HEAT, SUNS SCORCH FOES, MOVE ON CUSP OF CONFERENCE FINALS
Top seeds Miami and Phoenix moved to within one win of the NBA conference finals on Tuesday after scoring blowout victories against Philadelphia and Dallas.
The Heat, with Jimmy Butler scoring 23 points in a balanced offensive effort, thrashed the Philadelphia 76ers, 120-85, in Miami, to seize control of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff series.
A similar story unfolded in Phoenix, where the Suns overwhelmed the Mavericks to score a 110-80 win in the Western Conference playoffs.
Both Miami and Phoenix will now go on the road to get things done, and if not, can shoot for their respective clinchers at home.
Miami look poised to punch its ticket to the next round after dominating a subdued Philadelphia.
Few would bet against Miami closing out the series in Game 6 on Thursday against a Philadelphia team that was outplayed in every department.
Butler was one of seven Miami players to finish in double figures, with Max Strus contributing 19 points and 10 rebounds and Gabe Vincent adding 15 points. Victor Oladipo added 13 off the bench while Bam Adebayo had 12.
Philadelphia meanwhile, struggled to get going at any stage, with Joel Embiid, wearing a protective face mask once more to shield a fractured orbital bone, clearly not firing on all cylinders.
Embiid finished with 17 points to lead the Sixers, while James Harden had just 14. Overall, Philadelphia shot just 31 of 85 from the field.
“We did what we were supposed to do once again, we won at home,” Butler said.
“We’re a different team when we make shots. But I don’t like that, I want us to get stops no matter what and then worry about making shots.”
Asked what it will take to clinch the series on Thursday, Butler replied: “Us to continue to play basketball the right way, us to get stops and not rely on making shots.
“I promise you if we don’t give a damn about making shots and just concentrate on defense, we will win.”
Defense does it
“The defense tonight—that’s the backbone of our program,” said Phoenix’s Monty Williams, who was announced as the Coach of the Year on Monday.
Dallas had roared back into contention to level the series at 2-2 on Sunday after dropping Games 1 and 2 in Phoenix last week.
But normal service resumed as Phoenix reasserted itself emphatically in front of their home fans on Tuesday. Devin Booker led Phoenix with 28 points, while Deandre Ayton had 20 points with nine rebounds. Dallas led by as many as eight points during an even first half that saw the Suns lead by three at the break.
But Phoenix erupted in the third quarter, outscoring Dallas, 33-14, to take a stranglehold on the contest.
Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 28 points and 11 rebounds, with Jalen Brunson providing support with 21 points.
Totally outplayed
Sixers coach Doc Rivers was at a loss to explain his team’s failure to show up.
“They were just so much more engaged, more physical,” Rivers said of Miami.
“There’s a lot of disappointment from all of us tonight. We played at a snail’s pace, had just 85 shots, turned the ball over. Everything they did tonight was harder and better than us.
“Their energy was better, their toughness was better.”
Asked what aspects of the game had gone wrong, Rivers replied: “I’ll have to watch the tape—or burn the tape. Probably watch it because I have to, and then I’ll burn it.
“But we’ll be ready next game because we have to be.”