LOS ANGELES — This time, the Warriors did not need to worry about squandering a 31-point lead. Instead, the Warriors needed to worry about other things.
A competitive game. Steph Curry’s shooting and fouling issues. The Warriors’ mixed success in matching the Clippers’ intensity.
With the third game of their first round in the NBA Playoffs in the books, the Milwaukee Bucks are in danger...of winning a game by only single digits. After winning by 35 and 21, the Bucks beat the Detroit Pistons by only 16 points on Saturday night, 119-103.
Through a loose whistle and a tough night for Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors found a way to win and take back home court advantage in their first round series.
It’s one of the most well-known quotes in the history of sports, “Defense wins championships.” And for the Houston Rockets, they are well on their way to receiving that long-awaited NBA title. After a hot start to the postseason, the Rockets look as if they are the team to beat out West, and Houston firmly believes they are a significantly better team than last postseason.
OAKLAND — Steve Kerr hardly minced his words about Kevin Durant, who had more turnovers (nine) than field-goal attempts (eight) in the Warriors’ Game 2 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Torrey Craig may have saved Denver’s season tonight.
In a must-win to keep their playoff hopes from slipping away, the Denver Nuggets earned a clutch 117-103 victory on the road over the San Antonio Spurs. Nikola Jokic dominated in every facet with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists, and Jamal Murray bounced back in a big way with 24 points and six assists of his own.
For three quarters, Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets looked like the team so many thought they would be. Murray couldn’t throw water into a well and early on the San Antonio Spurs were well on their way to taking a 2-0 lead back to Texas, a dejected Nuggets team in tow.
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Portland Trail Blazers at home in game 3, 120-108. In a hotly contested affair that ratcheted up to 11 as the game wore on, the Thunder finally put together the stingy defense and opportunistic offense that make them good enough to win a game. In a battle of elite point guards, Russell Westbrook finally came out slightly ahead of Damian Lillard, and because of it the Thunder will live to fight one more meaningful game.
The NBA regular season has ended, but the coaching carousel has just begun with vacancies opening throughout the league.
The most notable open head coach spot is in Los Angeles after the Lakers parted ways with Luke Walton on Friday. There's another opening in Sacramento, where a prospective head coach will take over for Dave Joerger to lead De'Aaron Fox and the Kings.
