National Basketball Association Playoff Game Capsules
Brooklyn, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – The Brooklyn Nets’ veteran cast responded brilliantly in a virtual must-win situation to put the Miami Heat on the ropes for the first time in this year’s playoffs. Joe Johnson led a balanced offensive attack with 19 points, but it was the Nets’ defense that sparked a third-quarter run which fueled a 104-90 victory over the two-time defending champion Heat in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Brooklyn held Miami to a 5-of-19 shooting rate while outscoring the Heat 26-14 in the third quarter, turning a two-point game at the half into a commanding 77-63 lead entering the fourth. The Nets also got a strong effort from the bench in cutting their series deficit to 2-1 and ending the Heat’s eight-game win streak in postseason play. Andray Blatche racked up 15 points and 10 rebounds in just 20 minutes, while Mirza Teletovic added 12 points and sunk a trio of 3-pointers during the pivotal third quarter. LeBron James scored 28 points for Miami, but only 12 came after the opening period. Dwyane Wade, the only Heat player to consistently hit shots in the third quarter, ended with 20. Brooklyn will attempt to even this best-of-seven set when it hosts Game 4 at the Barclays Center on Monday.
Final Score: San Antonio 118, Portland 103
Portland, OR (SportsNetwork.com) – Not even a return to Moda Center could help the struggling Portland Trail Blazers. Tony Parker scored a game-high 29 points, Tim Duncan had 19 and the San Antonio Spurs took a commanding 3-0 series lead with a 118-103 road win over Portland in Game 3 of this Western Conference semifinal. The veteran-led Spurs, who needed seven games to get past the pesky Dallas Mavericks in the opening round, have made it look easy against the upstart Blazers here in the second round. After winning by 24 and 17 points in Games 1 and 2, respectively, San Antonio shot a perfect 25-for-25 from the foul line on its way to a third consecutive blowout. Kawhi Leonard tallied 16 points with 10 rebounds and Manu Ginobili netted 14 off the bench for the Spurs, who committed just seven turnovers while forcing 14. Four Portland starters poured in 20-plus points, but with sixth man Mo Williams sidelined with a groin injury, the Blazers reserves contributed just six points — four of which went to C.J. McCollum in the final 1:34 — on eight shots. Wesley Matthews led the way with 22 points, Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge had 21 apiece and Nicolas Batum scored 20 in the deflating setback. Lillard, whose buzzer-beating 3-pointer in Game 6 of the first round eliminated the Houston Rockets, has struggled mightily from the arc in this series. Lillard made 23-of-47 against the Rockets but is 1-for-12 from distance in three losses to the Spurs. No team has ever come back to win a seven game series after trailing 3-0.
Categorized in: NBA