NBA: Maxey stars as Sixers take 2-0 lead over Nets

LOS ANGELES -- 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.

Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers meanwhile admitted his team had been lucky to face only a five point deficit heading into half-time.

"I thought we wasted the whole first half," Rivers said. "We were fortunate. At half-time they could have been up more, with the way we played. We're a better team than the way we played in the first half.

"But this is what the playoffs are all about -- it's gonna test your trust. This was an early test for us, and we came through it."

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.

Agence France-Presse

NBA Playoffs: Tatum beats buzzer, as Celtics escape Nets in Game 1

Jayson Tatum spun in for a buzzer-beating layup to give the Boston Celtics a dramatic 115-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday in the first game of their NBA Eastern Conference playoff series.

Tatum scored 31 points to lead the Celtics, who thwarted a fourth-quarter comeback bid by the Nets to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Tatum added eight assists and two blocked shots, Jaylen Brown added 23 points and Al Horford and Marcus Smart scored 20 apiece for Boston, who took a 96-85 lead into the fourth quarter but trailed 114-111 with less than a minute to play.

Former Celtic Kyrie Irving, booed throughout by Boston fans who still resent his departure for Brooklyn, led the Nets with 39 points. Kevin Durant was the only other Nets starter in double figures with 23.

Irving will no doubt hear from the NBA after a middle-finger salute to heckling fans in the third quarter, but he saved his best gesture for the fourth period, when he scored 18 points to key the Nets' comeback bid.

Irving's long three-pointer over Smart put Brooklyn up 114-111 with 1:04 to play.

But the Celtics clamped down defensively and pulled within one on Brown's driving layup. After Durant missed a three-pointer, Tatum, fed by Smart from across the lane, willed his way through traffic for the game-winner.

A first half that featured 17 lead changes ended with the score knotted at 61-61, but the Celtics, who had been idle since their last regular-season game as the Nets battled through the play-in tournament, pulled away with a 39-24 third quarter.

"Our aggressiveness was great," Celtics coach Ime Udoka said of his team's third-quarter performance. "It was different from the first half. I felt like, offensively, we got going as well, knocked a little bit of the rust off in the first half."

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Kevin Durant scores 37 as scorching Nets top Jazz

Kevin Durant scored 15 of his 37 points in the third quarter as the Brooklyn Nets surged ahead and held on for a 114-106 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night in New York.

The Nets won for the sixth time in seven games following a 3-17 skid as Durant posted his 20th 30-point showing of the season. He made 5 of 7 shots in the third when the Nets shot 60.9 percent (14 of 23) and outscored Utah 38-24.

Durant finished 15 of 23 from the floor and scored at least 35 points in consecutive games for the first time this season. He added nine rebounds and also collected eight of Brooklyn's 31 assists.

Bruce Brown added a season-best 22 points with seven rebounds and five assists as the Nets shot 54.2 percent. Nic Claxton filled in for starting center Andre Drummond (non-COVID illness) and added 11 of his 15 in the decisive third.

Patty Mills contributed 13 as the Nets began taking control shortly after Seth Curry exited with a left ankle sprain. Curry slipped on a wet spot opposite Utah's bench with about four minutes left in the second quarter and was ruled out for the game at halftime.

Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points on 9-for-23 shooting as the Jazz saw their three-game winning streak stopped. Jordan Clarkson added 19 and Mike Conley chipped in 18 with seven assists as Utah was held to 44.6 percent from the field.

Clarkson scored 10 points as the Jazz took a 28-25 lead when he hit a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left in the opening quarter. The Jazz went scoreless for the final 3:01 of the second as the Nets ripped off eight straight points for a 53-51 lead by halftime.

Brooklyn ripped off a 10-0 run to get a 75-62 lead on Durant's 12-footer with 6:24 remaining. Brooklyn stretched the lead to 84-68 when Durant knocked down a 3-pointer with 2:52 remaining and held a 91-75 edge into the fourth.

Durant appeared to clinch it by hitting an 11-footer and a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to give Brooklyn a 108-87 lead with 6:09 remaining.

