White sparks San Antonio
Derrick White had a career-high 36 points and the host San Antonio Spurs beat the Denver Nuggets 118108 on Thursday night, withstanding a first-half lapse to take a 2-1 lead in the firstround series.
“I just had a chip on my shoulder,” White said. “This is the way I’ve played since I was young. Just try to go out there, compete and have fun.”
Nikola Jokic had 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Denver.
Game 4 is Saturday in San Antonio, where the Spurs are 3-0 against the Nuggets this season.
White went at Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray from the opening tip after being on the receiving end of Murray’s career outing Tuesday night.
Murray had only six points, a game after scoring 21 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to help Denver overcome a 19-point deficit to even the series.
White set his career high after being fouled by Paul Millsap on a driving layup that bounced off the side of the rim, hit the backboard and fell in to give the Spurs a 99-89 lead with 8:52 remaining. White added five rebounds, five assists and three steals while shooting 12 for 17. The point guard matched his overall career high with 26 points in the first half.
DeMar DeRozan took over after that, scoring 21 of his 25 points in the second half. LaMarcus Aldridge added 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Rudy Gay had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Philadelphia 131, at Brooklyn 115: Ben Simmons scored a career playoff-high 31 points, Tobias Harris added 29 points and 16 rebounds and the 76ers shook off the absence of Joel Embiid to beat the Nets for a 2-1 lead in the first-round series. Without their All-Star man in the middle, the 76ers relied on Simmons slashing to the basket, and Harris and JJ Redick shooting from the perimeter. “We have the pieces to get games, to complete games and I think everybody in the organization knows that,” Simmons said.