Nets Top Celtics To Advance To Conference Semi-Finals
By Dan Bruno
The Brooklyn Nets defeated the visiting Boston Celtics, 123-109, in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference a First-Round playoffs at Barclays Center on Tuesday evening, to close out the series with a, 4-1, win and advance to the conference semi-finals.
The Nets got out to a strong start and led, 31-24, after one quarter. The Celtics picked it up in the second but could not cut into the deficit, as the Nets pushed it to an eight-point game by halftime. The Celtics kept up the fight in the third and trimmed one point off of the Nets' advantage, before heading into the final frame. However, the Nets kept their focus down the stretch and were dominant in the fourth quarter to remain undefeated at home in the playoffs and advance to the next round.
James Harden led the way for the Nets with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, two blocks and two steals, in 39 minutes. Kyrie Irving followed up with 25 points, three rebounds, three assists and a block, while Kevin Durant added 24 points, four rebounds, three assists and three blocks. The Nets shot 51 percent from the field, including 15-of-32 from deep.
Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 32 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks, in 41 minutes. Evan Fournier followed up with 18 points on 8-of-17 shooting, while Romeo Langford chipped in 17 points, two assists, two steals and two blocks. The Celtics shot 43 percent from the field, including 11-of-40 from long range.
The Nets got out to a strong start and led, 31-24, after one quarter. The Celtics picked it up in the second but could not cut into the deficit, as the Nets pushed it to an eight-point game by halftime. The Celtics kept up the fight in the third and trimmed one point off of the Nets' advantage, before heading into the final frame. However, the Nets kept their focus down the stretch and were dominant in the fourth quarter to remain undefeated at home in the playoffs and advance to the next round.
James Harden led the way for the Nets with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, two blocks and two steals, in 39 minutes. Kyrie Irving followed up with 25 points, three rebounds, three assists and a block, while Kevin Durant added 24 points, four rebounds, three assists and three blocks. The Nets shot 51 percent from the field, including 15-of-32 from deep.
Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 32 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks, in 41 minutes. Evan Fournier followed up with 18 points on 8-of-17 shooting, while Romeo Langford chipped in 17 points, two assists, two steals and two blocks. The Celtics shot 43 percent from the field, including 11-of-40 from long range.
Nuggets Defeat Trail Blazers in 2OT, 147-140, to Take 3-2 Series Lead
The Denver Nuggets defeated the visiting Portland Trail Blazers in 2OT, 147-140, in Game 5 of the Western Conference First-Round Playoffs at Ball Arena on Tuesday.
While Denver led by a game-high 22 points midway through the second quarter, it took two overtime sessions to determine a winner. In fact, there were 10 ties and 11 lead changes in the second half and the OT sessions, with neither team leading by more than eight points. The Nuggets dominated the second overtime though, outscoring the Blazers, 12-5. Denver out-rebounded Portland, 52-45, while out-assisting them, 33-25. In addition, the Nuggets bench outscored the Blazers bench, 48-22.
The Trail Blazers (2-3) got a gem from Damian Lillard, tallying 55 points, six rebounds, 10 assists and three blocks on 12-of-17 from three-point range. C.J. McCollum collected 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Robert Covington totaled 19 points and 11 rebounds while Jusuf Nurkic accrued 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Nuggets (3-2) were led by Nikola Jokic and his 38 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and four blocks. Michael Porter Jr compiled 26 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals on 10-of-13 shooting. Austin Rivers had 18 points and seven assists while Aaron Gordon registered 14 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Monte Morris led the bench with 28 points, three rebounds and five assists.
Game 6 will be in Portland on Thursday, with Denver leading 3-2.
While Denver led by a game-high 22 points midway through the second quarter, it took two overtime sessions to determine a winner. In fact, there were 10 ties and 11 lead changes in the second half and the OT sessions, with neither team leading by more than eight points. The Nuggets dominated the second overtime though, outscoring the Blazers, 12-5. Denver out-rebounded Portland, 52-45, while out-assisting them, 33-25. In addition, the Nuggets bench outscored the Blazers bench, 48-22.
