WASHINGTON (AP) —Philadelphia 76ers lost NBA MVP finalist Joel Embiid to what the team called a sore right knee late in the first quarter Monday night, they lost their lead — and their chance at the franchise’s first playoff sweep in 36 years.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A fan was tackled as he tried to get on the court during an NBA playoff game between the Wizards and 76ers on Monday night, the latest example of unruly behavior as teams increase the number of spectators they’re allowing in the stands during the pandemic.
MIAMI (AP) — Turns out, there was a reason the Milwaukee Bucks weren’t worried about a playoff rematch with the Miami Heat in Round 1 this year.
The last four games proved why.
Nikola Jokic had 36 points and 11 rebounds and the Denver Nuggets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 120-115 Thursday night to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series.
Another game. Another blowout.
The Milwaukee Bucks have a chance to sweep the Miami Heat out of the playoffs, and they’re making the task of dispatching the reigning Eastern Conference champions look very simple.
The New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz banned a total of five fans from their respective arenas and issued apologies Thursday for incidents during playoff games, and the NBA said that rules surrounding fan behavior will be “vigorously enforced” going forward.
Anthony Davis had 34 points and 11 rebounds, LeBron James added 21 points and nine assist and the Los Angeles Lakers celebrated their first home playoff game in more than eight years with a 109-95 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night in Game 3.
The Los Angeles Lakers were reeling late in the fourth quarter on Tuesday night. The Phoenix Suns had made a big run, their home crowd was in a frenzy and the defending NBA champions were in danger of going down two games to none in the first round.
A familiar face sat behind the Dallas Mavericks’ bench. Dirk Nowitzki, who led the franchise to its only championship in 2011 during his 21 seasons, came to see his old franchise that hasn’t won a playoff series since its title.
“Obviously, we don’t want to go that route,” Davis said of the play-in. “But if it happens, it happens.”
The Lakers’ final five games could include as many as four matchups against teams playing for something. Phoenix visits Los Angeles on Sunday, New York comes in Tuesday and lottery-bound Houston visits Wednesday. The Lakers end the regular season with a road back-to-back against Indiana and New Orleans — both play-in hopefuls — next weekend.
Damian Lillard had 38 points to lead Portland to a 106-101 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night that gave the Trail Blazers the tiebreaker over their Western Conference foe as the regular season winds to a close.