Utah was within 110-102 on Rudy Gobert's dunk with 98 seconds left but Durant hit a 10-footer on the next possession. Following an errant pass by Blake Griffin, Mitchell hit two free throws to make it 112-106 with 57.2 seconds left but Durant connected with Claxton for an alley-oop dunk with 37.4 seconds left.

-reuters

NBA: Raptors complete back-to-back sweep of Nets

Gary Trent Jr. scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter as the Toronto Raptors defeated the visiting Brooklyn Nets 109-108 Tuesday night.

Scottie Barnes added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who defeated the Nets 133-97 on Monday in New York. The teams split four games this season.

Toronto's Pascal Siakam had 18 points before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. Malachi Flynn added 15 points and Khem Birch and Thaddeus Young each scored 11.

James Johnson scored 19 points for Brooklyn. Seth Curry added 18, LaMarcus Aldridge had 16, Cam Thomas 11 and Goran Dragic 10. Aldridge grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

The Nets led by as many as 10 points during the third quarter and took an 89-81 lead into the fourth.

Young's driving layup cut Brooklyn's lead to one point with 4:49 to play. Barnes gave Toronto a one-point lead on a jumper with 4:06 remaining. Trent's layup capped a 10-0 run and Toronto led by four with 2:56 to go.

Toronto led by five points after Young's dunk with 1:50 to play, but Johnson answered with a dunk and Curry tied the game with a 3-pointer.

Trent made two free throws with 30.8 seconds remaining. Curry missed an 18-footer and Trent made two free throws to increase the lead to four with 18.5 seconds left. Brooklyn's Patty Mills made a layup before Trent sank two more free throws. Johnson drained a 3-pointer as the game ended.

Toronto led 32-25 after one quarter.

Brooklyn used a 12-4 surge to take a two-point lead with 6:41 to play in the second quarter. Brooklyn led 59-55 at halftime.

Brooklyn closed the third quarter with a 14-4 run to lead 89-81.

Toronto was without OG Anunoby (finger) and Fred VanVleet (knee).

Brooklyn was missing coach Steve Nash (health and safety protocol), Andre Drummond (knee), Kevin Durant (knee), Ben Simmons (back) and Kyrie Irving (COVID-19 vaccine mandates).

The Raptors were playing at home without crowd limits for the first time since Dec. 13 due to the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions.

-reuters

NBA: Scottie Barnes scores 28 to lead Raptors past Nets

Rookie Scottie Barnes tied a career-high with 28 points and collected a career-best 16 rebounds as the visiting Toronto Raptors cruised to a 133-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets Monday night.

The Raptors bounced back from losing by a combined 59 points in a weekend back-to-back at Charlotte and Atlanta without Fred VanVleet (right knee soreness) and on a night when Pascal Siakam was held to eight points on 2-of-14 from the floor.

Barnes made his first 11 shots and finished 12 of 14 from the floor. He tied the career high for points set in Friday's loss at Charlotte and also tied a career-best with five steals.

Precious Achiuwa added 20 and eight rebounds as Toronto led by as many as 39, shot 51.5 percent and hit 18 3-pointers. Malachi Flynn filled in for VanVleet and produced a season-high 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

Gary Trent Jr. contributed 12 and Thaddeus Young added 11 as Toronto handed out a season-best 35 assists and collected 17 steals.

The Nets were unable to produce a strong follow-up to Saturday's three-point win in Milwaukee and were handed their seventh loss in nine home games and sixth by double-digits in that span. Brooklyn also lost for the 16th time in 22 games overall.

LaMarcus Aldridge led the Nets with 15 points while Bruce Brown and rookie Cam Thomas added 14 apiece as Brooklyn shot 38.4 percent and allowed 31 points off 23 turnovers.

The Nets also were coached by lead assistant Jacque Vaughn after announcing Steve Nash was placed in the health and safety protocol shortly before the opening tip.

