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.
Doncic hails 'team player' Washington after Westbrook confrontation
Luka Doncic saluted "team player" P.J. Washington following his confrontation with Russell Westbrook during the Dallas Mavericks' victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Mavericks prevailed 101-90 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round series, with Doncic falling just shy of a triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Although, it was a feisty affair at the American Airlines Center, where Washington and Westbrook were both ejected after an altercation following the latter's foul and shove on Doncic.
The five-time NBA All-Star was grateful for Washington's support and intervention, paying tribute to his team-mate.
"The things he does, he's a team player," Doncic said. "He helps all of us. I'm just really happy we've got him on our team.
"I'm used to [getting subjected to extra physicality. I just try to stay calm and keep playing basketball."
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd was also pleased by the togetherness demonstrated by his players with emotions running high.
"We're all competing for each inch to try to win," he said. "This series is going to be more mental as it goes on, just because of the physicality.
"It's very physical, but the mental aspect of this series, we have to be sharp and we have to understand what's taking place. I thought the guys did a great job of protecting one another."
Durant urges Suns to use fans' frustration as 'fuel' towards playoff recovery
Kevin Durant has urged the Phoenix Suns to use their supporters' frustrations as 'fuel' to reduce their first-round series arrears against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Suns fell 3-0 behind in the series as they went down 126-109 in Game 3 at Footprint Center, where Anthony Edwards led the way for the Timberwolves with 36 points.
No team has overturned a 3-0 deficit in NBA playoff history, and the home fans' disappointment in their side's performance was evident with many heading for the exits long before the contest's conclusion.
Durant, who finished with 25 points, empathises with the supporters.
"They expect so much out of us, and they pay their hard-earned money, and they deserve to react how they want to react," he said. "It's on us as players to use it as fuel, and hopefully it ignites us for the next game [on Sunday]."
The Suns have now lost five successive playoff games - the joint-longest streak in their history - and face the prospect of getting swept for the first time in a quarter of a century.
"I've never been swept a day in my life," guard Bradley Beal said. "I'll be damned if that happens."
Head coach Frank Vogel added: "There's no quit in our group. This group does not want the season to come to an end. We want this really bad, so it is disappointing. It is frustrating.
"We're all very invested in this, and we're all pouring everything we have to bring these fans a team they could be proud of, and we feel like we can still do that, but we haven't played well enough in this series."
NBA: Haliburton lifts Pacers to 2-1 lead; Wolves take 3-0 lead and Mavs go up 2-1 on Clippers
Tyrese Haliburton capped his first career playoff triple-double with a three-point play with 1.6 seconds left in overtime that gave the Indiana Pacers a 121-118 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Friday's Game 3 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinals series.
Haliburton's winning shot and 18-point, 10-rebound, 16-assist performance lifted the sixth-seeded Pacers to a 2-1 lead in this best-of-seven series, which resumes in Indianapolis with Sunday's Game 4.
Indiana also received a big effort from Myles Turner, who set a playoff career-high with 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
With the game tied at 118-118, Haliburton was fouled by Patrick Beverley as he drained a 15-foot floater with time winding down. The All-Star point guard then calmly hit the ensuing free throw for a three-point Indiana advantage.
The third-seeded Bucks were able to get a shot off before the buzzer, but Khris Middleton's 3-point try missed the mark as time expired.
Middleton did record a playoff career high of 42 points to go along with 10 rebounds on a night Milwaukee was again without Giannis Antetokounmpo due to a strained left calf that's sidelined him the entire series.
Damian Lillard scored 19 of his 28 points in the second half for Milwaukee, which overcame a 17-point third-quarter deficit to force overtime on Middleton's 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds remaining in regulation.
Doncic leads Mavericks to chippy win
Luka Dončić fell just shy of a triple-double and the Dallas Mavericks turned up the defense in a chippy 101-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers for a 2-1 lead in their first-round series.
Doncic finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists and Kyrie Irving scored 19 of his 21 points in the final 13-plus minutes, including eight in the final 78 seconds of the third quarter.
The Mavericks continued their strong defense from Tuesday’s Game 2 road win and won at home three years after losing all three first-round home games in a seven-game loss to the Clippers.
Game 4 is Sunday in Dallas.
James Harden and Norman Powell each scored 21 points but stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard had little impact, combining for just 16 points on 7 for 18 from the field.
An already testy game reached a boiling point midway through the fourth quarter, when Russell Westbrook slung Doncic around after fouling him.
Westbrook was called for a technical for that contact and for shoving P.J. Washington after Washington confronted him. Washington was also called for a tech during the sequence, and already had one from an earlier shoving match with Terance Mann.
Edwards, balanced Timberwolves handle Suns
Anthony Edwards scored 36 points to lead six players in double figures and the Minnesota Timberwolves rolled to a 126-109 win over the Phoenix Suns to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their first-round series.
Edwards had nine rebounds and five assists, Rudy Gobert added 19 points with 14 rebounds and Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in 18 points and 13 boards as Minnesota took a 3-0 series lead for the first time in franchise history.
They can complete the sweep in Game 4 on Sunday.
Minnesota for the third straight game used a big third quarter to turn a close game into an easy win. The Wolves hit 7 of 11 3-pointers during the surge, including four from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, for a 95-73 lead entering the fourth.
Phoenix never got the deficit below double digits in the fourth and is one loss away from getting swept for the first time since 1998-99.
Bradley Beal scored 28 points and Kevin Durant added 25 for the Suns, who played without starting guard Grayson Allen (sprained left ankle). He led the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage this season.
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