The Golden State Warriors will face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals for the 2nd straight year, after winning game 7 at home by 8pts against OKC. They became the 10th team in postseason history to come back from a 3-1 series deficit. Kerr made an adjustment to the starting lineup, giving Iguodala his 2nd start of the season. The Warriors fell behind by as many as 13 in the 1st half and trailed by 6 at halftime. Golden State had only 42 first half points, the fewest they've scored at home this season. But the Warriors rallied in the 3rd quarter, outscoring the Thunder 29-12 - with 12pts being the fewest that Golden State have allowed in a playoff 3rd quarter in the shotclock era. With OKC trailing by 4 with 1:18 to go, Ibaka fouled Curry whilst attempting a 3. Curry made all 3 free throws and the Thunder were unable to score another field goal. Curry finished with 36pts and 7 3-pters, whilst setting an NBA record 32 3's in a 7-game series. Thompson has 21pts on 6 3-pters, after missing his initial 7 shots. Durant had 27pts and Westbrook 19pts, 13asts, 7reb.
The Warriors won their first road game of the series, winning their second game in a row to tie the series 3-3 and force a game 7 back at home. Klay Thompson scored a playoff record 11 3-pters in the game, hitting more 3's than any other player had overall field goals in the game. He finished with 41pts on 11-of-18 3's, scoring 19pts including 5 3-pters in the 4th quarter. The first 4 3's came in just over 7min to begin the 4th quarter, and his 5th gave the Warriors the lead for good. Durant had 29pts and Westbrook 28pts, but they only combined for 20-of-58 fgs. Curry had 29pts on 9-of-22 shooting, narrowly missing a triple double with 10reb, 9asts, along with Westbrook who had 9reb, 11asts. Klay and Curry scored or assisted on 82 of the team's 108 points.
The Warriors were down by 5 after only shooting 36% in the first half, and Curry went scoreless in q1 for the first time this postseason. After OKC ended the 3rd quarter with a 9-2 run, the Warriors found themselves down by 8 to start the 4th. The Warriors inched closer throughout the quarter thanks to the hot 3pt shooting of Klay Thompson, and Curry was able to tie the game with a 3 of his own with 2:47 remaining. After Roberson scored off an offensive rebound, Iguodala scored on a driving layup then stripped Westbrook as he was attempting a shot, then Klay put the Warriors up 104-101 with 1:35 left with a 3-pter. With 35sec left, Iguodala stole a pass from Westbrook, Curry faked a step-back 3, then drove and banked it in to put the Warriors up 106-101 with 14sec left. After a Thunder timeout, Curry stole the inbounds pass to seal the game. OKC had it's 6th loss of the season when leading by 5+pts with under 5min to go, as the Warriors scored 10pts off 6 OKC turnovers - 4 of them coming from Westbrook in the last 1:39, after he only had 1 turnover through the first 3 quarters. Klay and Curry scored 27 of the Warrior's 33 4th quarter points.
The series will return to the Warrior's home floor where they will host game 7 for the first time in 40 years. The Warriors will look to return to the finals for a rematch with the Cleveland Cavaliers, with a good chance to beat a demoralised Thunder team who have lost 2 straight after being up 3-1 in the series. Home teams in the playoffs are 100-24 in game 7s.
NBA Top Plays (1min 29sec):
Warriors Thunder Game 6 4th Qtr Highlights (2min 22sec):
The Cavaliers won in the Air Canada Centre for the first time this season, blowing out the Raptors by 26pts to return to the NBA finals for a second straight year. James became the first player in the last 50 years to make the NBA finals in 6 consecutive years. He also passed Paul Pierce for 6th place for most career playoff 3-pters. He scored 30+ points for the first time in these playoffs, finishing with 35pts, 11reb, 6asts, 3blks, with Irving adding 30pts, 9asts. Love had 20pts, 12reb and Smith had 15pts including 5 3-pters. James had 14 1st quarter points and Cleveland hit 10-of-15 3-pters in the first half for a 14pt lead at halftime. Lowry scored 18pts in the 3rd quarter including 4-of-5 3-pters and Toronto went on a 17-8 run to end the quarter to close the gap to 12. But the Cavs outscored the Raptors 27-13 in the final quarter and outscored them 17-5 in fast break points for the entire game. Lowry finished with 35pts including 6 3-pters and Derozan 20pts, with no other Raptors in double figures. Cleveland will face the winner of the OKC/GSW series, and will have home court advantage over Oklahoma City, but not over the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors won at home by 9pts to avoid elimination and force a game 6 vs the Thunder. Warrior's coach Steve Kerr changed to a bigger lineup by playing Andrew Bogut for 17min in the 1st half, and he was able to limit the Thunder to 5-of-20 shooting in the paint in the first half. He also scored a playoff career high 15pts and had 14reb. Durant had a game-high 40pts and Thompson had 27pts. Westbrook and Curry had similar stat lines with 31pts, 7reb and 5stls each, with Westbrook having 8 assists with 7 turnovers and Curry 6 assists with 5 turnovers. The Warriors had a narrow 4pt lead going into the 4th quarter, then outscored the Thunder 39-34 to finish the game. With 1:23 left and the Thunder down by 8, Curry stripped the ball from Durant, then drove the lane switching hands in mid-air for the made layup plus a foul for a 3pt play, then yelled "We're not going home!" to the home crowd. With the Warriors up 114-103 with 50sec left, Durant was fouled shooting a 3-pter and made all 3 free throws. Curry was then triple-teamed as he crossed the half-court and Westbrook stole the ball and made a 2pt shot whilst being fouled with 40sec left to cut the lead to 6. Westbrook missed his free throw and got the offensive rebound, but Durant missed a 3 with 35sec left that could have brought the Thunder to within 3. The Warriors made 6 consecutive free throws to ice the game, and will face the Thunder back in OKC for game 6.
