of the few crowned during a season where teams played less than then 82 regular season games. The 2012 Miami Heat and 1999 San Antonio Spurs won their respective titles during lockout-shortened seasons. Still, those teams don't deserve asterisks shouldn't they? Do the 2019 Raptors deserve an asterisk because Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson were injured in the last two games of the Finals? Do the mid-1990s Houston Rockets deserve an asterisk because Michael Jordan chose to play baseball? Each NBA champion will be unique in their own way, Rice says there should be no reason why the 2020 NBA winner should be looked at any differently just because of the current world circumstances. "I think you will see a lot of people saying something different, perhaps having that asterisk. But I think more importantly, people need to realize is that this is different and I'm talking about in a positive way," he said. "This is something that we've never seen in sports. To crown a champion in this environment right now, I think that says a lot about the players and coaches who go out there and do what they gotta do," Rice added. The 2020 NBA playoffs tip off Monday (Tuesday in Manila) with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers leading the East and West, respectively. The Bucks open round 1 against the Orlando Magic while the Lakers battle the Portland Trail Blazers. Defending champion Toronto Raptors take on the Brooklyn Nets while the Boston Celtics meet the Philadelphia 76ers. The Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat complete the East bracket. In the Western Conference, the no. 2 Los Angeles Clippers open things up against the Dallas Mavericks. The Denver Nuggets take on division rival Utah Jazz while the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder duke it out in a best-of-7. — Follow this writer on Twitter, @paullintag8.....»»
Sixers sweep Nets to advance, Suns on brink as Heat burn Bucks
The Philadelphia 76ers shrugged off the absence of Joel Embiid to complete a 4-0 sweep of the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA playoffs on Saturday as the Phoenix Suns edged closer to a second-round berth by beating the Los Angeles Clippers. The Sixers advanced to an Eastern Conference semi-final showdown against either Boston or Atlanta with a dominant second-half display to seal a 96-88 victory in Brooklyn. Elsewhere in the East, the Miami Heat thrashed the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks 121-99 to edge ahead of the top seeds 2-1 in their best-of-seven series. In Brooklyn, the Sixers trailed by 11 points early in the third quarter but transformed the contest with an 18-4 run to take the lead before closing out victory with a fourth-quarter rally. The Sixers' win was all the more impressive given the absence of star center Embiid, who suffered a right knee sprain in Thursday's 102-97 victory in game three. Embiid led the NBA with 33.1 points a game and is a finalist for the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Paul Reed stepped in to fill the void and finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Tobias Harris led the scoring for Philadelphia with 25 points and 12 rebounds, while De'Anthony Melton came off the bench to produce 15 points and lead the fourth-quarter surge. Harris said the Sixers were determined to use Embiid's absence as a motivator. "He's the MVP. And when we heard he wasn't playing, I think it was an opportunity for everybody else to really step up and understand that we've got to get a win without the big fellow," Harris told the TNT television network. "The whole group came together today. It's a great win for us and a great way to sweep the series." Asked what his message to the injured Embiid would be, Harris replied: "Hurry up and get your ass back out here." The 4-0 series victory was Philadelphia's first playoff sweep since 1991. Spencer Dinwiddie led Brooklyn's scoring with 20 points while Nic Claxton had 19 points with 12 rebounds. "Getting swept is trash," a dejected Claxton said. "It's not a good feeling." Suns on the brink In Los Angeles, Kevin Durant finished with 31 points, 11 rebounds and six assists to help Phoenix beat the Clippers 112-100 for a 3-1 series lead. Devin Booker plundered 30 points and veteran Chris Paul added 19 in a late burst of scoring as Phoenix bagged their second straight win in Los Angeles. "I'm in a good place and I'm enjoying playing ball," Durant said. "I've been out a few months this season, and I'm just happy I'm out here where the ball is." It means the Suns need just one more win to book their place in the Western Conference semi-finals, with game five set for Phoenix on Tuesday. The Clippers' hopes of squaring the series had been dealt a blow by the absence of Kawhi Leonard, who joined Paul George on the injured list. Russell Westbrook produced one of his best performances for the Clippers with a 37-point display. In Miami, the Heat took full advantage of the absence of Milwaukee's two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, leading by double digits much of the night. Jimmy Butler scored 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting before departing late in the third quarter after taking a hard fall. After visiting the locker room he returned to the bench but with the game in hand did not go back on the floor. Duncan Robinson scored 20 points and fellow reserve Kyle Lowry added 15 as the Heat bench delivered 59 points. "We just came out here and played with some intensity," Lowry said. The Heat will try to level the series on Monday, but Lowry said he knows they'll face a tough task. "Every game is a different game," he said. Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said the team would continue to "monitor" Antetokounmpo, who suffered a back contusion in game one, missed game two and was a late scratch on Saturday. In the late game the Memphis Grizzlies welcomed star guard Ja Morant back after a hand injury as they visited the Los Angeles Lakers with their series knotted 1-1. The post Sixers sweep Nets to advance, Suns on brink as Heat burn Bucks appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Antetokounmpo outduels Durant as Bucks oust Nets to reach East finals
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 40 points and 13 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Brooklyn Nets 115-111 in a thrilling game-seven overtime on Saturday to advance to the Eastern Conference finals......»»
