In-form Giddey dazzles
Oklahoma on the charge
A dazzling performance from Josh Giddey has helped Oklahoma City move one game closer to the next stage of the playoffs after a 21-point victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The victory gave the Thunder a 3-0 series lead over New Orleans and will now have the chance to close out the series on Tuesday (AEST).
Giddey was one of the Thunder’s best against the Pelicans, scoring 21 points and racking up eight rebounds along with six assists.
Jalen Williams and superstar point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also made big scoring contributions with 21 and 24 points respectively.
Although Giddey’s postseason career is just three games old, his performance in game three against the Pelicans was the best of the lot and proved he can handle the occasion.
He also sent NBA fans into meltdown with a slick move on the Pelicans’ CJ McCollum early in the second quarter.
Giddey picked up the ball from his own baseline and drove up the court before breezing past McCollum at the halfway line when he bounced the ball around his back, putting the Pelican into a spin.
The Aussie then got past McCollum once again with a Euro step before converting for an easy lay-up.
It was one of Giddey’s eight field-goals made from 13 attempted while also converting four three-pointers from seven.
The Orlando Magic, with 32 points from Franz Wagner and a dominant second half, thrashed the Cleveland Cavaliers
112-89 on Saturday to level their NBA Eastern Conference playoff series at 2-2.
The Cavs, who were blown out by the Magic in game three at Orlando, scored just 29 points after the interval as the Magic erased a nine-point halftime deficit.
With Magic star Paolo Banchero struggling to just nine points and four rebounds, Germany’s Wagner filled the void, grabbing 13 rebounds with four assists and a blocked shot.
The Magic’s suffocating defence made Cleveland’s offence disappear in the second half.
Orlando took full advantage, ripping through a 31-5 scoring run that carried them to a 92-70 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Jarrett Allen led Cleveland with 21 points and nine rebounds with Cavs star Donovan Mitchell finishing with 18 points.
“Our guys made the right adjustments,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said of his team’s big second half.
The Los Angeles Lakers, fuelled by 30 points from superstar LeBron James, stayed alive in the NBA playoffs on Saturday with a 119-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Down 3-0 to the defending champions and facing elimination, the Lakers stood firm, weathering a triple-double from Nuggets star Nikola Jokic to send the series back to Denver for game five
The Boston Celtics turned the tables on Miami in dominant style, routing the Heat 104-84 to take a 2-1 lead in their NBA playoff series.