Barnes went 5-for-5 and scored 13 points as the Raptors shot 57.7 percent and held a 42-27 lead through the opening quarter. After Brooklyn was within 46-36 on a 3-pointer by James Johnson, Barnes scored 11 points as Toronto outscored the Nets 25-12 over the final 9:36 for a 71-48 halftime lead.

Barnes missed his first shot of the night when he missed a layup with 7:08 remaining but Toronto held a 100-69 lead into the fourth after Achiuwa hit a 3-pointer with 39.6 seconds left.

-reuters

NBA: Seth Curry's strong debut leads Nets past Kings

Seth Curry scored 23 points in his debut for the Brooklyn Nets, who ended an 11-game losing streak with a 109-85 victory over the Sacramento Kings Monday night in New York.

Curry helped Brooklyn get its first win since beating the San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 21 by hitting 10 of 18 shots, including three 3-pointers. Curry also added seven rebounds and five assists.

LaMarcus Aldridge returned from missing eight games with a sprained left ankle and added 19 points and eight rebounds. Bruce Brown contributed a season-high 19 points to go along with six rebounds, six assists and five steals and rookie Cam Thomas chipped in 14 as the Nets shot 51.2 percent.

Andre Drummond, who was acquired along with Curry from Philadelphia in Thursday's deal for James Harden, finished with 11 points and nine rebounds in his Brooklyn debut as Ben Simmons watched the game from the bench.

De'Aaron Fox scored 26 points, but the Kings shot 34.4 percent. Rookie Davion Mitchell added 13 points and Donte DiVincenzo chipped in 12 for Sacramento, which saw its starting frontcourt of Harrison Barnes, Maurice Harkless and Domantas Sabonis combine for 16 points.

Brown scored 10 points as the Nets shot led by as many as 19 and held a 35-24 lead through the opening quarter. Sacramento twice cut the deficit to three points late in the second quarter and Brooklyn held a 55-48 lead by halftime.

A layup by Barnes got Sacramento within 55-54 a little over a minute into the third and the Nets countered with a 15-3 run as Curry scored 12 points and hit an 18-footer for a 70-57 lead with 6:41 left. 

Consecutive dunks by James Johnson and Drummond opened a 78-61 lead with 2:56 left and Brooklyn entered the fourth with an 80-66 lead.

The Nets held a 93-74 lead when Curry returned with 8:07 remaining and the Kings cut the deficit to 12 on two occasions. The Nets finally finished it off when Brown's layup made it 101-85 with 3:36 remaining.

-reuters

Nets get 7 3s from Harris, rout Celtics 130-108 for 2-0 lead

NEW YORK (AP) — Brooklyn is more than just its Big Three. There’s also Joe Harris and his 3s.

Even if a team can contain Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, it still has to stop the NBA’s most accurate 3-point shooter.

That’s a lot of problems to solve, and Harris understands why teams don’t make him the priority.

“I think it’s just sort of, this is the reality of the matter,” Harris said. “I mean, we have three of the best offensive players that really have ever played.”

Harris tied a franchise playoff record with seven 3-pointers, Durant scored 26 points and the Nets routed the Boston Celtics 130-108 on Tuesday night for a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.

Harris had a career playoff-high 25 points and Harden added 20 as the Nets unleashed their lethal offense after winning Game 1 largely with defense.

“Different games it’s going to be different guys,” Harden said. “Tonight it was Joe, next game, Game 3 it could be somebody else. So we’re just all locked in, we’re all on the same page and whatever it takes to win, we’re willing to do.”

Game 3 is Friday in Boston, where the Nets will attempt to build on their first 2-0 lead in a series since they swept the New York Knicks in the first round in 2004.

This one might be headed toward the same result, with the Celtics unable to do much scoring in Game 1 or stop the Nets from doing tons of it in Game 2.

“We’ve got to be way better,” coach Brad Stevens said, listing a number of defensive problems the Celtics have to address.

“They exposed that because they were really good, but I was disappointed in how we played versus the other night.”

