Heat rout 76ers to take 3-2 series lead
Heat 120, 76ers 85: Shots fell again for host Miami. The Heat kept Joel Embiid and James Harden in check. Their coach got an in-game massage from DJ Khaled.
Yes, really.
It was that sort of night for the Heat, who — even without everyone getting shoulder rubs — are feeling pretty good about their playoff prospects again.
Jimmy Butler scored 23 points, Max Strus added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and the Heat moved one win away from a trip to the Eastern Conference finals by topping the Philadelphia 76ers 12085 on Tuesday.
The 35-point margin of victory matched the biggest so far in this year’s playoffs — Philadelphia beat Toronto by 35 in the series-clincher of that firstround matchup — and matched the second-largest in Heat postseason history.
“They were just more physical,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. “We didn’t run anything. We didn’t run our stuff very well. We played at a snail’s pace … everything they did tonight was harder and better. Their stuff was better, their energy was better.”
Victor Oladipo scored 13 for Miami, which got 12 from Bam Adebayo and 10 apiece from Tyler Herro and P.J. Tucker. The top-seeded Heat now lead the East semifinal series 3-2, and improved to an Nba-best 6-0 at home in these playoffs.
Joel Embiid scored 17 points for Philadelphia, which got 14 from James Harden and 12 from Tobias Harris. The 76ers were down by 15 going into the fourth quarter, then gave up 12 consecutive points to open the period.
“Tonight, we weren’t focused enough,” Embiid said.
Game 6 is in Philadelphia on Thursday, win-or-else for the 76ers, a chance to move on for the Heat.
Suns 110, Mavericks 80: Devin Booker scored 28 points, Deandre Ayton added 20 and host Phoenix beat
Dallas to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
The Suns used a huge third quarter to turn a tight game into a comfortable win. Phoenix opened up the second half on an 11-4 run, highlighted by Booker’s two 3-pointers, for a 61-50 lead.
Mavs coach Jason Kidd called for a timeout, but it did little to stop the onslaught.
The Suns led 82-60 going into the fourth with Booker pouring in 12 points during the third.
While the Suns were finally finding some offensive continuity, the Mavs completely lost theirs, scoring just four points in the first six minutes of the third. At times, the Dallas offense regressed to mostly watching Luka Doncic try and work magic, but he couldn’t do it all by himself.
The Mavs had 12 turnovers during the third quarter.
The top-seeded Suns bounced back after dropping the previous two games and can win the series in Game 6 on Thursday in Dallas.