Heat reach the East finals, top Bucks to win series 4-1
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida: Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat are headed to the Eastern Conference finals. Giannis Antetokounmpo could only watch. The fifth-seeded Heat finished off an upset of the NBA’s best regular-season team on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila), topping the Milwaukee Bucks 103-94 in Game 5 of their East semifinal series — while […].....»»
Butler, Heat oust league-best Bucks for East Finals berth
The Heat are headed to the Eastern Conference Finals where they will face the winner of the Boston Celtics-Toronto Raptors series......»»
Heat reach East finals, top Bucks to win series 4-1
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida — Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat are headed to the Eastern Conference finals. Giannis Antetokounmpo could only watch. The fifth-seeded Heat finished off an upset of the NBA’s best regular-season team Tuesday, topping the Milwaukee Bucks 103-94 in Game 5 of their East semifinal series — while Antetokounmpo, the league’s […] The post Heat reach East finals, top Bucks to win series 4-1 appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
‘Oppressive’ heat wave scorches US West and South
Swaths of the United States home to more than 80 million people were under heat warnings or advisories Sunday, as relentless, record-breaking temperatures continued to bake western and southern states. The National Weather Service (NWS) warned of "a widespread and oppressive heat wave" in parts of the Southwest, western Gulf Coast and southern Florida, with sizzling temperatures carrying into the coming week raising health risks for millions. Southern Californians, who saw thermometers peak at 105-110 degrees Fahrenheit (41-43 Celsius) on Saturday, faced a second day of similarly brutal temperatures Sunday, with the mercury expected to top 115F (46C) in parts of California, Nevada and Arizona, the NWS said. By Sunday afternoon, California's famous Death Valley, one of the hottest places on Earth, had reached the near-record temperature of 126F (52C). Tourists visited the national park to get a glimpse of what the NWS warned would be "life-threatening daytime heat" set to last until Tuesday night. Visitor Eliana Luna told broadcaster MSNBC on Sunday the heat felt like a "burning sensation" on her body. "The heat, you can feel it dripping through the back, all the way down," she said. The NWS has said heat is the leading weather-related killer in the United States and urged Americans to take the risk seriously. "In total, from South Florida and the Gulf Coast to the Southwest, over 80 million people remain under either an Excessive Heat Warning or Heat Advisory as of early this morning," the NWS said in a Sunday morning bulletin. The day before, the town of Idyllwild, east of Los Angeles and some 5,400 feet (1,645 meters) above sea level, blew past its previous record to reach 100F. - 'It's hell' - Authorities have been sounding the alarm for days, advising people to avoid outdoor activities in the daytime and to avoid dehydration, which can quickly become fatal in such temperatures. In Arizona, the state capital Phoenix has recorded 17 straight days above 109F, as temperatures hit 113F (45C) on Sunday afternoon. The city, home to over 1.6 million people, is under an Excessive Heat Warning until Wednesday evening, according to the NWS, which said the record seven-day average was likely to be broken. Volunteers have been organized to direct Phoenix residents to cooling centers and distribute bottles of water and hats, but program head David Hondula told the local ABC station that its three-days-per-week schedule is "clearly... not enough." In Miami, the NWS on Sunday issued its first-ever Excessive Heat Warning for the region, in effect until 7:00 pm, as heat and humidity mixed to create a "feels-like" temperature expected to hit 112F. "It's hell, it's hot, it's crazy hot," Miami visitor Lola Cee told AFP along the famed Ocean Boulevard. "I've never experienced this heat before," she added. Residents of the sprawling Texas city of Houston have been asked to conserve electricity from 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm Saturday through Monday, in an attempt to mitigate pressure on the electricity grid. - 'Not typical' - Heat waves are occurring more often and more intensely in major US cities, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, with a frequency of six per year during the 2010s and 2020s compared to two per year during the 1960s. "This heat wave is NOT typical desert heat," the NWS's Las Vegas office tweeted Thursday, specifying that "its long duration, extreme daytime temperatures, & warm nights" were unusual. In Canada, which is suffering from warm temperatures combined with months of below-average rainfall, the amount of land burned by devastating wildfires so far in 2023 climbed to an-all time high of 24.7 million acres (10 million hectares) on Saturday. "We find ourselves this year with figures that are worse than our most pessimistic scenarios," Yan Boulanger, a researcher at