Heat Edges Celtics, 117-114, in Game 1 OT Victory
The Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics, 117-114, in overtime on Tuesday night in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference finals series. The Heat lead the series, 1-0.
The opening quarter-plus of the game seemed to foretell a fruitful night for the Celtics (0-1), as Boston shot well on its way to forging a 26-18 lead through the first 12 minutes. However, thanks to an efficient second quarter for the Heat (1-0), that edge had completely evaporated by intermission, with the two squads heading into the locker room knotted at 55. Coach Brad Stevens' squad then reestablished its dominance on both ends of the floor during the third quarter, sending them into the final period with 12-point advantage. To its credit, Miami kept coming, and the Celtics ultimately needed a Jayson Tatum free throw to send the game into the extra period. In overtime, the Heat would overcome a four-point deficit with 3:41 remaining by finishing on an 11-4 run after Daniel Theis fouled out. Jimmy Butler's and-one and a Bam Adebayo block of a would-be game-tying dunk by Tatum helped seal the hard-fought victory.
Goran Dragic led the Heat with 29 points, complementing them with seven rebounds, four assists and one block. Jae Crowder supplied 22 points, five boards, one assist, two blocks and one steal. Butler totaled 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals. Adebayo contributed 18 points, nine assists, six rebounds, two blocks and one steal. Tyler Herro registered 12 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists off the bench.
Tatum paced the Celtics with 30 points, supplementing them with 14 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks. Marcus Smart delivered 26 points, three boards and one assist. Kemba Walker turned in 19 points, six assists, three rebounds and one block. Jaylen Brown managed 17 points, five boards, two assists and one steal. Brad Wanamaker provided 11 points, six assists, three rebounds and five steals.
The Heat and Celtics reconvene for Game 2 on Thursday night in Orlando.
The opening quarter-plus of the game seemed to foretell a fruitful night for the Celtics (0-1), as Boston shot well on its way to forging a 26-18 lead through the first 12 minutes. However, thanks to an efficient second quarter for the Heat (1-0), that edge had completely evaporated by intermission, with the two squads heading into the locker room knotted at 55. Coach Brad Stevens' squad then reestablished its dominance on both ends of the floor during the third quarter, sending them into the final period with 12-point advantage. To its credit, Miami kept coming, and the Celtics ultimately needed a Jayson Tatum free throw to send the game into the extra period. In overtime, the Heat would overcome a four-point deficit with 3:41 remaining by finishing on an 11-4 run after Daniel Theis fouled out. Jimmy Butler's and-one and a Bam Adebayo block of a would-be game-tying dunk by Tatum helped seal the hard-fought victory.
Goran Dragic led the Heat with 29 points, complementing them with seven rebounds, four assists and one block. Jae Crowder supplied 22 points, five boards, one assist, two blocks and one steal. Butler totaled 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals. Adebayo contributed 18 points, nine assists, six rebounds, two blocks and one steal. Tyler Herro registered 12 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists off the bench.
Tatum paced the Celtics with 30 points, supplementing them with 14 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks. Marcus Smart delivered 26 points, three boards and one assist. Kemba Walker turned in 19 points, six assists, three rebounds and one block. Jaylen Brown managed 17 points, five boards, two assists and one steal. Brad Wanamaker provided 11 points, six assists, three rebounds and five steals.
The Heat and Celtics reconvene for Game 2 on Thursday night in Orlando.
Nuggets Dominate, Clinch Western Conference Finals Berth
The Denver Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, 104-89, at Orlando on Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals. The Nuggets have won the series by a 4-3 score.
The Nuggets have done it again and, just like it happened in the first-round series against the Utah Jazz, they returned from a 3-1 deficit to eliminate the Clippers. Denver seemed to be the team that wanted it the most Tuesday, and it showed -- the Nuggets were down by as much as 12 points during the second half, but they stormed a massive comeback in the second half and outscored the Clippers by 10 points in the third (28-18) and by seven points (22-15) in the fourth quarter, at times dominating the game on both ends of the court. The Clippers shot just 37.8 percent from the field and 25.7 percent from three-point range, while the Nuggets made 49.4 percent of their field-goal attempts. Ultimately, that difference in shooting made all the difference and it translated to the final result. The Nuggets have now clinched a spot in the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2009.
Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic carried the Nuggets in this emphatic Game 7 victory -- while Murray led all players with 40 points, Jokic stuffed the stat sheet and ended the game with a 16-point, 13-assist, 22-rebound triple-double. Jerami Grant posted 14 points and Gary Harris also chipped in with 14 points while making six of his 11 shots from the field. No other Denver player scored in double figures.
The Clippers had to rely on Montrezl Harrell, who scored 20 points off the bench, because their main two stars had forgettable performances -- Paul George mustered 10 points on 4-of-16 from the field, while Kawhi Leonard notched 14 points on 6-of-22 shooting. Patrick Beverley stuffed the stat sheet and produced 11 points, six assists and five rebounds. JaMychal Green notched 11 points off the bench.
The Nuggets have done it again and, just like it happened in the first-round series against the Utah Jazz, they returned from a 3-1 deficit to eliminate the Clippers. Denver seemed to be the team that wanted it the most Tuesday, and it showed -- the Nuggets were down by as much as 12 points during the second half, but they stormed a massive comeback in the second half and outscored the Clippers by 10 points in the third (28-18) and by seven points (22-15) in the fourth quarter, at times dominating the game on both ends of the court. The Clippers shot just 37.8 percent from the field and 25.7 percent from three-point range, while the Nuggets made 49.4 percent of their field-goal attempts. Ultimately, that difference in shooting made all the difference and it translated to the final result. The Nuggets have now clinched a spot in the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2009.
Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic carried the Nuggets in this emphatic Game 7 victory -- while Murray led all players with 40 points, Jokic stuffed the stat sheet and ended the game with a 16-point, 13-assist, 22-rebound triple-double. Jerami Grant posted 14 points and Gary Harris also chipped in with 14 points while making six of his 11 shots from the field. No other Denver player scored in double figures.
The Clippers had to rely on Montrezl Harrell, who scored 20 points off the bench, because their main two stars had forgettable performances -- Paul George mustered 10 points on 4-of-16 from the field, while Kawhi Leonard notched 14 points on 6-of-22 shooting. Patrick Beverley stuffed the stat sheet and produced 11 points, six assists and five rebounds. JaMychal Green notched 11 points off the bench.