Marcus Smart scored 19 points and Kemba Walker had 17 for the Celtics. Leading scorer Jayson Tatum had only nine points on 3-for-12 shooting before leaving after just 21 minutes when he was poked in the right eye.

After the Nets scored just 16 points in the first quarter of Game 1, Harris had that by himself in the opening quarter of this one while going 4 for 4 behind the arc.

The Nets had started slowly in Game 1 and in the only game their Big Three played together late in the regular season, and on Monday coach Steve Nash said he thought it might be a while before his three stars could walk on the court and be firing on all cylinders.

It was only a day later for Harris, who led the NBA in 3-point percentage at 47.5% this season.

Harris made three straight 3-pointers to extend a three-point lead to 25-13 and there was a little gasp from the crowd when he then stole the ball and dribbled down on a breakaway, as if he might pull up behind the arc. Instead, he went all the way for the layup and a 14-point lead.

It was 40-26 after one period and Harden made consecutive 3s to open the second. That made it a 20-point game and it was never close from there.

Walker said the Celtics have to look at the film to find opportunities they are missing.

“I know I missed a lot of passes myself that I could’ve made personally that I would definitely like to be better at,” he said. “So we’ve just got to be better.”

Irving had 15 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Nets, who made 17 3-pointers.

TIP-INS

Celtics: Boston has lost nine straight playoff games against the Nets and is 2-10 against them in the playoffs. ... Tristan Thompson had 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Nets: Deron Williams made seven 3-pointers in Game 4 of the Nets’ first round series against Atlanta on April 27, 2015. ... F Jeff Green left in the second half with a bruised left foot. ... New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu was at the game, as was skier Lindsey Vonn.

IRVING BACK TO BOSTON

Game 3 will be Irving’s first time playing in front of fans in Boston since leaving as a free agent in 2019 following two seasons. Asked what he expected, he noted that it’s not his first time playing in Boston as an opponent.

“So I’m just looking forward to competing with my teammates and hopefully we can just keep it strictly basketball, there’s no belligerence or any racism going on, subtle racism and people yelling (stuff) from the crowd,” Irving said. “But even if it is, it’s part of the nature of the game and we’re just going to focus on what we can control.”

Asked if he had experienced that before, Irving said: “I’m not the only one that could attest to this, but it is what it is.”

-Associated Press

Nets hit 24 3s, 1 shy of NBA record, in rout of Bulls

CHICAGO — Quincy Acy is often an emotional leader for the Brooklyn Nets.
On a record night against the Bulls, he led them on the scoresheet, too.

Acy helped the Nets set a franchise mark with 24 3-pointers in a 124-96 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

The Nets finished one 3-pointer shy of the NBA record set last season by Cleveland.

Acy had career highs with six 3-pointers and 21 points, and Allen Crabbe added five from behind the arc and 20 points.

“When we’re hot, I feel like we can run with anybody in the gym,” Acy said. “And tonight, we got hot.”

Acy’s season has been hot and cold following offseason ankle surgery, but he looked plenty comfortable letting it fly Saturday. He took 13 of his 14 shots from deep.

“He’s our bench leader, a great guy,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. “I think he hasn’t been fully healthy and he’s played through a lot.”

Brooklyn got its fourth road win in its last five games. It was Brooklyn’s second straight victory over the Bulls, something the Nets haven’t done since February 2008. The win clinched the season series for the first time since 2009-10.

The Nets had a season-high 36 assists, led by nine from Spencer Dinwiddie and eight from Caris LeVert, both off the bench.

“(The shooting) comes from our thrust at the rim and how we get there, and how we set the defense after that, and made good passes,” Atkinson said.

Sean Kilpatrick led Chicago with 20 points, and Bobby Portis had 18 points and eight rebounds.

“Tonight was obviously a debacle,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “We were stuck in mud from the beginning of that game.”
Portis scored 13 points in the first quarter to help erase an early 16-7 Nets lead.

In the second quarter, baskets by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson bookended a 14-1 run for the Nets which opened a 61-47 lead with 1:11 left until halftime.

