The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)

76ers up 3-1 over Miami

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MIAMI — Ben Simmons had the first playoff tripledoub­le by a rookie in nearly 40 years, JJ Redick scored 24 points and the Philadelph­ia 76ers outlasted the Miami Heat 106-102 on Saturday to move within a victory of the second round.

The 76ers lead the Eastern Conference series 3-1 and can close out the Heat when play resumes in Philadelph­ia on Tuesday night.

Simmons became the first rookie since Magic Johnson in 1980 to post a playoff triple-double — 17 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists. Joel Embiid finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds for Philadelph­ia.

Dwyane Wade led all scorers with 25 points off the bench for the Heat, who led by 12 points in the second half before letting a game they almost certainly had to have slip away.

Goran Dragic scored 20, James Johnson had 15 and Hassan Whiteside finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds for Miami, which now needs to pull off some history. The Heat have erased a 3-1 deficit only once, in 1997 against New York.

PELICANS 131, TRAIL BLAZERS 123: Anthony Davis scored 33 of his franchise playoff-record 47 points in the second half as New Orleans completed a first-round playoff sweep of Portland.

Jrue Holiday capped his 41-point performanc­e with an 18-foot pull-up jumper that gave the Pelicans a six-point lead with 40 seconds left.

Rajon Rondo added 16 assists, and Davis also had 11 rebounds and three blocks for New Orleans, which is moving on to the second round of the playoffs for only the second time since the NBA returned to the city 16 seasons ago.

C.J. McCollum scored 38 for the Trail Blazers.

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