Raptors Close Regular Season With Fourth Consecutive Win
By Dan Bruno
The Toronto Raptors defeated the Denver Nuggets, 117-109, on Friday at Orlando.
The contest marked the final regular-season action for both teams, who each rested most of their main rotation. In the Raptors' case many did not suit up for action, while the Nuggets had their regular starters play most of the first quarter, before handing the game over to their rotation. Nonetheless, the Raptors took control early on, after trailing 13-8 in the first quarter, they rallied ahead to a 31-23 lead by the end of the quarter and never looked back. The win marked their fourth in a row and capped off a 7-1 record through the seeding games. On the other hand, it marked the third straight loss for the Nuggets, who went 3-5 during the same period.
The Raptors had six players score in double digits, led by Stanley Johnson, who totaled 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting, six assists, four rebounds, a steal and a block, in 28 minutes. Paul Watson added 22 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal, while Norman Powell chipped in 15 points, six rebounds, two assists a steal and a block. The Raptors shot 50 percent from the field, including 18-of-35 from long range. With the regular season behind them, the Raptors can now look ahead to their first round matchup against the Nets, which is set to begin on Monday.
Meanwhile, P.J. Dozier led the Nuggets with 20 points, eight assists, five rebounds and two steals, in 31 minutes of action. Monte Morris followed up with 16 points, while Keita Bates-Diop and Jamal Murray added 11 points each, and Paul Millsap, Troy Daniels and Mason Plumlee added 10 points each. The Nuggets look ahead to their first-round matchup, which is set to begin on Monday, as they face off against the Jazz.
The contest marked the final regular-season action for both teams, who each rested most of their main rotation. In the Raptors' case many did not suit up for action, while the Nuggets had their regular starters play most of the first quarter, before handing the game over to their rotation. Nonetheless, the Raptors took control early on, after trailing 13-8 in the first quarter, they rallied ahead to a 31-23 lead by the end of the quarter and never looked back. The win marked their fourth in a row and capped off a 7-1 record through the seeding games. On the other hand, it marked the third straight loss for the Nuggets, who went 3-5 during the same period.
The Raptors had six players score in double digits, led by Stanley Johnson, who totaled 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting, six assists, four rebounds, a steal and a block, in 28 minutes. Paul Watson added 22 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal, while Norman Powell chipped in 15 points, six rebounds, two assists a steal and a block. The Raptors shot 50 percent from the field, including 18-of-35 from long range. With the regular season behind them, the Raptors can now look ahead to their first round matchup against the Nets, which is set to begin on Monday.
Meanwhile, P.J. Dozier led the Nuggets with 20 points, eight assists, five rebounds and two steals, in 31 minutes of action. Monte Morris followed up with 16 points, while Keita Bates-Diop and Jamal Murray added 11 points each, and Paul Millsap, Troy Daniels and Mason Plumlee added 10 points each. The Nuggets look ahead to their first-round matchup, which is set to begin on Monday, as they face off against the Jazz.
Pacers Throttle Heat, 109-92
The Indiana Pacers defeated the Miami Heat, 109-92, in an NBA seeding game finale for both clubs in Orlando on Friday afternoon.
The Heat (44-29) and Pacers (45-28) went through the rather unusual exercise of facing off just a few days before the start of their first-round playoff series, and as expected, neither club sported their usual starting five due to a combination of injuries and not wanting to showcase much to the other. Indiana set a dominant tone early with a 28-13 lead through the first 12 minutes, and they still owned a 14-point edge at the half. Both teams almost matched each other bucket for bucket in the second half as well while each coach went deep into this bench, leading to the 17-point victory for the Pacers. Coach Nate McMillan's squad was impressive on both ends of the floor, shooting 48.9 percent while limiting Miami to a 34.9 percent figure.
Kendrick Nunn led the Heat with 23 points, adding four assists, two rebounds, three steals and one block. Solomon Hill followed with 21 points that he complemented with seven boards, three assists and one steal. Tyler Herro poured in 16 points. Meyers Leonard and Udonis Haslem saw some rare playing time while manning power forward for the day, with Leonard posting nine points and seven rebounds and Haslem furnishing seven points and eight boards.
Doug McDermott led the Pacers with 23 points, a figure he supplemented with four rebounds and one steal. Malcolm Brogdon supplied 16 points, six rebounds and six assists. Alize Johnson, Justin Holiday and Aaron Holiday all turned in matching 11-point tallies, with Johnson adding 17 rebounds and Justin Holiday pulling down seven boards. JaKarr Sampson collected 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The two teams are now off until Tuesday afternoon, when they'll meet for Game 1 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal-round series.
The Heat (44-29) and Pacers (45-28) went through the rather unusual exercise of facing off just a few days before the start of their first-round playoff series, and as expected, neither club sported their usual starting five due to a combination of injuries and not wanting to showcase much to the other. Indiana set a dominant tone early with a 28-13 lead through the first 12 minutes, and they still owned a 14-point edge at the half. Both teams almost matched each other bucket for bucket in the second half as well while each coach went deep into this bench, leading to the 17-point victory for the Pacers. Coach Nate McMillan's squad was impressive on both ends of the floor, shooting 48.9 percent while limiting Miami to a 34.9 percent figure.
Kendrick Nunn led the Heat with 23 points, adding four assists, two rebounds, three steals and one block. Solomon Hill followed with 21 points that he complemented with seven boards, three assists and one steal. Tyler Herro poured in 16 points. Meyers Leonard and Udonis Haslem saw some rare playing time while manning power forward for the day, with Leonard posting nine points and seven rebounds and Haslem furnishing seven points and eight boards.
