SPLIT SECOND
Thunder point guard Chris Paul was named to the All-NBA second team
Thunder point guard Chris Paul was named to the All-NBA second team on Wednesday. It' s Paul's first All-NBA honor since the 2015-16 season, and the ninth All-NBA selection of his 15-year career.
Paul averaged 17.6 points, 6.7 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game in his first season with the Thunder.
He shot 48.9% from the field — his highest mark since 2009-10, and the thirdbest shooting season of his career.
Paul led the NBA in clutch points (150) and fourth quart er plus- minus ( plus- 1 72). Despite turning 35 in May, Paul missed just one game due to injury.
The veteran guard guided the Thunder to a 44-28 record and the No .5 seed in the Western Conference.
The Thunder fell to the Rockets in Game 7 of its first round series. Paul averaged 21.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game in the playoffs.
Paul was joined on the All-NBA second team by Damian Lillard, Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam and Nikola Jokic.
James H arden and Luka Doncic were the two firstteam guards selected ahead of Paul and Lillard.
Former Thunder guard Russell Westbrook was named to the All-NBA third team along with 76ers guard Ben Simmons.
A Thunder player has now been selected to an All-NBA team in each of the last 11 seasons, the longest such streak in the NBA.
All-NBA first team: James Harden (HOU), Luka Doncic (DAL), LeBron James (LAL), Gianni s An te tokou nm po (MIL), Anthony Davis (LAL)
All-NBA second team: Damian Lilla rd( P OR ), Chris Paul (OKC), Kawhi Leonard (LAC), Pascal Siakam (TOR), Nikola Jokic (DEN)
All-NBA third team: Ben Simmons( PHI ), Russell Westbrook( HOU), Jay son Tatum (BOS), Jimmy Butler (MIA), Rudy Gobert (UTAH)
Late Tuesday
HEAT 117, CELTIC S 114:
Jimmy Butler's three- point play with 12 seconds left put Miami ahead for good, Bam Adebayo finished it off with a stunning rejection of Jayson Tatum at the rim on the ensuing Boston possession, and the Heat struck first in the Eastern Conference finals with a 117114 win over Boston in Game 1 on Tuesday night.
The Heat were down by 13 in the opening minutes, down by 14 in the final quarter and felt like a bad call took the lead from them in the final seconds. They found a way in overtime, improving to an NBA-best 9-1 so far in these playoffs.
Go ran Dragic scored 29 points, Jae Crowder scored 22, Butler had 20 and Adebayo had 18.
Tatum scored 30 points for the Celtics, and former Oklahoma State star Marcus Smart had 26. The Celtics had been 156-1 since the shotclock era started 65 years ago — winners of 92 straight — when leading by 12 or more points going into the fourth quarter of a playoff game. They're 156-2 now.
NUGGETS 104, CLIPPERS 89: Denver's dynamic duo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic led another stunning turnaround as the Nuggets advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2009.
Murray scored 40 points, Jokic had a triple-double by the third quarter and Denver again overcame a doubledigit deficit to shock the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 7 on Tuesday night of the Western Conference semifinals.
Denver became the first team in NBA history to rally from a 3-1 series deficit twice in the same postseason. The team beat Utah in Game 7 in the first round.