Phoenix Suns v Los Angeles Clippers
Kevin Durant is the shiny new toy for the Phoenix Suns. Devin Booker remains to be the group’s coronary heart and soul.
Booker — the three-time All-Star who has spent all eight of his NBA seasons in Phoenix — scored 38 factors, Durant added 25 and the Suns beat the Los Angeles Clippers 123-109 on Tuesday night time in Game 2 to tie the Western Conference first- spherical sequence.
“He’s an all-around player,” Durant mentioned about Booker. “He can do everything at an elite level on a basketball court.”
The Suns wanted a gritty effort after a disappointing loss in Game 1. Their photographs weren’t falling for a lot of the primary half and so they fell right into a 13-point gap halfway via the second quarter.
But led by Booker, they by no means panicked.
The 26-year-old drilled a 3 simply earlier than the halftime buzzer to tie it and scored 18 factors within the third quarter on 7-of-8 capturing, serving to the Suns push to a 92-87 benefit getting into the fourth. The protection additionally improved after the Clippers received a number of straightforward baskets within the second quarter.
“People talk about adjustments all the time and we make them,” Suns coach Monty Williams mentioned. “But sometimes basketball is just being able to sit down and guard the ball, keep your man from getting to the basket and contesting the shot.”
Phoenix by no means trailed within the last quarter, slowly pulling away. It was their first playoff win with Durant on the ground. The group was 8-0 through the common season with the 13-time All-Star following his commerce from the Brooklyn Nets in February.
The sequence strikes to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Thursday night time.
Kawhi Leonard led Los Angeles with 31 factors after he scored 38 in Game 1. Russell Westbrook added 28 factors on 9-of-16 capturing.
“We know it is going to be a tough series,” Westbrook mentioned. “They came back and took care of business tonight.”
Booker had a stellar capturing night time, connecting on 14 of twenty-two photographs, together with 4 of seven on 3s. He added 9 assists. Deandre Ayton added 14 factors — on 7-of-10 shooting– and 13 rebounds. Torrey Craig hit 5 of 8 3s and had 17 factors, and Chris Paul had 16 factors and eight assists.
“We tried to blitz. We tried to fire. We did a lot of different things,“ Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “They played great.”
PAUL VS. FOSTER
Paul’s archnemesis was carrying a whistle Tuesday, not dribbling a basketball.
The level guard had his private 13-game playoff dropping streak snapped when referee Scott Foster is on the ground. The long-running feud has lasted years with Paul criticizing Foster a number of occasions.
“I didn’t notice,” Paul mentioned. “I think we’re all about, in this run, minimizing distractions. That is what it is, I’m sure it’ll still be a thing.”
SWITCHING DEFENSES
Several Suns gamers credited the Clippers coaches and gamers for his or her unpredictable defensive units, which they mentioned was a part of the explanation for the group’s sluggish begin.
“They switched their defense up like every possession,” Durant mentioned. “They might double, they might triple, they might go zone, they might go full court press. So they’re trying to throw us off with their coverages. I think we did a good job of (eventually) figuring it out. Just playing simple.”
TIP-INS
Clippers: Eight-time All-Star Paul George (sprained knee) hasn’t performed since March 21. … L.A.’s bench outscored Phoenix’s 30-13. … Leonard shot 11 of 20 from the sphere, together with 3 of 5 on 3-pointers.
Suns: G Cam Payne (low again soreness) hasn’t performed but within the sequence. Said coach Monty Williams “He’s just not ready. He’s done a lot more on the floor, but there’s certain movements he can’t do yet without pain.” … Hosted a 76th consecutive sellout, combining common season and playoff video games.
Boston Celtics v Atalanta Hawks
Jayson Tatum knew what was coming and waited for his second.
His group main by 10 with lower than three minutes to play, he hawked Atlanta’s Trae Young as he dribbled on the precise wing and tried to steer Tatum right into a display screen.
But the Celtics All-Star brushed it off and stretched to swat Young’s try at a step-back 3-pointer. The free ball was scooped up by Derrick White and tossed forward to a streaking Tatum for an one-handed dunk.
The play ended a clinching late run and was the ultimate basket of the night time for Tatum and Boston beat Atlanta 119-106 on Tuesday night time to take a 2-0 lead within the first-round playoff sequence.
While Tatum had the exclamation level and completed with 29 factors and 10 rebounds, he mentioned the night time belonged to White. The defensive-minded guard contributed all around the courtroom, pouring 26 factors, seven rebounds and three blocks.
““We’re so much more of a dynamic team when D-White is asserting himself and being aggressive and not being passive.” Tatum mentioned. These final two video games (White) being aggressive, making the precise play, attacking the rim and never essentially ready makes us that rather more of a greater group.”
Jaylen Brown added 18 factors. Boston outscored Atlanta 64-40 within the paint. Game 3 is Friday night time in Atlanta.
“(Tatum and Brown) get a lot of attention. It just opens up the court for myself,” White mentioned. “When the opportunity is there I just have to attack and do what I do.”
Dejounte Murray led the Hawks with 29 factors. Young had 24, however shot 9 of twenty-two from the sphere and a couple of of 8 from past the arc. He additionally had 5 turnovers, bringing his whole to 11 for the sequence.
“I can be better,” Young mentioned. “I didn’t shoot the ball really well. I had some turnovers where I was just driving and it just left my hands. But I’m going to be better at home.”
Down by 20, the Hawks lower it to single digits late within the third quarter.