The Cavs remain unbeaten at home and are one win away from the NBA finals. They embarrassed the Raptors by 38pts - the team's biggest margin in playoff team history. Love bounced back from poor games in 3 and 4 to hit his first 6 field goals for 19pts in the first half, including 3 3-pters and 4 free throws. He finished with 8-of-10 fgs for 25pts, Irving added 23pts and James added 23pts, 6reb, 8asts in 31min. Cleveland ended the first quarter with a 17-3 run on their way to a 31pt halftime lead - the largest halftime lead in NBA conference finals history. The Raptors previously had never been down by 30pts in any game prior. Valanciunas returned from injury to score 9pts on 4-of-4 fgs, but were only able to get 14pts and 13pts from Derozan and Lowry respectively, with no other Toronto players in double figures. Game 6 returns to Toronto with the Raptors down 3-2 in a must-win game, with the road team continuing to be winless in this series.
The Thunder are one win away from the NBA finals after blowing out the Warriors at home for the second straight time. OKC won by 24pts and handed the Warriors their first back-to-back loss of the season. They led 72-53 at halftime, matching their previous game's record of 72pts in a half in a playoff game, something that hasn't been done since the Lakers in 1987. The Warriors turned the ball over 13 times in the first half, and lost every quarter to the Thunder except the 3rd, when Klay scored 19 straight points in under 5min 7sec. He finished with 26pts and Curry 19pts, but they were unable to hold off a triple double of 36pts, 11reb, 11asts from Westbrook and 26pts, 11reb, 4asts, 4stls, 3blks from Durant. The Thunder are 19-0 this year when Westbrook has a triple double - it was Westbrook's first triple double in these playoffs, and it was his 3rd 30 point triple double of his career. Roberson also added a career high 17pts, along with 12 rebounds and 5 steals. The Warriors face elimination down 3-1 in the conference finals, a deficit which has only ever been overcome 2 out of 39 times.
The Raptors win at home again to even up the series with the Cavs at 2-2. Lowry had 35pts including 15pts and 3 3-pters in the 2nd quarter, and Derozan had 32pts for their highest combined scoring output as teammates. They became the first teammates since Barkley and Majerle in 1993 to have at least 30pts on 60% fg in a conference finals game. Lebron had 29pts, 9reb, 6asts whilst playing 46min, Irving added 26pts, but Love struggled with 10pts on 4-of-14 shooting. The Cavs trailed 57-41 after the first half, and were down by as much as 18, but were able to cut the deficit to just 9 by the start of the 4th quarter. The Cavs started the 4th quarter with an 8-0 run to get within 1, and then both teams traded baskets with the Cavs making 11 consecutive field goals. Irving had a long 3-pter that cut the lead to 101-99 with 2min left, then Derozan banked in a shot with 1:32 left after missing his initial shot. Down by 4, the Cav's Smith had his 3-pter blocked by Biyombo, who then collected an offensive rebound on the other end off Lowry's miss. After a timeout, Lowry ran down the shot clock then blew by Smith for an uncontested layup, giving the Raptors an insurmountable 105-99 lead with 22sec left. The Cavs and Raptors have not won a single road game against each other in these playoffs or the regular season.