Canada's natural resources ministry, told AFP. On Sunday, a firefighter died while working in Canada's Northwest Territories, authorities announced, only days after a 19-year-old woman lost her life working to extinguish a fire in nearby British Columbia. While it can be hard to attribute a particular weather event to climate change, scientists insist human-linked global warming is responsible for the multiplication and intensification of heat waves. Flooding has also ravaged parts of the northeastern US in recent weeks. Officials in eastern Pennsylvania's Bucks County reported on Sunday that five people had died and two children were missing after a storm the day before unleashed up to seven inches (18 centimeters) of rain in one hour, causing flash flooding that swept away vehicles. bur-mlm/des/caw © Agence France-Presse The post ‘Oppressive’ heat wave scorches US West and South appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Boston makes Miami feel heat
LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Boston poured in 16 three-pointers in a dominant 110-97 victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday that kept the Celtics alive in the National Basketball Association championship chase. For the second straight game, the Celtics fended off elimination, cutting the deficit in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals to 3-2 with the wire-to-wire triumph. Miami will get another chance to close it out when they host game six on Saturday. The Celtics will be trying to take one more step toward becoming the first NBA team to rally from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series. “The only thing that can stop us is us,” Celtics forward Jaylen Brown said in an on-court interview. Before a rapturous, raucous crowd at TD Garden in Boston, the Celtics looked every inch the favorites they were before the series started — before the upstart eighth-seeded Heat grabbed the first two games in Boston, then embarrassed the second seeds in game three. Four Celtics starters scored more than 20 points, with Derrick White leading the way with 24 on a night when he made six of eight attempts from three-point range. “Got some good looks and was able to knock them down, and just kind of rolled with it,” said White, who said the Heat’s defensive focus on Brown and fellow star wing Jayson Tatum gave him more room to operate. Marcus Smart added 23 and had five steals while Brown and Tatum scored 21 apiece. More importantly, the energetic Celtics harried the Heat into 16 turnovers that led to 27 Boston points. They had 17 second-chance points compared to Miami’s seven. “Tonight we were the tougher playing team,” Brown said. “We set the tone from start to finish.” Boston was locked in on both ends of the floor from the opening tip-off, roaring to a 23-7 lead in a matter of minutes. After Tatum was whistled for a technical foul with 8:43 in the first quarter, the Celtics responded with three consecutive three-pointers. Tatum scored 12 points in the first quarter and Brown took over with 12 in the second. Meanwhile, Heat talisman Jimmy Butler struggled to get going, scoring eight points in the first half and finishing with 14 — his lowest-scoring game of the playoffs. He sat out most of the fourth quarter. Duncan Robinson led the Heat with 18 points off the bench. Bam Adebayo scored 16 points but coughed up six turnovers. Kyle Lowry starting at point guard after Gabe Vincent was ruled out with a sprained ankle, scored five points with four turnovers. “We’ve just got to play better,” Butler said. “Start the game off better, on the starters, make it more difficult for them. “They are in a rhythm since the beginning of the game,” Butler added. “But we are always going to stay positive, knowing that we can and we will win this series. We’ll just have to close it out at home.” Butler said the Heat allowed their shooting struggles to affect their defensive intensity. “But that’s easily correctable,” he said. “You just have to come out and play harder from the jump.” The Heat, who won the NBA title in 2006, 2012 and 2013, still only need one more win to reach a seventh NBA Finals. Boston, whose 17 NBA titles are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in history, last won it all in 2008 and came up short in last season’s championship series against the Golden State Warriors. The winners of the series will play the Western Conference champion Denver Nuggets, who swept the Lakers in four games to reach the NBA Finals for the first time. White said the Celtics expect a formidable challenge in Miami on Saturday. “The crowd is going to be in it. It’s not going to be easy,” he said. “It’s going to take 48 minutes of battling, scratching, clawing, and we’ve got to find a way to win.” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was unconcerned that two big defeats had demoralized his team. “Who cares about mood?” Spoelstra said. “We have a gnarly group. It’s a competitive series. You always expect things to be challenging in the conference finals.” The post Boston makes Miami feel heat appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Celtics pummel Heat to keep NBA title hopes alive