With Atlanta trailing 74-57, Young went to the bench and sat out the ultimate 7:07 of the interval, briefly visiting the locker room.
His teammates picked it up with out him, outscoring the Celtics 24-16 to tug inside 9 — at 90-81 — getting into the fourth.
Young returned to start the ultimate interval and scored 4 straight factors with simply over 5 minutes to play to make it 104-95.
But the Celtics responded with a 15-2 run — bookended by a 3-pointer and Tatum’s dunk — to get it again as much as 119-97 with 2:16 left.
While the Hawks introduced a greater capturing contact on Tuesday, the Celtics took their total power up a notch, repeatedly beating Atlanta down the courtroom in transition and outhustling Hawks to free balls.
One obvious instance was within the second quarter when Brown pried the ball free as De’Andre Hunter drove by.
Malcolm Brogdon corralled it and tossed it forward a sprinting Brown, who had break up between Young and Dejounte Murray as they received caught ball watching.
“We’ve been a group that’s hung our hat on defense all year,” Brown mentioned. “We play both sides of the ball and we do it at a high level. Sometimes it goes unnoticed. … But when it comes down to it, the playoffs, that’s where our defense matters the most.”
SHORT LIST
White grew to become simply the second guard in Celtics historical past to have 25 or extra factors and three or extra blocks in a playoff recreation, becoming a member of Reggie Lewis.
TIP-INS
Hawks: After taking 22-11 lead within the first quarter, the Hawks have been outscored 29-10 over the following 10 minutes of recreation motion, committing six turnovers and capturing 4 of 16 from the sphere.
Celtics: Led 61-49 on the half. … Willliams’ missed putback on the 5:01 mark of the second quarter was his first miss of the sequence. He had been 10 for 10 to the purpose. … Outscored the Hawks 18-6 within the paint within the first quarter.
New York Knicks v Cleveland Cavaliers
Darius Garland scored 32 factors, 26 whereas setting an aggressive tone for Cleveland within the first half, and the Cavaliers evened their Eastern Conference playoff sequence in opposition to New York at one recreation apiece with a 107-90 victory over the Knicks on Tuesday night time.
Garland scored 15 factors within the second quarter, when Cleveland tightened down defensively and dominated New York, forcing 9 turnovers on the way in which to opening a 20-point halftime lead. The Cavs pushed their result in 29 within the fourth.
Cleveland’s blowout ended with a tough foul.
New York was nonetheless down 23 and taking part in its starters when Julius Randle was hit within the air by Cavs middle Jarrett Allen on a dunk with 2:22 left. Randle fell laborious to the ground, and after getting up, exchanged phrases with a number of Cavs gamers and coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
Caris LeVert scored 24 factors off the bench and Donovan Mitchell added 17 and a profession playoff-high 13 assists for the Cavs, who have been way more bodily than in Game 1 and went toe to toe with the Knicks.
Randle scored 22 factors and Jalen Brunson added 20 for New York, which received the break up it wanted in rowdy Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to move residence for Game 3 at Madison Square Garden on Friday night time.
The Cavs matched the Knicks’ physicality from the outset, successful the 50/50 balls that went to New York within the opener. And if dealing with Cleveland’s new-found toughness wasn’t sufficient of a problem, the Knicks bashed one another.
During one sequence within the second quarter because the Cavs have been starting to tug away, Randle turned to run up the ground and by accident smacked Brunson within the face, inflicting his teammate to recoil in ache.
Garland inflicted his personal harm.
The 23-year-old was timid in his playoff debut, failing to take a shot within the fourth quarter and ending with only one help in 43 minutes on Saturday. Following apply Monday, he had a deep dialog with Mitchell, who urged his younger teammate to be extra forceful.
Garland received the message.
He drained a pair of 3-pointers throughout a 13-4 run within the second quarter after which confirmed no concern when he drove to the basket and tried to dunk over 7-foot Knicks middle Isaiah Hartenstein, who received away with goaltending whereas fouling Cleveland’s guard.
The Cavs bench erupted at seeing Garland’s bravado, and Mitchell slapped his arms earlier than urging the sellout crowd to acknowledge him. The second appeared to rattle the Knicks as New York’s Josh Hart was known as for a technical foul.
After the Cavs have been pushed round and badly outrebounded in Game 1, Bickerstaff wished his group to be the early aggressor.
“I’d like to see our guys being the ones that are putting a body on somebody and creating some contact and making some collisions happen and then see what happens from there,” he mentioned.
Cleveland fell behind by eight early, however sparked by Garland’s two 3-pointers, the Cavs went on a 15-3 run and took a 25-22 lead after one.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Didn’t rating a subject objective within the first 5:13 of the second quarter. … Randle had two prolonged conversations within the second with referee Tony Brothers. … Josh Hart was ineffective whereas taking part in on a sprained left ankle. He scored simply 5 factors after getting 17 in Game 1.
Cavaliers: Scored 19 factors off turnovers within the second quarter. … F Danny Green made his first look within the sequence, scoring 3 factors in 20 minutes. His 315 profession playoff 3-pointers are ninth most in NBA historical past. … F Isaac Okoro picked up two early fouls and performed simply three minutes. … Garland’s 26 factors within the first half have been three shy of the membership playoff report for a half held by LeBron James (2018). … Cleveland snapped a five-game playoff dropping streak.
UP NEXT
The Knicks host their first playoff recreation since June 2, 2021, on Friday. New York is 3-1 at residence within the playoffs in opposition to Cleveland.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