OKC dominated the Warriors in game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead, winning at home by 28pts after losing their previous game by 27pts. OKC finished the 1st half 72-47, after ending the half on a 24-7 run. OKC's 72pts in a half is the most against the Warriors this season, and is the most in OKC's playoff history. OKC continued their onslaught in the 3rd quarter, hitting 17-of-22 fgs to score 45pts in the quarter. Durant and Westbrook only played the first 3 quarters, but combined for 63pts, 16reb, 14asts on 20-of-34 fgs. Durant had 33pts and Westbrook nearly had a triple double with 30pts, 8reb, 12asts, as they outscored the Warrior's starters 63-57. The Warriors trailed by as many as 41pts, as OKC went on to total a franchise playoff record 133 points, and also outrebounded the Warriors 52-38. Curry had 24pts and Thompson 18pts with no other Warriors player in double figures. The Thunder have now won 6 of their last 8 games coming against both the Spurs and Warriors - the 2 teams with the best regular season records. Game 4 will be played in Oklahoma City, where the Warriors will try to avoid losing back-to-back games, something they haven't done all season.
NBA Top Plays (1min 22sec):
Durant and Westbrook combine for 63pts (4min 39sec):
The Raptors won game 3 at home - the first time an Eastern Conference Finals game has been hosted in Toronto, handing Cleveland it's first playoff loss. Toronto won it's first quarter of the series in q1, then led by 13pts after the 1st half. Cleveland trailed by as many as 18pts in the first half, its largest deficit this postseason. Derozan (32pts) and Lowry (20pts) combined for 52pts and Biyombo had a franchise record 26 rebounds, including 10 in the 1st quarter alone. James has 24pts and Smith 22pts including 6 3-pters on 15 attempts. Love and Irving combined for only 16pts on 4-of-28 fgs combined. James also moved into 3rd place in postseason assists, overtaking Jason Kidd.
The Cavs got another blowout win against the Raptors, winning by 19pts to take a 2-0 series lead before the series shifts to Toronto. After a 30-28 lead in the 1st quarter, the Cavs surged ahead scoring 32-20 in the 2nd quarter for a 14pt lead after halftime. James had a triple double with 23pts, 11reb, 11asts, and did most of his scoring in the paint, with Irving adding 26pts and Love 19pts. Lebron overtook Shaq for 4th all-time in playoff scoring. The Cavs have beaten teams in these playoffs by an average of 13.4ppg.
The Warriors bounced back with a 27pt win over the Thunder to even the series at 1-1. The Warriors led by 8 after halftime then pulled away after winning the 3rd quarter 31-19. Curry scored 17pts in the 3rd qtr, including 15 straight points in just under 2minutes, and finished with 28pts on 5-of-8 3-pters. Durant scored 23pts in the first half including 7-of-8 field goals in q2 and finished with 29pts, and Westbrook had 16pts, 12asts. The Warriors led by as many as 35 points with 2:42 remaining and outrebounded the Thunder 45-36. The series now shifts to OKC for games 3 and 4.
The Cavs blew out the Raptors in game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, winning by 31pts - the largest margin in Cavs postseason history. They shot 67% in the first half, and dominated the Raptors in the paint 56-36 and outrebounded them 45-23. The game was put out of reach after a 20-2 run in the first half, as the Cavs outscored the Raptors 33-16 in the 2nd quarter. Lebron made his first 9 shots on his way to 11-of-13 field goals for 24pts in only the first 3 quarters. Irving scored 27pts through the first 3 quarters, and Derozan and Lowry were held to only 18pts and 8pts respectively, without any free throw attempts.
The Thunder stunned the Warriors on the road, winning by 6 to steal home court advantage. The Warriors led by 13 after the first half after Thompson scored 19 of his total 25pts, but the Thunder bounced back with a 14-2 run and 38pts in q3 to close the gap. OKC went ahead in the 4th qtr and the Warriors went on a 7-0 run get back to within 1 with 2min to play, but they were unable to get any closer. The Warriors lost at home for the first time this postseason, and were held to only 42pts in the second half, and only 14pts in the 4th qtr - the lowest totals for the Warriors these playoffs. Curry finished with 26pt, 10reb, 7asts and broke Reggie Miller's record for most consecutive playoff games with a made 3-pter at 45 games. Westbrook had 27pts, 12asts, 7stls, including 19pts in the 3rd qtr. Durant finished with 26pts and made a dagger jumper with 30.7sec left to put the Thunder up by 5, after missing his previous 8 shots.
The Raptors blew out the Heat by 27pts in game 7 to reach their first ever Eastern Conference Finals. They got 35pts including 5-of-7 3-pters, 9asts, 7reb from Lowry and 28pts from Derozan, as well as 17pts, 16reb from Biyombo. Lowry became the first player in team history to have back-to-back 35+pt playoff games. The Raptors led by 8pts after 3 quarters and extended the lead throughout the 4th quarter. The Raptors scored at least 30pts in a quarter for the first time in the series (3rd and 4th quarters) as Miami suffered it's worst-ever game 7 loss and became the first team to both win and lose a game 7 by 20+pts in the same playoffs. The only remaining teams in the NBA never to reach a conference finals are the Hornets, Clippers and Pelicans. Wade passed Havlicek for #11 in postseason scoring surpassing 6 people in these playoffs alone.
