Spurs drop 3rd in row as team grieves over death of Pop’s wife
Pelicans thrash Blazers; Embiid gives lift to 76ers
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Kevin Durant had 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists as the Golden State Warriors beat San Antonio 110-97 on Thursday night for a 3-0 series lead over the Spurs, who were still reeling from the death of coach Gregg Popovich’s wife, Erin.
Golden State can close the first-round series with a win Sunday in San Antonio.
The Spurs were playing a day after the death of Erin Popovich, who passed away after battling an undisclosed long-term illness. Erin and Gregg Popovich were married four decades and had two children and two grandchildren.
San Antonio did not air a video tribute or hold a moment of silence for Erin in
an apparent attempt to make the game as routine as possible for its players, but that was impossible.
Coach Popovich was not in his customary position roaming the sideline, choosing instead to be with his family. San Antonio assistant Ettore Messina coached in Popovich’s place.
“We are all hurting,” Spurs veteran Manu Ginobili said after the morning shootaround. “We want to be next to Pop, we want to support him, but we’ve got to go out there and compete today. ... It’s not an easy day to be here.”
Ginobili and fellow veteran Tony Parker said it was tough to play basketball following Erin’s passing, but the team’s goal was to compete and play with the grit Popovich has always demanded of them.
Parker, who said Erin and Gregg were a mother and father to him when he entered the league at age 19, lived up to those wishes. Parker, who averaged 2.0 points in the first two games, finished with 16 points in 17 minutes. LaMarcus Aldridge led with 18 points.
The Spurs had an emotional start, but could not sustain it.
Already on the edge of their seats for the first home game of the playoffs, fans erupted when Rudy Gay threw down a one-handed dunk over Golden State’s JaVale McGee. The cheering was nearly constant as the Spurs scored the game’s first six points before the Warriors began to settle in. PELICANS 119, TRAIL BLAZERS 102: In New Orleans, Nikola Mirotic scored a career playoff-best 30 points to go with eight rebounds as New Orleans beat Portland to take a 3-0 lead in their playoff series.
Anthony Davis had 28 points and 11 rebounds for the Pelicans, who can advance past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2008 with one more victory.
The 6-foot-10 Mirotic, acquired in a midseason trade after DeMarcus Cousins’ season-ending Achilles tear, made 12 of 15 shots.
Damian Lillard scored 20 for Portland, but also missed nine of 14 shots.
76ERS 128, HEAT 108: In Miami, a masked Joel Embiid scored 23 points in his postseason debut, and Marco Belinelli and Dario Saric each added 21 as Philadelphia beat Miami to take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference series.
“It was annoying,” Embiid said of getting used to the mask after having surgery for a fractured orbital bone. “But that was the only way I could play in this game, if I wore the mask and protected my face with goggles.”
Ben Simmons finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for the 76ers, who won for the 18th time in their last 19 games and reclaimed homecourt advantage.