Boston poured in 16 three-pointers in a dominant 110-97 victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday that kept the Celtics alive in the NBA championship chase. For the second straight game, the Celtics fended off elimination, cutting the deficit in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals to 3-2 with the wire-to-wire triumph. Miami will get another chance to close it out when they host game six on Saturday. The Celtics will be trying to take one more step toward becoming the first NBA team to rally from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series. "The only thing that can stop us is us," Celtics forward Jaylen Brown said in an on-court interview. Before a rapturous, raucous crowd at TD Garden in Boston, the Celtics looked every inch the favorites they were before the series started -- before the upstart eighth-seeded Heat grabbed the first two games in Boston, then embarrassed the second seeds in game three. Four Celtics starters scored more than 20 points, with Derrick White leading the way with 24 on a night when he made six of eight attempts from three-point range. "Got some good looks and was able to knock them down, and just kind of rolled with it," said White, who said the Heat's defensive focus on Brown and fellow star wing Jayson Tatum gave him more room to operate. Marcus Smart added 23 and had five steals while Brown and Tatum scored 21 apiece. More importantly, the energetic Celtics harried the Heat into 16 turnovers that led to 27 Boston points. They had 17 second-chance points compared to Miami's seven. "Tonight we were the tougher playing team," Brown said. "We set the tone from start to finish." Boston was locked in on both ends of the floor from the opening tip-off, roaring to a 23-7 lead in a matter of minutes. After Tatum was whistled for a technical foul with 8:43 in the first quarter, the Celtics responded with three consecutive three-pointers. Tatum scored 12 points in the first quarter and Brown took over with 12 in the second. Meanwhile, Heat talisman Jimmy Butler struggled to get going, scoring eight points in the first half and finishing with 14 -- his lowest-scoring game of the playoffs. He sat out most of the fourth quarter. Duncan Robinson led the Heat with 18 points off the bench. Bam Adebayo scored 16 points but coughed up six turnovers. Kyle Lowry starting at point guard after Gabe Vincent was ruled out with a sprained ankle, scored five points with four turnovers. "We've just got to play better," Butler said. "Start the game off better, on the starters, make it more difficult for them. "They are in a rhythm since the beginning of the game," Butler added. "But we are always going to stay positive, knowing that we can and we will win this series. We'll just have to close it out at home." Butler said the Heat allowed their shooting struggles to affect their defensive intensity. "But that's easily correctable," he said. "You just have to come out and play harder from the jump." The Heat, who won the NBA title in 2006, 2012 and 2013, still only need one more win to reach a seventh NBA Finals. Boston, whose 17 NBA titles are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in history, last won it all in 2008 and came up short in last season's championship series against the Golden State Warriors. The winners of the series will play the Western Conference champion Denver Nuggets, who swept the Lakers in four games to reach the NBA Finals for the first time. White said the Celtics expect a formidable challenge in Miami on Saturday. "The crowd is going to be in it. It's not going to be easy," he said. "It's going to take 48 minutes of battling, scratching, clawing, and we've got to find a way to win." Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was unconcerned that two big defeats had demoralized his team. "Who cares about mood?" Spoelstra said. "We have a gnarly group. It's a competitive series. You always expect things to be challenging in the conference finals." The post Celtics pummel Heat to keep NBA title hopes alive appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Heat on brink of NBA Finals after 128-102 win over Celtics
The Miami Heat knocked the stuffing out of the Boston Celtics on Sunday, powering to a 128-102 victory to take a 3-0 stranglehold on the NBA Eastern Conference finals. The Heat, who host game four on Tuesday, are one win away from reaching the NBA Finals against either the Denver Nuggets or Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics meanwhile are battling the weight of history -- no NBA team has rallied from 0-3 down to win a best-of-seven playoff series. Heat talisman Jimmy Butler could afford a relatively quiet 16-point night as point guard Gabe Vincent led the way, connecting on 11 of 14 shots from the field, including six of nine from three-point range, on the way to a game-high 29 points. Duncan Robinson added 22 points off the bench for Miami, who are vying to become just the second eighth-seeded team -- after the 1999 New York Knicks -- to reach the NBA Finals. Unlike in their first two wins of the series in Boston, there would be no need for the Heat