The 2nd-seeded Raptors will face the 1st-seeded Cavaliers, who have had plenty of rest following their sweep of Atlanta. The 3rd-seeded Thunder will face the 1st-seeded Warriors, after eliminating the 2nd-seeded Spurs.
NBA Top Plays (1min 50sec):
Wade Playoff Mix (2min 46sec):
Damian Lillard Top 10 Plays of Season (2min 36sec):
The Heat avoided elimination at home, winning by 12 points to force a game 7 in Toronto. The Heat were led by Dragic who scored a career high 30pts, including 14pts in the 2nd qtr to give the Heat a 9 point lead. The Heat would extend the lead to as much as 13 in the 3rd qtr, but Toronto could only cut the deficit to 6 in the 4th qtr. Wade had 22pts, 13 coming in the 2nd half, and a game-high 3 blocks. Lowry had 36pts and Derozan 23pts but were unable to score down the stretch. The Heat are now 6-0 in their last 6 elimination games, and the Raptors are 0-7 when leading a playoff series. The Raptors have not lost back-to-back games since March 23-25. Both teams won their game 7's in the first round, and the winner of this game 7 will face the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Thunder blew out the Spurs at home to win the series 4-2, and will advance to the Western Conference Finals to face the Warriors. The Thunder lead by 6 after ending the 1st qtr on a 12-0 run, and then led by 24pts after ending the half on a 17-2 run. The 24 point deficit was the Spur's largest since they faced Seattle in 2002, after they shot 31.1% from the field and missed all 9 3-pters. Down by 26 entering the 4th qtr, the Spurs got to within 11 but ultimately lost by 14pts as KD scored 37pts and Westbrook 28pts. Aldridge had 18pts, 14reb, Leonard 22pts and Duncan 19pts, but no other scorers in double figures. The Spurs dominated in the regular season by winning a franchise record 67 wins and winning game 1 vs the Thunder by 32pts, but OKC was able to bounce back winning the last 3 games in a row.
Toronto narrowly won game 5 at home against the Heat. Toronto led by 20 at halftime, and by 13 to start the 4th qtr, but Wade brought the Heat back to within 1 with a jumper and 2 free throws with 1:54 left. With 52sec to go, Lowry hit a long stepback 3 to put the Raptors up by 6. Wade came back with a jumper but Lowry answered back with a jumper of his own with 23.7sec left. Wade had his next layup underneath the basket goaltended but Derzon made his final 4 free throws to tie his playoff high 34pts and seal the game. Lowry had 25pts, 10reb, 6asts and Wade had 20pts. The Heat will return to Miami again facing elimination with a 3-2 deficit.
The Warriors won at home by 4, beating the Blazers 4-1 to advance to the western conference finals. The Warriors battled back from an early double-digit deficit to go up by 8 with 5:35 remaining, but the Blazers came back with a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 1 with 4min left. After 3-pters from Iguodala and Curry, the Blazers went on a 7-2 run to get within 2 with 1:21 to go. Up by 2, Curry dribbled behind his back for a stepback 3 that iced the game with 25sec to go. Curry finished with 29pts, 11asts with 5 3-pters, and Klay added 33pts on 13-of-17 field goals. He shot 6 3's, setting an NBA playoff record with 7 consecutive playoff games with at least 5 3-pters made. Lillard and McCollum combined for 55pts. The Warriors will face the winner of the Thunder/Spurs series, with the Thunder leading 3-2.
The Thunder stun the spurs, beating them in San Antonio to take a 3-2 series lead. Westbrook recorded 35pts, 11reb, 9asts and Durant had 23pts, both combining to score or assist on 80 of OKC's 95pts. Leonard had 26pts and Green 20pts on 6-of-9 from 3pt range. Down by 6, Westbrook scored 7pts, 2reb and 1ast in the final 4minutes. Westbrook scored on a long 2, followed by a fastbreak layup. He missed his next shot but grabbed the offensive rebound and passed it to Kanter underneath the rim to tie the game with 2:20 left. Kanter blocked Tim Duncan's shot on the other end, then was able to tip in a missed bankshot by Durant to put the Thunder up by 2. Parker came back with a jumpshot to tie the game at 1:35. After a bad pass by Westbrook, Parker missed his next shot and OKC had a chance to take the lead with the game tied. Durant was fouled as Green crashed into him after tripping over Adam's foot, and Durant made both free throws for a 2pt lead. Parker was fouled with 43sec left, but was only able to trim the lead to 1 after missing his 2nd free throw. Durant lost the ball with 29sec left but the Spurs were unable to capitalise as Parker missed yet another jumpshot with 11sec remaining. After a timeout, Waiters inbounded the ball with 9.3sec left to Westbrook who was able to avoid the intentional foul before laying the ball in over Aldridge plus the foul. His made free throw with 6.3sec left put OKC up by 4 and the game out of reach. The Spurs had lost only 1 home game all season, but have now lost 2. OKC have a chance to wrap up the series in Oklahoma City in game 6.