Crabbe knocked down four of the Nets’ nine 3-pointers in the third as Brooklyn pushed the lead past 20 points, cruising the rest of the way.

“It’s pretty tough, man,” Portis said of defending Brooklyn. “It’s like playing the Rockets. They shoot a lot of 3s. They shoot a lot of contested shots. That’s what their coach preaches.”

Brooklyn made 19 3-pointers Thursday in a win against Milwaukee. Its previous season high was 21 in a Feb. 10 loss to New Orleans.
Joe Harris made four 3-pointers and scored 16 points for the Nets, who were 24 for 55 from deep.

TIP-INS
Nets: F Dante Cunningham (back spasms) returned after missing Thursday’s win against Milwaukee. … F DeMarre Carroll (left hip) and C Jahlil Okafor (right ankle) were held out for the second straight game, although Atkinson said Okafor was available to play.
Bulls: Rookie F Lauri Markkanen was held out of the game as he has not been playing back-to-back games recently due to back and elbow injuries. Markkanen scored 20 points in 23 minutes in Friday’s loss to Boston, his third consecutive game with at least 20 points, all of which were achieved in 25 minutes or less. … F Noah Vonleh (calf strain) missed his second straight game and C Robin Lopez (rest) was held out of his third straight game.

DRAFT DRAMA
The teams are both 27-53 with two games remaining and will meet again Monday in Brooklyn in another crucial game for draft positioning.
The Nets’ first-round pick is owned by Cleveland after being moved via Boston in the Kyrie Irving trade last August.

DEEP THREATS
Brooklyn’s 24 3-pointers pushed them over 1,000 for the season, ending the game with a franchise record 1,012.
The previous season high was 877 last year.
The Nets trail only Houston for 3-pointers made league-wide. The Rockets entered Saturday with an NBA-record 1,213.
It was Brooklyn’s 15th straight game with double-digit 3-pointers made, setting a franchise record.

LOYOLA LAUDED
The Loyola men’s basketball team was honored at the game after their surprising recent Final Four run in the NCAA Tournament.
Former Ramblers star Milton Doyle, a Nets rookie from Chicago, proudly watch his team make the run as an 11-seed.
“It was just like watching my family, enjoying all the success,” Doyle said. “It was great seeing everything that was going on and them getting all the praises and all the shout-outs from the big stars.”

SEAN STREAKING
Kilpatrick had at least 20 points for the third straight game, matching the longest streak of his career. He has scored double digits in six of the seven games he has played for Chicago since signing on March 26.

UP NEXT
Nets: The teams will meet again Monday in Brooklyn, then the Nets will close the season Wednesday in Boston.
Bulls: After Monday’s rematch, the Bulls will close their season Wednesday against visiting Detroit.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Redick, Simmons star in Philadelphia’s 11th straight win

PHILADELPHIA — The focused 76ers have their eyes and hearts set on home-court advantage in the playoffs.

J.J. Redick scored 19 points and Ben Simmons had 15 points and 12 rebounds to lead Philadelphia to its 11th straight victory, 121-95 over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night. That kept the 76ers in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with five games remaining.

“We don’t hide from our goal,” Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said. “We want home court.”

If the playoffs started on Wednesday, the 76ers would host a first-round series. They remained a half-game behind third-place Cleveland and in front of fifth-place Indiana, which began Tuesday a half-game behind Philadelphia. The 76ers have five games remaining, including Friday’s home contest against the Cavaliers.

Redick said that goal helped Philadelphia easily dispatch the Nets, who merely are playing out the string.

“It’s tough when you’re not playing for anything,” Redick said. “We have to take advantage of teams that aren’t playing for anything. We really imposed our will defensively and the force we played with offensively.”

The veteran guard even got some welcomed rest.

Neither Simmons nor Redick played in the fourth quarter for Philadelphia, which won its third consecutive contest without All-Star center Joel Embiid. Embiid had surgery on Saturday after suffering an orbital fracture in his left eye in Wednesday’s 118-101 win over the Knicks. Embiid will be out for the remainder of the regular season and is slated to return for the playoffs, although his exact return date is not known.

