Heat even series with 76ers
Dwyane Wade’s 28 points help end 76ers’ 17-game winning streak; Golden State leads its series 2-0.
Dwyane Wade turned in a vintage performance, scoring 28 points to end the 76ers’ 17game winning streak and lead the visiting Miami Heat to a 113103 Game 2 win over Philadelphia on Monday night and even the first-round playoff series.
Playing without injured AllStar center Joel Embiid for the 10th straight game, the Sixers nearly pulled off an epic comeback and rallied from 16 down to just two points late in the fourth.
Philly fans were going wild and suddenly the home-court edge that had made the Sixers unbeatable for a month seemed like it would perk the team back up for one more notch on the winning streak.
Wade buried two big buckets down the stretch that pushed back the Sixers and tied the series as it shifts to Miami for Game 3 on Thursday.
The Sixers lost for the first time since March 13 to Indiana. They won 16 straight to end the regular season and the first game of the playoffs.
Wade’s play resembled his glory days at times and he carried the Heat in a sensational second quarter that was the difference. He pump-faked his way to 15 points in the quarter — impressive enough, even more so that he outscored the potent Sixers by two points.
The 36-year-old Wade made his first seven shots of the game and passed Larry Bird for 10th on the NBA’s career postseason scoring list.
After a Game 1 victory where they couldn’t miss, the Sixers couldn’t make a big bucket in the first half. The Sixers made a team playoff-record 18 threes in Game 1 and missed a whopping 16 of 18 threes in the first half. Robert Covington missed all five and Dario Saric was 0 for 4. The Sixers made four baskets and scored 13 points in the quarter.
at Golden State 116, San Antonio 101: Kevin Durant sparked a decisive third-quarter run on the way to 32 points, Klay Thompson added 31 points and five assists in another superb playoff performance and the Warriors rallied in the second half to beat the Spurs for a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.
As Stephen Curry remains likely out for the entire series nursing a sprained left knee, the defending champions used all the offensive power they had to take both home games in the best-of-seven series. Thompson followed up his brilliant 11-for-13 shooting day in a 113-92 Game 1 rout Saturday by hitting 12 of 20 shots. Durant also had six rebounds and six assists for the Warriors, who went without key backup big man David West down the stretch after he sprained his left ankle early in the fourth.
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 34 for San Antonio and Rudy Gay scored 12 points.
Game 3 is Thursday as the series shifts to San Antonio.