Stephen Curry won the regular season MVP award for the 2nd year in a row, winning the award unanimously for the first time in MVP history. He is the 11th player to win back-to-back MVPs, and only the 3rd guard to do so. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook finished 4th and 5th in MVP voting, becoming only the 4th teammate pair to finish in the top 5 in the past 30 years - the others were Kobe and Shaq, Jordan and Pippen and Bird and McHale.
NBA Top Plays (1min 15sec):
Westbrook 35pts Highlights (1min 50sec):
Stephen Curry Ultimate Career Mixtape (8min 26sec):
Stephen Curry Top 30 Plays of Season (7min 43sec):
The Heat won game 4 at home by 7 points in the 3rd overtime game of the series. Game 4 was played without injured players Valenciunas (who was ruled out of the series) and Whiteside (listed as day-to-day). Lowry struggled on 2-of-11 shooting, fouling out with 1:58 to play with only 10pts. With the Raptors up by 2 with only a minute left, Derozan accidentally kicked the ball only to get it back after it rebounded off Dragic's face. Derozan put up a shot which missed, but he gained the offensive rebound after Patterson tipped the rebound back to him. After a timeout with 40sec left, Joseph missed a baseline jumper and Wade dribbled the ball up the court. With 12sec left, the defense didn't anticipate an early drive, and Wade exploded through the lane for a layup against 4 defenders to tie the game. In overtime, with the Heat up by 4 with a minute to go, Wade put up a layup which bounced off the front of the rim then bounced softly hitting the back of the rim, where it lay there stuck without going down. This resulted in a jumpball, which Toronto won resulting in a Derozan field goal. Up by 2, Miami's Dragic scored on a layup plus the foul to stretch the lead to 5. On the ensuing possession, Wade trapped the ballhandler at 3/4 court, stealing the ball for a 2-handed slam. Wade finished with 30pts as the rest of the Heat struggled, combining for only 1-of-12 3-pters. The series will return to Toronto for game 5, with the series tied 2-2.
The Warriors won game 4 in Portland in overtime to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Curry returned from a sprained right knee injury, coming off the bench to score 40pts, 9reb, 8asts in 37min of play. Curry led the Warriors to a 7 point win, running away with the game by scoring an NBA record 17pts in overtime, outscoring the entire Blazers team who had 14pts in overtime. Curry was only expected to play 25min, but starting guard Livingston was ejected after receiving 2 technicals for arguing a call before halftime. The Warriors trailed by as much as 16pts, as Portland scored a franchise playoff record 41pts in the 2nd qtr, including 17 from Lillard who notched 36pts and 10asts. Klay had 23pts and Green had 21pts with a career-high 7 blocks. With 1:07 to go, Curry missed a 3-pter with the Blazers leading by 1 and Plumlee extended the lead to 3 with a layup. After a timeout, the Warriors turned to Barnes who nailed a game-tying 3-pter. Lillard missed a stepback jumper and Curry had a chance to win the game but missed a running bank shot. Green got an offensive tip as the buzzer expired, but it also missed. Curry took over in overtime, hitting 6 consecutive shots including 3 3-pters, then turned to the crowd and told them "I'm back". Curry missed his first 9 3-pters, but was able to score 27pts off 5-of-7 3-pters in q4 and overtime combined. He is the second player in the last 30yrs to score 40pts off the bench in a playoff game (the other was Nick Van Exel in 2003). The Warriors have a chance to finish the series with game 5 returning to Golden State.
The Cavs held on to win game 4, sweeping the Hawks for the 2nd straight season. Atlanta started strong with 36pts in the 1st qtr on 6-of-11 3-pters, led by Millsap's 15 1st qtr points. Cleveland hit their first 9-of-12 3-pters, but still trailed by as much as 12 in the 2nd qtr. Late in the game, Schroder led a 6-0 run that would put the Hawks up by 1 with 1:31 left on a driving layup. Lebron then had good position under the rim but his shot was blocked by Horford and Lebron missed on 2 offensive tips before the Hawks knocked it out of bounds. On the inbounds play, Lebron cut to the basket and had his shot blocked by Millsap, but it was ruled as a goaltend as the ball had already hit the backboard. Schroder had his shot blocked on the next play by Thompson, and Lebron gave the Cavs a 3pt lead with a stepback jumper with 39sec left. Schroder cut the the lead to 1 with another driving layup, Lebron missed a long 3-pter with 14sec left and the Hawks raced the ball the other way with no timeouts remaining. Schroder drove the lane and pump-faked, but Lebron was able to come over with a double-team and tied the ball up for a jumpball with 2.4sec remaining. Lebron swatted the ball towards the sideline and Smith kept the ball inbounds. Millsap came up with the ball but his after-the-buzzer shot missed and the Cavs held on for a 1pt victory.
