Warriors pull away for 2-0 lead on Spurs
Wade lights it up helps even series vs Sixers Philly's Embiid bemoans benching
Klay Thompson scored six consecutive points early in the fourth quarter, two on free throws that resulted from a clear-path foul, helping the Golden State Warriors break away from the San Antonio Spurs en route to a 116-101 victory in Game 2 of the Western Conference quarterfinals Monday night in Oakland.
The NBA’s defending champions will take a 2-0 lead on the road when the best-of-seven series relocates to San Antonio for Game 3 on Thursday night.
Kevin Durant had 32 points and Thompson 31 for the Warriors, who swept the Spurs 4-0 in the Western finals last May en route to their second championship in three years.
San Antonio’s LaMarcus Aldridge produced game highs in points, 34, and rebounds, 12.
After trailing by as many as eight points in the first half, the Warriors were up just 82-77 after Spurs center Pau Gasol dropped in a pair of free throws 30 seconds into the fourth quarter.
However, on a designed play following Gasol’s second made free throw, Draymond Green threw a 75-foot pass to Thompson, who had gotten behind the San Antonio defense.
Bryn Forbes grabbed Thompson’s jersey shortly before the catch, resulting in the clear-path violation, which is penalized with two free throws and possession of the ball.
Thompson made both foul shots, then hit a jumper five seconds later to complete what amounted to a fourpoint play.
When the All-Star connected again from the perimeter two possessions later, the Warriors had their biggest lead of the game to that point, 88-77 with 10:26 to go.
Consecutive three-pointers by Green and Quinn Cook allowed Golden State to extend its lead to 15 before the West’s No. 2 seed coasted home.
Durant hit 10 of his 19 field-goal attempts and went 9-for-10 at the foul line for the Warriors, who outshot the Spurs 52.6 percent to 41.2 percent.
Thompson bombed in five three-pointers and Andre Iguodala added four, helping Golden State outscore San Antonio 45-12 from beyond the arc. The Warriors made 15 of their 31 three-point attempts (48%), while the Spurs shot just 4-for-28 (14%).
Iguodala finished with 14 points, while JaVale McGee and David West added 10 apiece for Golden State, which won its 11th consecutive home playoff game.
Aldridge, held to 14 points in Game 1, rebounded with 11-for-21 shooting and 12-for-12 accuracy from the foul line.
Patty Mills had 21 points, Rudy Gay and Gasol 12 apiece, and Manu Ginobili 10 for the Spurs, who had the worst road record in the regular season among all the playoff teams.
Heat 113, 76ers 103
Dwyane Wade scored 28 points off the bench in just 26 minutes, and Miami held off a late run to defeat host Philadelphia in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference first-round series.
Goran Dragic added 20 points and James Johnson had 18 as the Heat evened the best-of-seven playoff series. Josh Richardson contributed 14 points and Wayne Ellington and Kelly Olynyk each had 11. Game 3 will be Thursday in Miami. Ben Simmons led the Sixers with 24 points, and he added nine rebounds and eight assists. Dario Saric had 23 points and nine rebounds. Marco Belinelli scored 16 points while Ersan Ilyasova scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. J.J. Redick had 11 points on just 4-for-13 shooting.
The Sixers won their final 16 regular-season games and the first game of the series, and they hadn’t sustained a loss since March 13.
Philadelphia was 7-of-36 (19%) from three-point territory and shot just 41.7 percent overall in playing their second straight playoff game without injured center Joel Embiid.
The Heat scored five quick points to open the fourth, going up 91-75 just 56 seconds in.
A 10-2 surge by the Sixers capped with a three-pointer by Saric got Philadelphia within 93-85 with 8:58 remaining. On the 76ers’ next possession, Simmons finished a fast break with a dunk, and the Heat’s lead was sliced to 93-87.
Johnson responded by hitting a huge three to put the Heat up 96-87.
When Saric later drove to the basket and scored, the Sixers trailed only 96-92 with 5:47 left.
After re-entering the game, Wade had a steal and dunk with 4:04 left to give the Heat a 100-96 lead. Wade then found Johnson for a dunk and a 102-96 advantage. Dragic eventually capped a 6-0 run with a baseline jumper for a 104-96 lead with 2:25 left, and the 76ers never challenged again.
The Sixers had surged to a 29-22 lead at the end of the first quarter. Then the Heat turned into a completely different team with a dominating second quarter, a 34-13 outburst that turned a seven-point deficit into a 56-42 advantage at halftime.
Wade was scintillating off the Miami bench with 21 first-half points on 8-of-9 shooting. After scoring his 17th point, Wade moved past Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird for sole possession of 10th place on the NBA’s all-time playoff scoring list with 3,899 points. Wade actually outscored the Sixers 15-13 in the second, with the 13 points scored the fewest for the 76ers in a quarter this season.
Embiid took to social media to voice his frustration at being left on the sidelines for his team’s loss.
The 24-year-old s been out of action since fracturing the orbital bone near his left eye against the New York Knicks on March 28, but the Cameroonian seven-footer was upset that he was not considered against Miami despite clearing concussion protocol.
“[Expletive] sick and tired of being babied,” Embiid wrote in an Instagram post on Monday night.
Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said he understood Embiid’s frustration at being forced to watch from the sidelines, while acknowledging that the reaction was only natural.
“He just wants to play basketball, he wants to be with his team; he wants to see this through,” Brown told reporters.
“When he is not able to do that he gets frustrated. I respect his frustration, it’s born out of him wanting to be with his team.”
Embiid established himself as one of the NBA’s top big men and most colorful personalities this season, averaging 22.9 points per game along with 11 rebounds to help the 76ers reach the postseason for the first time in six years.