Given the absence of star centre Joel Embiid, who sprained his right knee during Thursday's 102-97 victory in game three, the Philadelphia 76ers' victory was all the more impressive.
Saturday was an exciting night in the ongoing NBA playoffs. To start with, the Philadelphia 76ers had a very dominant performance which took them to the semifinals of the Eastern Conference. In the Western Conference, the Suns held onto their lead of 3-1 against the Clippers. On the other hand, Miami East crushed Milwaukee Bucks 2-1 up. With the Spring season around the corner, this is perhaps one of the most exciting phases for NBA fans.
Given the absence of star centre Joel Embiid, who sprained his right knee during Thursday’s 102-97 victory in game three, the Philadelphia 76ers‘ victory was all the more impressive. With 33.1 points per game, Embiid led the NBA and is a finalist for the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) honour. To fill the void, Paul Reed entered the game and finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds. De’Anthony Melton came off the bench to score 15 points and spark Philadelphia’s comeback in the fourth quarter. Tobias Harris led Philadelphia in scoring with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Philadelphia won the series 4-0, completing its first playoff sweep since 1991. With 20 points, Spencer Dinwiddie was Brooklyn’s top scorer. Nic Claxton finished second with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Getting swept is trash,” a dejected Claxton said. “It’s not a good feeling.”
Kevin Durant contributed 31 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists in Los Angeles as the Phoenix Suns defeated the LA Clippers 112-100 to take a 3-1 series lead. Phoenix won in Los Angeles for the second time in a row thanks to Devin Booker’s 30 points and Chris Paul’s 19 points in a late scoring run. “I’m in a good place and I’m enjoying playing ball,” Durant said. “I’ve been out a few months this season, and I’m just happy I’m out here where the ball is.” With game five scheduled for Tuesday in Phoenix, the Suns only need one more victory to secure a spot in the Western Conference semifinals. The absence of Kawhi Leonard, who joined Paul George on the injured list, had hurt the Clippers’ chances of tying the series.
The Heat in Miami made the most of Milwaukee’s two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence by maintaining a double-digit lead for the majority of the game. Jimmy Butler finished the game with 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting, but he had to leave late in the third quarter after collapsing violently. He returned to the bench after using the lavatory, but since the game was already won, he did not get back on the ground. The Heat bench scored 59 points thanks to Duncan Robinson’s 20 points and Kyle Lowry’s 15 points. “We just came out here and played with some intensity…“Every game is a different game,”- Lowry said.
The Heat will try to level the series on Monday, but Lowry said he knows they’ll face a tough task. Coach Mike Budenholzer of the Bucks stated that the group would continue to “monitor” Antetokounmpo, who missed games one and two due to a back contusion and was a late scratch on Saturday and would look to further their lead in the Western Conference.
Get the latest from Sportslumo.com by following us on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube
Follow Us