Love led all scorers with 27pts, 13reb, and had 8 3-pters through the first 3 quarters, including a 4pt play. James had 21pts, 10reb, 9asts and Irving had 21pts, 8asts, as the big 3 combined for 69pts. The Cavs became the first team in NBA history to make at least 15 3-pters in 4 consecutive games. They have made 77 3's in the series, tied for 2nd most, although they achieved the mark in 4 games compared to the other team's 7 games. They are averaging 16.75 made 3-pters in the playoffs, which is more than the Warriors 13.1 regular season average. The Cavs become only the 9th team in history to begin the playoffs with an 8-0 unbeaten record. Lebron has now led his team to the Eastern Conference Finals for the 6th year in a row - the 2nd year in a row with Cleveland.
OKC tied up the series at 2-2, winning at home against the Spurs by 14 points. OKC trimmed an 11pt deficit in the 2nd qtr, to 4pts to begin the 4th. Kevin Durant took over in the 4th qtr, scoring 17pts on 6-of-6 shooting, singlehandedly outscoring the Spurs who had 16pts in q4. OKC were up only 4 with 2:49 to go, but a 10-0 run by KD and Westbrook turned the game into a blowout. Durant tied his career playoff high with 41pts, scoring 29pts on 10-of-13 shooting in the 2nd half. Westbrook struggled with his shooting, scoring only 14pts, but he added 15 assists whilst Waiters added 17 and Adams 16pts. The Spurs struggled with their offense, finishing the game on 2-of-12 from 3pt range and only 12 assists compared to OKC's 23. The series will return to San Antonio for game 5.
The Raptors regained home court advantage after beating the Heat by 4 in Miami. Wade led all scorers with 38pts but was unable to overcome key clutch baskets by Lowry who had 33pts on 11-of-19 shots, including 5-of-8 3-pters. Miami were down by 13 after halftime but Wade scored 18pts in the 3rd qtr to tie the game entering the 4th qtr. Lowry gave the Raptors a 5pt lead after hitting a long 3-pter and 2 free throws with 1:34 to go. Wade assisted on a Haslem layup then drove in with a eurostep to cut the lead to 1. With 52sec to go, Wade clamped down on Lowry but he was still able to drive left and hit a stepback jumper for a 3pt lead. Wade again cut the lead to 1 with a driving layup, but after Derozan made 2 free throws, Joe Johnson missed on a 3-pter that would have tied the game, and the Raptors closed out the game with free throws. Whiteside and Valenciunas both left the game after being injured on separate plays and did not return.
The Blazers became the first team to beat Golden State twice this season, winning game 3 at home by 12 to move to within 2-1 in the series. The Blazers led by 12 after the first half and by as many as 20 in the 4th qtr. Their lead would have been larger if not for Draymond Green's 19pts in the 3rd qtr, on his way to 37pts, 9reb, 8asts. He also had a career high 8 3-pters, but would be overshadowed by Lillard who also had 8 3-pters on his way to 40pts with 10 assists. Lillard has now scored 40, 40 and 51pts against the Warriors when playing at home. Thompson had 35pts including 18pts in the 1st qtr, and along with Green became the first pair of teammates to score at least 35pts since Westbrook and Durant did it in 2011.
Cleveland won game 3 in Atlanta by 13pts to take a 3-0 series lead, after trailing 11pts in the 3rd qtr. They set a record by making at least 20 3-pointers in two consecutive games - making 21-of-39 after setting a record 25 3's in game 2. They also set a record for 3-pters made in a playoff series, with 61 in only the first 3 games. The Cavs finished the game with a 22-5 run and were led by Channing Frye's career playoff high 27pts including 7-of-9 3-pters. Love added 5 3-pters, and Irving 4 3-pters. Four Cavs players scored at least 20pts (Love 21, James 24, Irving 24, Frye 27), and three Cavs players had at least 10 rebounds (Love 15, James 13, Thompson 13). With the game already decided in the final minute, Teague picked up a flagrant foul after shoulder barging Lebron on a drive, sending him crashing into the fans behind the baseline. The Cavs continue to remain the only undefeated team in this year's playoffs and are 11-0 all-time against Atlanta in the playoffs. They are also 11-0 in playoff games where Love, Irving and Lebron have played together.