to claw back a double-digit deficit. In front of a pumped-up crowd at Kaseya Center in Miami, the Heat dominated, Boston unable to build on an early three-point lead in the face of a total team effort from the hosts on both ends of the floor. "I don't know if 'surprised' is the word," Vincent said of the lopsided result. "We played well tonight. We defended. We made shots. We forced them into turnovers." "The next game, the mentality is to come out and compete at a high level, defend, try to make the right read every time offensively and just play good basketball. "It's the first to four games. We are not satisfied with three." Boston star Jayson Tatum scored 14 points and Jaylen Brown added 12, but Tatum made just one of his seven three-point attempts and Brown missed all seven of his as the Celtics connected on just 11 of their 42 three-point attempts. Miami made 19 three-pointers on 39 attempts, connecting on 46 of their 81 shots overall. "As you can tell, the rim was as big as the ocean for everybody," said Miami center Bam Adebayo, who thrilled the crowd with a pair of alley oop dunks and a spin around Brown for a one-handed slam on the way to 13 points. "(We were) making the extra pass, making the right pass and everybody played together." Caleb Martin scored 18 points off the bench for Miami. Max Strus chipped in 10 and the Heat didn't miss a beat when veteran Kevin Love departed after less than five minutes with an ankle injury. The Heat closed a fast-paced, physical first quarter on a 9-2 scoring run to lead 30-22 and pushed their lead to as many as 22 points in the second quarter. Boston managed to cut the gap, but with the Celtics again struggling from three-point range and with turnovers, Miami's 61-46 halftime lead represented the biggest halftime deficit faced by Boston this post-season. There would be no re-set for the Celtics in the third quarter. They had managed to trim the deficit to 12 early in the second half, but Miami out-scored them 32-17 to take a 93-63 lead into the fourth. Tatum and Brown combined for just three baskets in the third, Miami's dominance evident on back-to-back Boston possessions midway through the period when Adebayo blocked Tatum's shot on one and Martin came up with a steal to set up a Strus three-pointer. The shell-shocked Celtics went more than three minutes in the period without scoring. "I don't even know where to start," Brown said. "I feel like we let our fan base, organization down, we let ourselves down, and it was collective. We could point fingers, but in reality, it was just embarrassing." Boston's first-year coach Joe Mazzulla, who took the helm after Ime Udoka was abruptly suspended before the season for an improper workplace relationship, took the blame for the Celtics' disjointed performance. "I just didn't have them ready to play," Mazzulla said. "Whether it was the starting lineup or it was an adjustment, I have to get them in a better place ready to play, and that's on me." The post Heat on brink of NBA Finals after 128-102 win over Celtics appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sixers advance after Nets sweep, Suns on brink as Clippers downed
The Philadelphia 76ers shrugged off the absence of Joel Embiid to complete a 4-0 sweep of the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA playoffs on Saturday as the Phoenix Suns edged closer to a second-round berth with a victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Sixers advanced to an Eastern Conference semi-final showdown against either Boston or Atlanta with a dominant second-half display to seal a 96-88 victory in Brooklyn. The Sixers trailed by 11 points early in the third quarter but transformed the contest with an 18-4 run to take the lead before closing out victory with a fourth-quarter rally. The Sixers' win was all the more impressive given the absence of star center Embiid, who suffered a right knee sprain in Thursday's 102-97 victory in game three. Embiid led the NBA with 33.1 points a game and is a finalist for the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. With Embiid out, Paul Reed stepped in to fill the void and finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Tobias Harris led the scoring for Philadelphia with 25 points and 12 rebounds, while De'Anthony Melton came off the bench to produce 15 points and lead the fourth-quarter rally. Harris said the Sixers had been determined to use Embiid's absence as a motivator. "He's the MVP. And when we heard he wasn't playing, I think it was an opportunity for everybody else to really step up and understand that we've got to get a win without the big fella," Harris told the TNT television network after the win. "For us to come out here and get this victory, it feels great for the whole group. "The whole group came together today. It's a great win for us and a great way to sweep the series." Asked what his message to the injured Embiid would be, Harris replied: "Hurry up and get your ass back out here." The 4-0 series victory was Philadelphia's first playoff sweep since 1991. Spencer Dinwiddie led Brooklyn's scoring with 20 points while Nic Claxton had 19 points with 12 rebounds. In Los