Marco Belinelli added 17 points for the 76ers (47-30), who also didn’t have starter Dario Saric (cellulitis right elbow).

Spencer Dinwiddie had 16 points for the Nets (25-53).

Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson was displeased with the effort.

“From a physical and mental standpoint, we weren’t focused and ready to play,” he said. “It was evident. We were not engaged physically or mentally and that’s what happens. It was a layupathon.”

The 76ers were up 61-49 at the half and took control in the third quarter. Philadelphia scored 11 of the first 12 points of the period, capped by Redick’s fast-break layup with 8:36 left that made it 72-50. They went on to outscore the Nets 32-22 in the period to take a 93-71 advantage into the fourth.

TIP-INS

Nets: Atkinson said he wants rookie Jarrett Allen to focus on improving his rebounding this offseason by bulking up and developing a more “assertive” mentality. … Brooklyn lost the rebounding battle 56-36.

76ers: The 76ers unveiled a sculpture of Hall of Famer Julius “Dr. J” Erving on Tuesday at their practice facility in Camden, New Jersey. Erving rang the ceremonial Liberty Bell prior to tipoff. … Brown said it’s unlikely that guards Markelle Fultz and Simmons would see the court together during the playoffs, explaining that he needs to surround both with shooters. The duo did see time together in the third quarter against the Nets.

IMITATE THE PROCESS

Atkinson is trying to model the Nets’ rebuild after the 76ers. “I observed closely their whole process and how they built this,” he said before the game.

WALKING WOUNDED

Nets F DeMarre Carroll (left hip strain) limped to the locker room 3 ½ minutes into the second half and didn’t return. He finished with 10 points in 18 minutes. Atkinson didn’t have an update afterward. Brooklyn G Allen Crabbe (illness) didn’t play. Joe Harris replaced him in the starting lineup and had 13 points.

G Isaiah Whitehead had season-ending surgery on Tuesday to repair a ligament injury in his right wrist. Whitehead averaged 6.3 points in 16 games for Brooklyn.

Saric won’t make the trip to Detroit for Wednesday’s game against the Pistons. Brown expects him to return for Friday’s home contest against Cleveland.

UP NEXT

Nets: At Milwaukee on Thursday night.

76ers: Host Detroit on Wednesday night.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Short-handed Nets beat Thunder in Mexico City

MEXICO CITY — Caris Levert scored 19 points, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 17 and short-handed Brooklyn overcame another strong performance by Russell Westbrook to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 100-95 on Thursday night in the first of the Nets’ two games in Mexico City.

Westbrook had 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Allen Crabbe had 15 points for Brooklyn, playing without guards Jeremy Lin and D’Angelo Russell because of injuries and without power forward Trevor Booker after he was traded to Philadelphia before the game.

The Nets improved to 10-14 with their second straight victory and third in four games. They will play the Miami Heat on Saturday at Arena Ciudad de Mexico. The Thunder (11-13) had won three in a row.

Steven Adams added 12 points for the Thunder, and Carmelo Anthony had 11 on 5-for-20 shooting. Oklahoma City also missed key players Paul George (right calf contusion) and Jerami Grant (left hip contusion).

source: sports.inquirer.net

Nets clinch playoffs spot with win over Rockets

NEW YORK, New York—The Brooklyn Nets clinched a playoff berth by beating the Houston Rockets for the first time in eight years as Joe Johnson scored 32 points in a 105-96 victory Tuesday.

Shaun Livingston added 17 points for the Nets, who extended their home winning streak to 14 games, longest in their National Basketball Association history and tops in the league this season. They also pulled within one-and-a-half games of Toronto and Chicago for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Nets ended a 14-game skid against Houston with their first victory in the series since March 13, 2006. The Nets hadn’t defeated the Rockets at home since March 31, 2003, when they were still playing in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

James Harden scored 26 points for Houston.    