The Spurs narrowly beat OKC by 4 points, regaining home court advantage by winning game 3 on the road. After being down as many as 15 in the first half, OKC had a 4pt lead with 7min to go but trailed by 7 with just over a minute left. Durant missed a 3-pt attempt but Westbrook cleaned up the miss with a putback slam plus the foul and made the free throw. Durant stole the ball from Leonard on the next possession, and Westbrook was fouled on the fast break and made both free throws to pull within 2 points with 46sec remaining. The Spurs ran down the clock to 25sec and Aldridge missed a baseline jumper, but Leonard picked up the crucial offensive rebound and Parker would make both clutch free throws to extend the lead back to 4. OKC's final possession used up too much of the clock and whilst they were able to get back to within 2, Leonard made both free throws to put the game out of reach for good. Durant had 26pts and Westbrook 31pts, 9reb, 8asts but only shot 10-of-31 field goals. Westbrook and Durant have now both scored at least 25pts for the 33rd time, tied for 2nd all-time with Kobe and Shaq. The Spurs were led by Leonard's 31pts, 11reb along with 24pts from Aldridge and 19pts, 8reb, 5asts from Parker.
NBA Top Plays (1min 36sec):
Kawhi Leonard Duels Russell Westbrook in OKC (4min 11sec):
The Raptors won game 2 at home versus the Heat in a game that went into overtime for the second straight time. The Raptor's Carroll scored 21pts, Valenciunas had 15pt, 12reb including 11pt, 7reb in q4, and Derozan had 20pts and Lowry 18pts on a combined 16-of-48 field goals. The Heat were up by 7 midway through q4 but the Raptors came back to tie the game with 2:01 remaining. With 1:22 left, Derozon missed 2 free throws but Valanciunas made the offensive tip for a 2pt lead for the Raptors. Lowry made a jumper with 45sec left to make it a 4pt lead, but Wade answered with a 3-pter to cut the lead to 1. Lowry extended the lead back to 3 with a jumper. Dragic came back with a 3-pter to tie the game with 10.5sec left, playing with 8 stitches to his lip after getting elbowed in the 2nd qtr. Lowry had a chance to win the game but airballed a long 3-pter. In overtime the Heat missed their first 5 field goals and the Raptors pulled away with a 4 point win. Lowry became the first player in the shot clock era to shoot under 40% in 9 consecutive playoff games while taking at least 10 shots. The series will now switch to Miami for game 3 with the series tied 1-1.
The Cavaliers dominated game 2 at home against the Hawks, winning by 25pts after leading by 36 (74-38) at halftime - the largest halftime lead in Lebron's playoff career. The Cavs hit 18-of-27 3-pters in the first half, the most in a half in a playoff game. They ended the game shooting an NBA record 25 3-pters - the most in any regular season or playoff game, beating the previous record of 21 that was set by the Warriors. At least 10 players made at least one 3-pter - Smith had 7, James and Irving 4 each and Love 3, on their way to shooting 25-of-45. Lebron scored 27pts and surpassed Tim Duncan moving into 5th place in playoff scoring.
Miami won game 1 in Toronto by 6 in overtime. Down by 6 with 10sec left, Raptor's Terrence Ross missed a 3-pter and Josh Richardson grabbed the rebound but turned the ball over. Terrence Ross made his next 3-pter to get the Raptors to within 3 with 8 sec remaining. With 4sec to go, Luol Deng made a bad pass and Terrence Ross came up with the ball and was fouled, but only made his first of two free throws to pull within 2. Whiteside was fouled but only made the second of two free throws for a 3pt lead with 3sec left. The ball was inbounded to Kyle Lowry from the other side of the court, and he dribbled the ball to halfcourt with plenty of space from the Heat, who backed away in order not to foul. Lowry heaved the ball from just behind the halfcourt line, sinking it to tie the game and force overtime. The Raptors were again down by 3 with 10sec left in overtime, and Wade turned it over as he was unable to secure the inbounds pass. On the next play, Wade was able to strip Derozan and dove for the loose ball before dribbling it the length of the court for a 3-point play to put the game out of reach. Dragic and Wade combined for 50pts and Wade moved into 16th place all-time in playoff scoring with 3,638pts, just 4pts behind Scottie Pippen in 15th place.