The Trail Blazers (2-3) got a gem from Damian Lillard, tallying 55 points, six rebounds, 10 assists and three blocks on 12-of-17 from three-point range. C.J. McCollum collected 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Robert Covington totaled 19 points and 11 rebounds while Jusuf Nurkic accrued 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Nuggets (3-2) were led by Nikola Jokic and his 38 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and four blocks. Michael Porter Jr compiled 26 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals on 10-of-13 shooting. Austin Rivers had 18 points and seven assists while Aaron Gordon registered 14 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Monte Morris led the bench with 28 points, three rebounds and five assists.
Game 6 will be in Portland on Thursday, with Denver leading 3-2.
Suns Secure Massive Win Over Struggling Lakers
The Phoenix Suns defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 115-85, at PHX Arena on Tuesday night in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs. The Suns are now leading the series by a 3-2 score.
The Suns needed to deliver a huge performance considering the Lakers didn't have Anthony Davis and that's exactly what they did, as they dominated the game from start to finish en route to building a 3-2 lead in their first-round series against the reigning NBA champions. Phoenix quickly set the tone of the contest and jumped out to a 34-26 lead in the first quarter, but they would establish the real differential in the second 12 minutes of action following a 32-10 score in the second quarter. The Lakers tightened things up in the second half and won the third quarter (27-26) while losing the fourth one by just one point (23-22), but the damage was already done. The Lakers looked sluggish in the first half and paid a steep price for it, and now they're just 48 minutes away from suffering a first-round exit.
Devin Booker carried the Suns in this one with a 30-point performance while also adding seven rebounds and five assists, and Miles Bridges was the only other starter who had double-digit points thanks to his 13-point effort. Cameron Payne had 16 points and Cameron Johnson had 11 points -- both coming off the bench. Chris Paul delivered nine points but exited the game with a shoulder injury and his status should be monitored going forward, while DeAndre Ayton finished with eight points and seven boards.
The Lakers were so poor on offense during Tuesday's matchup that only three players scored in double digits, and they shot a meager 34.5 percent from the field as a team. LeBron James led the way with 24 points, seven assists and five rebounds, while Kyle Kuzma had 15 points off the bench. Talen Horton-Tucker had 11 points and 11 rebounds off the bench as well. Andre Drummond pulled down 13 boards but only scored seven points.
The Suns needed to deliver a huge performance considering the Lakers didn't have Anthony Davis and that's exactly what they did, as they dominated the game from start to finish en route to building a 3-2 lead in their first-round series against the reigning NBA champions. Phoenix quickly set the tone of the contest and jumped out to a 34-26 lead in the first quarter, but they would establish the real differential in the second 12 minutes of action following a 32-10 score in the second quarter. The Lakers tightened things up in the second half and won the third quarter (27-26) while losing the fourth one by just one point (23-22), but the damage was already done. The Lakers looked sluggish in the first half and paid a steep price for it, and now they're just 48 minutes away from suffering a first-round exit.
Devin Booker carried the Suns in this one with a 30-point performance while also adding seven rebounds and five assists, and Miles Bridges was the only other starter who had double-digit points thanks to his 13-point effort. Cameron Payne had 16 points and Cameron Johnson had 11 points -- both coming off the bench. Chris Paul delivered nine points but exited the game with a shoulder injury and his status should be monitored going forward, while DeAndre Ayton finished with eight points and seven boards.
The Lakers were so poor on offense during Tuesday's matchup that only three players scored in double digits, and they shot a meager 34.5 percent from the field as a team. LeBron James led the way with 24 points, seven assists and five rebounds, while Kyle Kuzma had 15 points off the bench. Talen Horton-Tucker had 11 points and 11 rebounds off the bench as well. Andre Drummond pulled down 13 boards but only scored seven points.