Jayson Tatum is one of many St. Louis Cardinals fans mourning the death of Major League Baseball legend Lou Brock. The Cardinals announced Sunday that Brock had died at age 81. He was known as one of the best base-stealers of all time and was an icon in St. Louis, where Tatum grew up. So, […]
Celtics’ Jayson Tatum Pays Tribute To Lou Brock With Game 5 Sneakers — NESN.com
Los Angeles Clippers’ Landry Shamet (20) defends as Denver Nuggets’ Jerami Grant (9) takes a shot during the first half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game Monday, Sept. 7, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Los Angeles Clippers’ Reggie Jackson, left, defends as Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray (27) looks…
Clippers get past Denver Nuggets, take 2-1 lead in Western Conference semifinal series — Press Telegram
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The beauty of an even series is that for both teams, hope is burning brightly. The Lakers came away from their Game 2 win, a much better showing than their opening effort, believing they had finally showed what they were capable of — that they had finally understood the Rockets’…
Three trends that will define the Lakers-Rockets conference semifinals series — Daily News
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — His teammates call him “Smooth.” Markieff Morris is “Smooth” because of his low-pitched baritone that soft until the moment he needs to start talking tough on the court. “Smooth” wears blue Crocs after games — prioritizing comfort over fashion — and when he walks he takes slow, gliding strides. Most…
Markieff Morris breaks out for Lakers in Game 2 win — Daily News
The NBA fined Clippers guard Patrick Beverley $25,000 for “verbal abuse of a game official,” the league announced Monday in a statement from Kiki VanDeWeghe, executive vice president of basketball operations. The fine stems from an incident with 1:04 left in the Clippers’ 110-101 loss Saturday, when Beverley was assessed two consecutive technical fouls and…
NBA fines Patrick Beverley $25,000 for “verbal abuse” of official — Daily News
The Milwaukee Bucks avoided a sweep by beating the Miami Heat 118-115 in overtime of Game 4.
No Giannis, no problem: Bucks top Heat in OT, force Game 5 — The Florida Daily Post
Giannis Antetokounmpo was waiting in the locker room for his teammates Sunday, standing on his bad right ankle to greet every one of them.
His day ended early.
His season isn’t over yet.
Khris Middleton scored 36 points, including a big 3-pointer with 6.4 seconds left in overtime, and the Milwaukee Bucks avoided a sweep by beating the Miami Heat 118-115 in overtime of Game 4 of the teams’ Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The Heat still lead 3-1, but the Bucks — the best team in the regular season — are still alive, even after Antetokounmpo left early in the second quarter with an aggravation of his sprained right ankle.
“Khris is very unique,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “He’s got a way about him. He wanted to play. He asked to stay in the game.”
As if there was any other option. Middleton’s season-high before Sunday was 40 minutes; he logged 48 in Game 4, taking over with Antetokounmpo watching from the locker room.
“Just keep fighting,” said Middleton, who also had eight rebounds and eight assists. “That’s all my teammates did.”
Bam Adebayo had 26 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists for Miami. Duncan Robinson scored 20 points, Jae Crowder had 18, and Goran Dragic and Jimmy Butler each finished with 17 for the Heat.
“We didn’t deserve to win that game,” Butler said.
Miami had an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter, promptly allowed the Bucks to score the next 12, and now needs to come back Tuesday in an effort to finish the series off.
“At the end of the day, we should have played like we did in Game 1, Game 2 and Game 3,” Adebayo said.
Antetokounmpo scored 19 points for the Bucks in only 11 minutes, while Brook Lopez and Eric Bledsoe each had 14 for Milwaukee. George Hill added 12 for the Bucks.
Miami managed only two points in the first 4:30 of overtime, got within one on a 3-pointer from Tyler Herro, but Middleton delivered the biggest shot of the night to make it 116-112.
Herro made another 3-pointer with 3.0 seconds left, but Middleton sealed it with a pair of free throws — and Miami coach Erik Spoelstra lauded Milwaukee’s effort afterward.
“The reality is, they deserved to win the game,” Spoelstra said. “They were doing things with more force, more consistency.”
Antetokounmpo had 19 of Milwaukee’s first 30 points, shooting 8-for-10 from the floor. But in an instant, everything changed for the Bucks.
Antetokounmpo aggravated his sprained right ankle with 10:18 left in the second quarter, rolling it inward — just as he did in Game 3 on Friday — as he tried to drive past Miami’s Andre Iguodala. He tumbled to the court, grabbing the ankle and screaming in pain.
He took the free throws; without doing that, he would not have been permitted to return. But at halftime, the Bucks delivered the word that he would not be back.