The Warriors won their 2nd game at home to take a 2-0 series lead against the Blazers. The Blazers led by as many as 17pts in the 1st half by shooting 66.7% in the 1st qtr. Lillard scored 17pts in the 3rd qtr off 4-of-5 3-pters, one of them to beat the 3rd quarter buzzer. But the Warriors would come back to overcome an 11pt 4th qtr deficit - their largest this season, with Klay hitting a 3-pter with 5:33 remaining to take the lead. The Warriors held the Blazers to only 12 4th qtr points, tying their franchise playoff record. Klay finished with 27pts with 20 of them coming in the 2nd half, and has shot 26 3-pters on 52% shooting in the last 4 games. Draymond Green added 17pts, 14reb, 7asts, 4blks in Curry's absence, who is looking to return from injury in game 3 in Portland.
Cleveland won game 1 against the hawks by 11pts, after getting 8 days of rest after sweeping the Pistons. The Cavs led by as many as 18pts in the 2nd half, but the Hawks hit 4 3-pters to end the 3rd qtr on a 16-3 run to pull within 5. The Hawks gained the lead twice in the 4th qtr, but were unable to hold onto it - only managing 2 field goals in the last 4 minutes. The comeback was led by Schroder who scored a playoff career high 27pts. Lebron had 25pts, 9reb, 7asts, 5stls, Irving 21pts and Love 17pts.
OKC narrowly won game 2 on the road against the Spurs after losing game 1 by 32pts. OKC led for most of the game, and held a 1pt lead going into the final quarter. With 33sec to go, Durant hit a floater to put the Thunder up by 5 but Aldridge responded with a 3-pter - only his second of the season, to bring the Spurs within 2 with 25sec left. Westbrook put the Thunder back up by 4 after drawing the foul on Tony Parker and hitting both free throws. Aldridge was then fouled by Ibaka after pump-faking a 3-pter, then hit all 3 free throws to get within 1pt with 13sec left. The Thunder had trouble inbounding the ball after a timeout, as Ginobili crowded Waiters on the sideline. Waiters cleared some space by elbowing Ginobili - a foul that was not called by the referees, then threw a difficult lob pass to Durant who had the ball stripped by Danny Green. Patty Mills had an open 3-pter to win the game, but his shot fell short and San Antonio was unable to control the rebound as time expired. San Antonio lost only its second game at home this season, and were led by 41pts from Aldridge after scoring 38 in game 1. However he had little help from the rest of his team as the second-highest scorer was Leonard with 14pts. Westbrook and Durant combined for 57pts - Westbrook had 29pts, 7reb, 10asts and Durant 28pts. Home court advantage now goes to OKC as the series shifts to Oklahoma City for game 3.
Miami won game 7 easily against the Hornets to move to the next round to face the winner of the Raptors/Pacers series. The Heat won at home by 33 points, winning back-to-back games to avoid elimination. The Hornets were +20 with points in the paint over the first 6 games, but were -36 in game 7 as they were outscored 58-22. 18 of those points came from Goran Dragic, who led the game with 25pts. Whiteside helped control the defense with 5 blocks, along with 10pts, 12reb. Kemba Walker averaged 25pts in the first 6 games, but finished game 7 with only 9pts on 3 of 16 shooting.
The Warriors opened game 1 of the 2nd round by beating the Trailblazers at home by 12. Klay Thompson scored a career playoff high 37pts, hitting 7 3-pters for the 3rd playoff game in a row. Klay gave the Warriors an early 37-17 lead, outscoring the other team on his own with 18pts in the 1st qtr, including 4 3-pters. Draymond Green recorded his 2nd career playoff triple double with 23pts, 13reb, 11asts. Damian Lillard missed 11 of his first 13 shots, but finished with 30pts.
The Raptors won their first 7-game series in franchise history, beating the Pacers in game 7. With 7:31 remaining, the Pacers were down by 16pts, but were able to get back to within 3pts with 2:37 to go. Paul George notched 26pts, 12reb and got the Pacers off to a good start with 12pts in the 1st qtr - including a 2-handed 360 dunk. But in the 2nd half he was only 2 for 8 and had a costly turnover on the Pacer's last possession of the game whilst down by 3. Demar Derozen also got off to a hot start with 13pts in the 1st qtr, and ended with 30pts on 10 of 32 shooting. The Raptors advance to the second round to face the Miami Heat, after having not won a playoff series since 2001.
The Spurs opened game 1 against OKC at home and won easily by 32pts. The game was over after the first quarter, as the Spurs matched their playoff high for points in a quarter, scoring 43 in the 1st quarter for a 23pt lead. The Spurs would shoot 60.7% from the field and led by as many as 43pts before resting their starters in the 4th quarter. LaMarcus Aldridge had a game high of 38pts in just under 30min, and Kawhi Leonard had 25pts, 5reb, 5asts in under 22min, with both shooting a combined 28 of 36 from the field. Durant was held to 16pts on 6-of-15 shooting, and Westbrook 14pts on 5-of-19 shooting.