Doug McDermott led the Pacers with 23 points, a figure he supplemented with four rebounds and one steal. Malcolm Brogdon supplied 16 points, six rebounds and six assists. Alize Johnson, Justin Holiday and Aaron Holiday all turned in matching 11-point tallies, with Johnson adding 17 rebounds and Justin Holiday pulling down seven boards. JaKarr Sampson collected 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The two teams are now off until Tuesday afternoon, when they'll meet for Game 1 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal-round series.
Clippers Top Thunder In Wild Overtime
By Dan Bruno
The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 107-103, in overtime on Friday at Orlando.
This marked the final regular-season action for the two teams and with their playoff matchups already locked in, both decided to rest most of their starters. Nonetheless, it was a competitive and hard-fought contest, as the Thunder took a 10-point lead into halftime, but the Clippers answered in the third to take a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Thunder stayed with it and regained a six-point lead mid way through the quarter, but the Clippers closed in and after multiple lead changes, the score was tied at the final buzzer. The overtime period proved to be very exciting, as both teams combined for 36 points scored in the five-minutes, but it was the Clippers that came out ahead after a couple of clutch threes that gave them a boost.
Terance Mann put up some serious numbers, as he led the Clippers with 25 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists and two steals, in 41 minutes of action. Amir Coffey added 21 points, four assists and four steals, while Patrick Patterson totaled 17 points and 14 rebounds. The Clippers shot 40 percent from the field, including 12-of-37 from deep.
Meanwhile, Hamidou Diallo led the Thunder with 27 points on 10-of-22 shooting, and 11 rebounds, in 40 minutes of action. Dennis Schroder followed up with 17 points, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 13 points, four rebounds and a steal. The Thunder shot just 36 percent from the field, including 14-of-44 from long range.
This marked the final regular-season action for the two teams and with their playoff matchups already locked in, both decided to rest most of their starters. Nonetheless, it was a competitive and hard-fought contest, as the Thunder took a 10-point lead into halftime, but the Clippers answered in the third to take a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Thunder stayed with it and regained a six-point lead mid way through the quarter, but the Clippers closed in and after multiple lead changes, the score was tied at the final buzzer. The overtime period proved to be very exciting, as both teams combined for 36 points scored in the five-minutes, but it was the Clippers that came out ahead after a couple of clutch threes that gave them a boost.
Terance Mann put up some serious numbers, as he led the Clippers with 25 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists and two steals, in 41 minutes of action. Amir Coffey added 21 points, four assists and four steals, while Patrick Patterson totaled 17 points and 14 rebounds. The Clippers shot 40 percent from the field, including 12-of-37 from deep.
Meanwhile, Hamidou Diallo led the Thunder with 27 points on 10-of-22 shooting, and 11 rebounds, in 40 minutes of action. Dennis Schroder followed up with 17 points, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 13 points, four rebounds and a steal. The Thunder shot just 36 percent from the field, including 14-of-44 from long range.
76ers Dominate, Destroy Rockets In Regular-Season Finale
The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Houston Rockets, 134-96, on Friday at Orlando.
The 76ers (43-30) and the Rockets (44-28) had both clinched their playoff spot a while ago, so this game had nothing but each team's pride in play. The Rockets got off to a stronger start, but they lost control of the game late in the first quarter and never got it back. Perhaps the best example of how the game unfolded is the fact that the Rockets only led by five points, while the Sixers' biggest lead was 40 points in the final seconds. Neither Philadelphia nor Houston rested starters here, however, making Philly's huge win even more surprising. With the win, the 76ers ended their play in the Orlando bubble with a 4-4 record, the same mark posted by the Rockets. Philadelphia also ended a three-game losing streak with his confidence-boosting performance.
Philadelphia had eight players scoring 10 or more points. Tobias Harris led the way for the Sixers with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes, while Joel Embiid posted 14 points with six boards in 23 minutes. Al Horford added 10 points, but most of the scoring came off the bench. Alec Burks had 16 points, Furkan Korkmaz added 12, and Raul Neto chipped in with 14 points, five dimes and three boards in only 19 minutes.
James Harden led the way for Houston with a 27-point, 10-assist, three-rebound performance despite playing just 27 minutes, and Eric Gordon added 13 points while shooting 3-of-6 from three-point range. Jeff Green chipped in with 17 points, and he also added four assists in 26 minutes as a starter. Bruno Caboclo made his presence felt off the bench with 11 points and six rebounds in 17 minutes.
The 76ers (43-30) and the Rockets (44-28) had both clinched their playoff spot a while ago, so this game had nothing but each team's pride in play. The Rockets got off to a stronger start, but they lost control of the game late in the first quarter and never got it back. Perhaps the best example of how the game unfolded is the fact that the Rockets only led by five points, while the Sixers' biggest lead was 40 points in the final seconds. Neither Philadelphia nor Houston rested starters here, however, making Philly's huge win even more surprising. With the win, the 76ers ended their play in the Orlando bubble with a 4-4 record, the same mark posted by the Rockets. Philadelphia also ended a three-game losing streak with his confidence-boosting performance.
Philadelphia had eight players scoring 10 or more points. Tobias Harris led the way for the Sixers with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes, while Joel Embiid posted 14 points with six boards in 23 minutes. Al Horford added 10 points, but most of the scoring came off the bench. Alec Burks had 16 points, Furkan Korkmaz added 12, and Raul Neto chipped in with 14 points, five dimes and three boards in only 19 minutes.
James Harden led the way for Houston with a 27-point, 10-assist, three-rebound performance despite playing just 27 minutes, and Eric Gordon added 13 points while shooting 3-of-6 from three-point range. Jeff Green chipped in with 17 points, and he also added four assists in 26 minutes as a starter. Bruno Caboclo made his presence felt off the bench with 11 points and six rebounds in 17 minutes.