Anthony Davis had 30 points, 23 rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 117-112 Game 1 road win over the Golden State Warriors.
Davis had a double-double by halftime with 23 points and 11 boards at the break, and finished with a personal playoff high in rebounds.
Reigniting his playoff rivalry against Stephen Curry, LeBron James scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Dennis Schroeder added 19 points off the bench.
The Warriors made 21 3-pointers to the Lakers’ six, but Los Angeles offset that deficit by dominating inside. The Lakers outscored the Warriors in the paint 54-28 and shot 25 for 29 from the free throw line, while Golden State attempted just six free throws – the team’s fewest in a playoff game in franchise history.
Curry, coming off a Game 7-record 50 points to close out the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, made 6 3-pointers en route to a team-high 27 points but shot 10 of 24 from the field.
The Lakers took a 112-98 lead with 5:58 remaining, but the Warriors tied the game with a 14-0 run, capped by a Curry 3-pointer that sent the Chase Center into a frenzy with 1:38 left.
Los Angeles sent aggressive double teams at Curry late, leaving Jordan Poole with a pair of last-minute shot attempts that did not fall.
Poole and Klay Thompson each made six 3-pointers for the Warriors, while Kevon Looney continued his rebounding spree, grabbing seven offensive boards and 23 total.
The Warriors will look to bounce back when they host Game 2 on Thursday.
Brunson, Randle help Knicks even series with Heat as Butler sits
Jalen Brunson scored 30 points, Julius Randle was strong in his return from injury and the New York Knicks earned a 111-105 victory Tuesday over a Miami Heat team without Jimmy Butler, evening their second-round playoff series at a game apiece.
Brunson, who shouldered some blame for Sunday’s Game 1 loss after going 0 for 7 from 3-point range, bounced back by shooting 6 of 10 from deep.
Battling a sore right ankle, Brunson scored 23 of his 30 points in the second half, helping the Knicks rally from a fourth-quarter deficit to avoid a demoralizing loss.
The Heat led 93-87 with 7:03 remaining, but Brunson scored 10 points in the Knicks’ ensuing 14-3 run that secured the victory.
Randle, who missed Game 1 due to a sprained left ankle, responded with 25 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, while Josh Hart came up just short of a triple-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.
The Knicks outrebounded the Heat 50-34.
The Heat played without the leading scorer in this year’s playoffs after Butler was ruled out because of a right ankle sprain. Caleb Martin replaced Butler in the starting lineup and led Miami with 22 points.
Butler, who is scoring 35.5 points per game this postseason, will get a few extra days to rehabilitate before Game 3 in Miami on Saturday.
NBA: Doncic's late 3-pointer gives Mavericks 2-0 lead
Luka Dončić drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 3 seconds remaining and finished with a triple-double as the Dallas Mavericks rallied for a 109-108 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves and a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals on Friday night.
Doncic had 32 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds for his eighth triple-double in 42 career playoff games for the Mavericks, who erased a 16-point deficit midway through the third quarter.
After winning two on the road, the Mavericks look to take a commanding 3-0 lead as the series shifts to Dallas on Sunday night.
Naz Reid scored 23 points with seven 3-pointers, but his last shot at the buzzer rimmed out as the Timberwolves endured another off night from stars Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns. Edwards had 21 points on 5-of-17 shooting and Towns scored 15 on 4 of 16 from the field.
Jaden McDaniels, who had 20-plus points in each of Minnesota’s last three games, didn’t make a basket until midway through the third. He finished with two points on 1-of-6 shooting.
Kyrie Irving scored 13 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, including a 3 from the corner with 65 seconds left that drew Dallas within 108-106.
Minnesota committed two turnovers, the last one by Edwards, who recklessly threw the ball out of bounds off a drive with 13 seconds to go.
Doncic took the inbounds pass and dribbled to set up a screen for Dereck Lively II that triggered a switch by the Wolves. Rudy Gobert covered Doncic, but the Mavs superstar sank the 3 and then flexed his arms and yelled at the stunned crowd as his teammates mobbed him.
The Wolves pushed their lead to 68-52 on Mike Conley’s free throw with 9:07 left in the third quarter, but Dallas scored eight straight points and was within 79-77 on Irving’s basket with 1:22 to play in the quarter.
Confidence will not get the job done for the Celtics, warns Mazzulla
Joe Mazzulla warned the Boston Celtics that the confidence garnered from taking a 2-0 series lead against the Indiana Pacers is not enough to secure progress.
The Celtics won 126-110 on Thursday to move two games ahead in their Eastern Conference finals series against the Pacers.
Indiana were also dealt a blow when star player Tyrese Haliburton suffered a hamstring injury, which the Pacers will wait agonisingly on.
Yet with the Pacers having overturned a deficit to overcome the New York Knicks in the last round, Celtics coach Mazzulla knows the job is nowhere near done.
"The only thing we should be thinking about is, they were down 2-0 a series Tago and brought it to Game 7," Mazzulla said.
"They do a great job protecting their home court. They're undefeated at home. It's going to take a lot more than confidence to get the job done.
"We have to focus on the details and the execution and the mindset, the things that go into playing against a team like this at home.
"I know they're going to respond so it's up to us to do the same."
Jaylen Brown starred again for the Celtics, finishing with 40 points on the day he missed out on an All-NBA selection.
"We're two games from the Finals," he said when asked about that snub. "So, honestly, I don't have the time to give a f***."
Indiana, meanwhile, face the prospect of having to fight back against the NBA's best team without their key player.
"He does so many things for our team," T.J McConnell said of Haliburton.
"I think everyone has to move the ball more, get in the paint more. The ball movement has to be at another level. He gets 10 assists in his sleep, so it's hard for another person on our team to replicate that. It's a group effort when he goes down."
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle added: "We'll know more [on Friday] and then probably more Saturday."
Bickerstaff departs Cavs after four years in charge
J.B. Bickerstaff has been dismissed by the Cleveland Cavaliers after four years in charge of the Eastern Conference side.
Bickerstaff guided the Cavs to the playoffs in successive seasons, including their first Eastern Conference semifinals appearance since 2018 this term. There, they were beaten by the top seeds in the Boston Celtics.
The 45-year-old posted a regular season record of 170-159, with the youthful Cleveland winning at least 44 times in each of their last three campaigns.
Koby Altman, the Cavaliers' President of Basketball Operations, paid tribute to the outgoing coach as he revealed the franchise were seeking a change in direction.
"J.B. is a well-respected NBA coach and an incredible human being," Altman said.
"Over the past four years, he helped establish a culture that progressively drove players to become the best versions of themselves. Decisions like these are never easy, particularly when you look back at where this franchise rebuild started under his leadership.
"The NBA is a unique business that sometimes requires aggressive risk-taking to move a franchise forward and ultimately compete for championships. We owe a ton of gratitude for everything J.B. has contributed to the Cavaliers and his engagement in the Cleveland community."
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