So, his game was over.
The Bucks’ season wasn’t. Milwaukee said Antetokounmpo would get plenty of treatment Sunday night and Monday before a decision is made about his availability for Tuesday.
“He’s going to be back,” Bledsoe said.
Middleton did all he could to keep the Bucks afloat, scoring 21 points in the third quarter — the highest-scoring quarter of his career — on 6 for 9 shooting from the field and 7 for 7 from the foul line. His previous quarter-best was 20, on Nov. 1, 2017, against Charlotte.
He set the tone, and the Bucks’ season is still alive.
“We’ve got to fight every night to keep on playing,” Middleton said.
Bucks: Milwaukee missed 19 consecutive 3-pointers — its last 12 of Game 3 and first seven of Game 4 — before Antetokounmpo connected late in the first quarter. … Milwaukee won despite getting outscored 51-33 on 3-pointers.
Heat: Miami was looking to become the first No. 5 seed in NBA history to go 8-0 in the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Heat were the last unbeaten team in this year’s playoffs. … The Heat lost for only the fourth time in their last 17 series-closeout opportunities.
The Bucks avoided becoming the first overall No. 1 seed to get swept from the playoffs since 2001 when the Los Angeles Lakers did it to top-seeded San Antonio in the Western Conference finals. Budenholzer was a Spurs assistant at that time.
Middleton wasn’t the only Milwaukee player to log big minutes. Lopez played 42, Bledsoe 40, and Hill 37. “We’re absolutely a family. We always have each other’s backs,” Lopez said.
Game 5 is Tuesday.
Los Angeles Lakers’ Rajon Rondo (9) scores a three-point basket against Houston Rockets’ Austin Rivers (25) during the first half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Los Angeles Lakers’ Rajon Rondo (9) celebrates with LeBron James (23) after scoring a…
Lakers race by Rockets as Anthony Davis, LeBron James overpower on offense — Daily News
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Lakers-Rockets series might have four of the NBA’s players who are next to impossible to imitate. That doesn’t stop coaches from trying. Both the Lakers and Rockets have used scout teams to prepare their strategies for the series, using end-of-the-bench players to replicate All-Star counterparts. Houston coach Mike D’Antoni…
Lakers, Rockets rely on scout teams to plot out series adjustments — Press Telegram
Denver’s Nikola Jokic embodies the John Wooden saying, “be quick, don’t hurry.”
Nikola Jokic: “I’m patient because I cannot really run fast” — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports
[ad_1] Jamal Murray scored 27 points and Nikola Jokic had 26 points and 18 rebounds as the Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 110-101 in Game 2 of their Western Conference semi-final on Saturday. Game leaders Denver Nuggets Points: Jamal Murray – 27 Assists: Jamal Murray – 6 Rebounds: Nikola Jokic – 18 Los […]
NBA Playoffs: Jamal Murray scores 27 points as Denver Nuggets tie series against Los Angeles Clippers | NBA News — The Latest News
Kemba Walker said his lack of aggression was “unacceptable” after taking only nine shots in the Boston Celtics’ 100-93 loss to the Toronto Raptors in game 4. The series is now even at two. “I got to be more aggressive. I wasn’t aggressive enough. That’s unacceptable on my behalf, to be honest. There’s no way […]
Kemba Walker Says He’s ‘Got To Be More Aggressive’ After Taking Nine Shots In Game 4 Loss — Portal4News
Kemba Walker said his lack of aggression was “unacceptable” after taking only nine shots in the Boston Celtics’ 100-93 loss to the Toronto Raptors in game 4.
The series is now even at two.
“I got to be more aggressive. I wasn’t aggressive enough. That’s unacceptable on my behalf, to be honest. There’s no way I can just be taking nine shots. That’s unacceptable,” said Walker.
Walker finished the game with 15 points and 8 assists, while also going 1-for-6 from three.
Jaylen Brown, who shot 4-of-18 from the field, echoed Walker’s struggles.
“I just missed some open shots. I’m a good shooter. I’ve just got to make them. It’s make-or-break time, 2-2. The series is tied up. We didn’t play that well. I didn’t play that well. We got to bounce back and be ready to fight. That’s what it comes down to: fight. We have to be ready to fight for our lives next game and keep playing good basketball.”
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — So much fatigue. So much for playing tiny lineups. So much for an entire organization feeling crushing pressure to advance. The Lakers won the tip-off against the small-ball Houston Rockets in Game 1 of their second-round series Friday, and then every perceived advantage they had entering the night vanished. The…
Lakers fail to match the energy, speed of revved up Rockets in Game 1 — Daily News
The view from left field 