Golden State’s Stephen Curry made a tiebreaking jump shot in the final second of overtime to help lift the Warriors to a 122-120 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Curry finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Klay Thompson led Golden State with 27 points, and Jermaine O’Neal added 20.

Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 33 points and 11 rebounds. He had 16 in the Mavericks’ 41-point second quarter.

Dallas dropped from seventh in the Western Conference to ninth, a half-game behind Memphis and Phoenix in the final two playoff positions.

At Los Angeles, Damian Lillard scored 34 points and LaMarcus Aldridge had 31 points and 15 rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers overpowered the Lakers 124-112.

The Blazers’ fourth straight victory, coupled with Houston’s loss at Brooklyn, moved Portland within one-and-a-half games of the Rockets for fourth place in the Western Conference and home-court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs. The Rockets have three games in hand.

Nick Young, the fifth and last player off the Los Angeles bench, made his first eight shots and finished 15 for 26 with a season-high 40 points. But it wasn’t enough to prevent the Lakers’ 10th defeat in 14 games. They slipped to 25-49—the most losses by the club since finishing 33-49 in 1993-94. The franchise hasn’t lost 50 games in a season since 1974-75 (30-52).

source: sports.inquirer.net

Nets beat Heat in 2OT for 5th straight win

NEW YORK – Joe Johnson scored 32 points, Shaun Livingston helped Brooklyn dominate the second overtime after LeBron James fouled out, and the Nets beat the Miami Heat 104-95 on Friday night for their fifth straight victory.

Livingston had two baskets and two blocked shots in the second OT, finishing with 19 points, 11 rebounds and five assists over 51 minutes in a sensational effort while starting for injured Deron Williams.

Paul Pierce scored 23 points but missed jumpers that could have won it at the end of regulation and the first overtime. Still, the Nets remained unbeaten in 2014, adding a victory over the two-time defending NBA champions to their recent wins over Oklahoma City and Golden State.

James had 36 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Heat, but fouled out on an offensive foul with 36 seconds left in the first overtime and the Heat trailing by two.

Miami pushed it to a second overtime without him, but it was all Nets from there against a Heat team that was already missing Dwyane Wade and two other starters.

Norris Cole scored 18 points, but Ray Allen was 2 of 14 for nine points in place of Wade, who rested his sore knees after playing 39 minutes in a loss at New York on Thursday. Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers also sat out the game, which featured players on both teams wearing nicknames on their jerseys, a first of its kind in the NBA.

Livingston and Johnson made the first two baskets of the second overtime, then Livingston blocked a shot by Cole.

Pierce followed with a 3-pointer, Kevin Garnett made a jumper and Livingston spun into the lane for a dunk and a 104-93 lead. He had another block on Allen, who finally made the Heat’s only basket of the second OT on a wide-open layup with 16 seconds to go.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Nets nab needed win in Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tennessee—The struggling Brooklyn Nets seized a much-needed NBA victory Saturday with a 97-88 triumph over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Brook Lopez, in his second game back from an ankle injury, took charge in the fourth quarter, scoring 12 of his 20 points in the final period to help the Nets seal the win.

Lopez, who was sidelined for seven games, added nine rebounds, Joe Johnson scored 27 points and Andray Blatche chipped in 21 for the Nets, who showed renewed energy in bouncing back from a 114-95 loss at Houston on Friday.

Coach Jason Kidd benched most of his starters for the entire second half of that game, but Brooklyn came out strong against the Grizzlies, taking a 48-37 halftime lead and thwarting Memphis’ efforts to rally.

“Some of us, man, we have to look in the mirror,” Johnson said of the Nets’ early-season struggles. They had lost seven of the previous eight games.

“As the coaching staff said, they don’t think we’re giving it our all or we’re not playing hard. Everybody has to check themselves.”

Quincy Pondexter scored for 20 of his 22 points in the final 13 minutes, but it wasn’t enough for the Grizzlies.

Mike Conley had 16 points and 10 assists in the defeat, Memphis’s third in their last four games.

source: sports.inquirer.net