Angeles, Kevin Durant finished with 31 points, 11 rebounds and six assists to help Phoenix take a 3-1 series lead over the Clippers with a 112-100 victory. Devin Booker plundered 30 points and veteran Chris Paul added 19 in a late burst of scoring as Phoenix bagged their second straight win in Los Angeles in the best-of-seven series. It means the Suns need just one more win to book their place in the Western Conference semi-finals, with game five set for Phoenix on Tuesday. The Clippers' hopes of squaring the series had been dealt a blow by the absence of Kawhi Leonard, who joined Paul George on the injured list. In their absence, Russell Westbrook produced one of his best performances for the Clippers with a 37-point display but ultimately it was not enough as the greater depth of the Suns' line-up proved too much. "I'm in a good place and I'm enjoying playing ball," Durant said after the win. "I've been out a few months this season, and I'm just happy I'm out here where the ball is." In later playoff games on Saturday, the Milwaukee Bucks travel to Miami looking for a win on the road over the Heat with the best-of-seven series finely balanced at 1-1. Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who sat out game two after suffering a back injury in game one, was listed as questionable for Milwaukee. In the late game, the Memphis Grizzlies travel to Los Angeles to face the Lakers with their series knotted at one game apiece. The post Sixers advance after Nets sweep, Suns on brink as Clippers downed appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Grizzlies hold off Lakers to level series 1-1
The Memphis Grizzlies shook off the absence of star guard Ja Morant to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 103-93 on Wednesday and knot their NBA Western Conference playoff series at one game apiece. Xavier Tillman scored 22 points and pulled down 18 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies, who led by as many as 20 points in a bruising battle that saw Lakers center Anthony Davis suffer a small cut on his right eyelid and LeBron James drawn into a verbal back and forth with Dillon Brooks. With All-Star point guard Morant ruled out with a bruised right hand, the Grizzlies clamped down defensively, Tillman saying their message to Morant was "we've got his back, and we're going to hold it down for him." Tillman keyed Memphis's quick start, connecting on his first six shots and finishing 10-of-13 from the floor. The Grizzlies led by as many as 16 points on the way to a 59-44 halftime lead as the harried Lakers failed to find a way to get their offense firing. Davis blocked five shots in the first half but connected on just one of nine shot attempts. He finished with 13 points on four-of-14 shooting. James led all scorers with 28 points and Japan's Rui Hachimura added 20 to become the first Laker to score 20 points off the bench in back-to-back playoff games since Magic Johnson in 1996. But unlike in game one, there would be no late resurgence for the Lakers, the Grizzlies absorbing the Lakers' second-half push. Jaren Jackson Jr., the newly named NBA Defensive Player of the Year, scored 18 points, Desmond Bane added 17 and Brooks chipped in 12. Tyus Jones, starting in place of Morant, added 10 and eight assists. After the Grizzlies pushed their lead to 20 points early in the third quarter, the Lakers began to push back. Two baskets and two free throws from James launched a 17-3 Lakers scoring run that sliced the deficit to six points, but that's as close as they would get the rest of the way. Now, Tillman said, the Grizzlies will summon a "road warrior mentality" for game three of the best-of-seven series in Los Angeles on Saturday. Antetokounmpo ruled out Elsewhere the Milwaukee Bucks were without Giannis Antetokounmpo as they tried to claw back a victory against the Miami Heat in their Eastern Conference first-round series. Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, suffered a lower back contusion in the first quarter of the Eastern Conference top seeds' 130-117 loss in game one on Sunday. The Bucks, the top seeds in the East and owners of the best regular-season record in the league, had hoped he would be fit to return but he was ruled out less than two hours before tip-off. "He's continued to improve," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game. "But organizationally, talking and working with him and the sports performance group, a decision was made. He's out." Two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, meanwhile, sought to extend their series lead over Minnesota when they hosted the Timberwolves in game two of their Western Conference clash. The post Grizzlies hold off Lakers to level series 1-1 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Butler, Strus lead Heat past Bulls and into playoffs
Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat caught fire down the stretch to beat the Chicago Bulls 102-91 and reach the NBA playoffs on Friday, as the Minnesota Timberwolves dominated the Oklahoma City Thunder to book their postseason berth. Miami, smarting from a loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, clinched the Eastern Conference's eighth and final seed to set up a meeting with the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks starting on Sunday. Minnesota meanwhile will face Western Conference top seeds Denver in the first round of the playoffs after a comprehensive 120-95 blowout of Oklahoma City. While Minnesota romped into the postseason, Miami's clash with Chicago went down to the wire before Butler, helped by the three-pointers of Max Strus, secured victory for Erik Spoelstra's team. Butler put up 31 points, a tally matched by Strus who shot 7-12 on three-pointers, including a crucial 26-foot jumper with 1:14 left that put Miami 96-91 up. For Strus, who grew up as a Bulls fan in the suburbs of Chicago and was released by them before joining Miami, it was a sweet night. "It's huge. It doesn't really matter who we're playing - we had to win this one, no matter what. It was win or go home and we're not done yet. "So we want to keep playing and it's good to get that one. But it does feel a little bit better against them, I'm not gonna lie," he said. Strus secured the win with three free throws after he was fouled by Alex Caruso as he tried to make a throw from the corner. The Heat had been 14 points up in the first quarter but a 12-2 run from the Bulls in the third leveled the game up at 56-56. A Zach LaVine dunk then put Chicago up for the first time since the opening basket of the game and three three-pointers early in the fourth from Coby White ensured the Bulls were 90-87 with three minutes to go. But then Butler and Strus took control. Butler was fouled while making a lay-up and then Bam Adebayo, who grabbed 17 rebounds, sank two free throws after he was fouled by Nikola Vucevic to make it 93-90. Butler set up Strus for a three-pointer before he then made sure of the victory from the free-throw line. The Heat had found themselves in the elimination game after losing their opening play-in game to the Atlanta Hawks and faced the prospect of being the first divisional winner not to make the playoffs. "I don't think any of us felt any type of pressure. We went out, we competed, we played the right way, corrected some things, and did what we were supposed to do," said Butler. DeMar DeRozan topscored for the Bulls with 26 points and nine assists. There is little time for Miami to savor the victory however as their playoff series against the Bucks begins in Milwaukee on Sunday. "Man, it's going to be tough," said Butler, "But I think we got a shot. A really good shot at that. As long as we stick together. I'm telling you, we're a really good team and we're going to go out there and play," he said. In Minneapolis, the Timberwolves put their team's recent turbulence behind them to demolish Oklahoma City. Minnesota finished the regular season in disarray, with team-mates Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson involved in a sideline punch-up in their final regular season game last Sunday. Gobert was subsequently suspended for Tuesday's play-in defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers, but returned on Friday to contribute 21 points in a convincing victory. Minnesota led by as many as 29 points at one stage in the fourth quarter and were up by double digits for most of the second half. Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves scoring with 28 points while all five starters finished in double figures. The post Butler, Strus lead Heat past Bulls and into playoffs appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Davis, James power Lakers past Heat for 2-0 lead in NBA Finals
Anthony Davis and LeBron James powered Los Angeles to a 124-114 victory over the Miami Heat that put the Lakers two wins away from their first NBA title since 2010. The injury-depleted Heat hung on as well as they could, but 33 points from James and 32 from Davis were just too much. Davis, playing in […] The post Davis, James power Lakers past Heat for 2-0 lead in NBA Finals appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Philippine coaches divided on NBA Finals picks
Philippine coaches are split like East and West in casting their picks for the heavy favorites Los Angeles Lakers and the tough underdog Miami Heat in the looming classic NBA Finals starting Thursday......»»
Heat scorch Celtics, reach NBA Finals vs Lakers
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida — It was exactly one year ago Sunday when Jimmy Butler walked into the Miami Heat practice gym, took a seat on a makeshift stage and said he wanted to be part of the team’s next title run. He’ll have that chance. The Heat are going to the NBA Finals — […] The post Heat scorch Celtics, reach NBA Finals vs Lakers appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Heat scorch Celtics to reach NBA Finals clash with Lakers
The Miami Heat poured it on in the fourth quarter to beat the Boston Celtics 125-113 on Sunday and book a NBA Finals showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers......»»
Lakers dismantle Rockets, head to West Finals
The Lakers clinched the wire-to-wire victory to claim the series in five games and reach the Conference Finals for the first time in 10 years......»»