MIAMI 124, PACERS 115
LAKE BUENA VISTA.- Jimmy Butler scored 27 points and the Miami Heat overcame a fierce comeback attempt by the Indiana Pacers to win 124-115 this Saturday and take a 3-0 lead in the first round series of the Eastern Conference.
Goran Dragic added 24 points, Bam Adebayo had 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Tyler Herro had 20 for the Heat. On Monday Miami could sentence the sweep.
Malcolm Brogdon set a career high in the postseason with 34 points and 14 assists for the Pacers. TJ Warren scored 23 points and Victor Oladipo added 20.
Dragic eluded the Pacers and hit a layup as time ran out in the second quarter, giving the Heat a 74-56 lead. Miami made 11 triples in the postseason game with the most first-half points in franchise history.
Indiana started the second half on a 12-2 streak and cut Miami’s lead to eight points.
The Pacers contested a foul in the final minute of the third quarter after Indiana’s Myles Turner tangled with Miami’s Kelly Olynyk and was fouled on a loose ball. The foul was revoked and it was given to Olynyk. Turner made one of his two free throws and brought Miami within four points.
Indiana cut the difference to two units three times in the fourth quarter.
OKLAHOMA 119, HOUSTON 107
LAKE BUENA VISTA – Dennis Schröder scored 29 points, Chris Paul added 26 and the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated in overtime to defeat the Houston Rockets 119-107 on Saturday, moving closer to 2-1 in the playoff first-round series.
James Harden chipped in 38 points for Houston, but came out on foul accumulation after 53 seconds into overtime. It was the first time that he left for fouls.
The Thunder made the first 12 points in overtime, supported by two 3s from Paul, to take a 116-104 lead.
Houston missed his first seven shots in overtime before Danuel House hit a 3-pointer with less than a minute to play. It was too late.
The fourth match of the seven-game series will take place on Monday.
The Thunder had a balanced attack. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 23 units and Danilo Gallinari 20.
Paul shot to get the Thunder within three points, House stepped off the court to give the Thunder the ball again. Steve Adams’ layup shot cut the gap to 102-101 with less than 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Paul and Harden got tangled up before a pass to the paint. Harden made a free throw, but Houston fumbled.
Gilgeous-Alexander gave Oklahoma City the lead 104-103 with a triple from the corner assisted by Paul with 14.3 seconds left in the fourth period.
House hit a free throw to tie and missed the second. A layup shot from behind Paul fell off the rim and sent the game into overtime.
Jeff Green had 22 points for the Rockets, who have played the entire series without Russell Westbrook, who is out with a strained right quadriceps.
BUCKS 121, MAGIC 107
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA.- Giannis Antetokounmpo had 35 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Orlando Magic 121-107 this Saturday.
Antetokounmpo went 14-12 for the Bucks, who made 56% of their shots. Khris Middleton had 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
The fourth game of the series is played on Monday.
Saturday’s meeting included a skirmish between Orlando forward James Ennis and Milwaukee forward Marvin Williams in the second quarter, who were sent off after getting tangled up. The incident occurred when both players were returning to the court after battling for a rebound.
Ennis was in the starting lineup for Orlando, who was playing without forwards Jonathan Isaac and Aaron Gordon, point guard Michael Carter-Williams and center Mo Bamba with injuries and illness. Williams is part of the Bucks’ strong reserve group.
DJ Augustin scored 24 for Orlando. Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross added 20 each.
Milwaukee held a 45-34 lead before shutting out Orlando for nearly minutes. By the time Vucevic ended Orlando’s drought at 3:20 of the half, Milwaukee was up by 24 points.
The Bucks led 70-43 going into halftime and had a 34-point lead in the third period.
Orlando narrowed the gap to 104-92 with a three-pointer by Terrence Ross with 7:22 left, but the Bucks responded with nine straight points. Antetokounmpo capped the barrage with a spectacular dunk.
Brook Lopez had 16 points and Eric Bledsoe 14 for the Bucks.
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