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Celtics a Game Away From Elimination

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MIAMI – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox find themselves one game away from NBA playoff elimination and the fans of Boston find themselves one game away from full-time baseball season. The Miami Heat shot the lights out and left the Boston Celtics in the dust on Sunday in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.

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Gabe Vincent scored a career-high 29 points in Miami’s 128-102 victory over visiting Boston on Sunday.

Vincent made 11 of 14 shots from the floor — including 6 of 9 from 3-point range — and Duncan Robinson and Caleb Martin scored 22 and 18 points off the bench, respectively.

Jimmy Butler collected 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Heat, who shot a blistering 56.8 percent from the field (46 of 81) and 54.3 percent from 3-point range (19 of 35). Miami improved to 6-0 at home in the playoffs.

Another performance like that in Game 4 on Tuesday in Miami and the eighth-seeded Heat will advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in four seasons.

“That was a solid, mature, professional approach,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “There is a lot of pent-up stuff here and we’re getting closer, but we still have to finish this off.”

Bam Adebayo scored 13 points and Max Strus added 10 as the Heat seized control of the contest by outscoring the second-seeded Celtics by a 32-17 margin in the third quarter.

“The game was as big as an ocean for everybody,” Adebayo said.

Boston’s Jayson Tatum recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds and Jaylen Brown scored 12 points, although the pair combined to make just 12 of 35 shots from the floor and 1 of 14 from 3-point range.

“Collectively we can point fingers, but in reality, it was just embarrassing,” Brown said.

The Celtics have their backs against the wall. No team in NBA history has overcome a 3-0 deficit to win a series.

“I just didn’t have them ready to play,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. “Whatever it was, whether it was the starting lineup or it was an adjustment, I have to get them in a better place to play — that’s on me.”

Boston whittled a 22-point deficit down to 12 at 61-49 after Marcus Smart converted a three-point play to start the third quarter. Miami answered with a 28-9 run to seize control of the game, highlighted by a pair of 3-pointers by Vincent.

The Heat carried a 93-63 lead into the fourth quarter before both teams opted to rest their stars. Vincent sandwiched 3-pointers around a three-point play and Robinson converted from beyond the arc to extend Miami’s advantage to 112-83 with 4:43 to play.

Miami claimed a 61-46 lead at halftime after shooting a sizzling 57.5 percent from the floor (23 of 40) and 45 percent from 3-point range (9 of 20). Martin sank a trio of 3-pointers to highlight his 11-point performance, while Robinson and Vincent each made a pair from beyond the arc to finish with 10 points apiece.

Miami’s Kevin Love scored five quick points to start the game before exiting after five minutes with an ankle injury. He did not return.

–Field Level Media

Duran Holds Down CF for Red Sox

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ANAHEIM – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jarren Duran is expected to be in center field Monday night for the Boston Red Sox when they play the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., but it wasn’t such a sure thing not long ago.

Despite a decent spring training (6-for-18), Duran did not make the team to start the season. And he was hitting just .195 at Triple-A Worcester when the Red Sox decided to call him up on April 17.

But he has played in every game since, starting all but two, and has earned his keep. He’s hitting .330 with three homers, 19 RBIs, seven stolen bases and a .917 OPS in 31 games.

It’s a complete turnaround for the former seventh-round pick out of Long Beach State — struggles on the field in recent years resulted in mental health issues that Duran has confronted and managed.

“Oh, he’s great,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “For everything that he has talked about, and he’s been very open about it, you care about him, not only on the field, but off the field. This kid, he went to Puerto Rico in the middle of the pandemic just to keep working on his craft. We were able to connect and I’m very proud of him.”

The Red Sox are hoping to have DH Justin Turner back in the lineup Monday after he had to leave Friday’s game against the San Diego Padres because of soreness in his left knee.

It couldn’t have come at a worse time for Turner, who is having a successful May after struggling somewhat in April. He hit .250 with two homers and eight RBIs in April, but is hitting .316 with three homers and nine RBIs this month.

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Right-hander Tanner Houck (3-3, 5.48 ERA) will make his ninth start of the season for the Red Sox. He is 1-1 with a 9.72 ERA in three career games (one start) against the Angels.

Celtics Face Heat in Desperate Situation

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MIAMI – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Miami Heat will try to continue their winning ways at home and push the Boston Celtics to the brink of elimination today when their Eastern Conference finals series shifts to Florida.

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The eighth-seeded Heat have won all five of their home games in the playoffs thus far. They also have backed the second-seeded Celtics into a corner by winning the first two games of the best-of-seven series in Boston.

Jimmy Butler collected 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists in Miami’s 111-105 victory over Boston on Friday, while center Bam Adebayo contributed 22, 17 and nine, respectively.

“Jimmy and Bam just really anchored us offensively,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It’s great when your two best players can lead you, in a place where the ball can go and everybody else is just playing off of those guys.

“Both of them at some point basically guarded everybody on the floor, basically at some point with the switches. They are going to burn a lot of calories on that end, but they have to shoulder massive responsibilities for us on the other end.”

Nuggets Take 3-0 Lead Over Lakers

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LOS ANGELES – Denver’s Jamal Murray was the knockout closer in Game 2 and his role changed drastically for Game 3.

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The Denver guard was filling up the basket early and often Saturday night and scored 30 of his 37 points in the first half as the Nuggets maintained control of the Western Conference finals with a 119-108 road victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. The victory gave Denver a commanding 3-0 lead in the NBA Western Conference finals.

Murray, who scored 23 points in the fourth quarter of Game 2, carried the momentum into Game 3. He had 17 points in the first quarter and added 13 more in the second.

“If a guy has got it going, we’re going to ride that guy,” Denver coach Michael Malone said.

Nikola Jokic scored 15 fourth-quarter points to help Denver take that 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven series against the Lakers. The two-time MVP finished with 24 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

The Nuggets are one victory away from reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. They can clinch Monday night when Game 4 is held in Los Angeles.

“Every game is a must-win I think,” said Jokic, not wanting to engage in any series is over talk. “We came here with a really good mindset and we played really good.”

The Lakers are very aware that no team in NBA history has recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win a series.

“We got to get one, just get one at a time,” Los Angeles star LeBron James said. “Just focus on Game 4, that’s all you can think about. Obviously, this game is over with. We had some opportunities and we didn’t come through. … It’s a one-game series for us.”

Of course, stopping Murray will be a big focus for the Lakers in Game 4. And Murray left the floor yelling that his club has five more wins to go.

“Just trying to keep everyone in the moment,” Murray said. “You need 16 wins to win a championship and we have five more to go. The Lakers are in our way and they’re going to do everything they can to fight. They’re not going to lay down and let us beat them on their home floor.”

Anthony Davis recorded 28 points and 18 rebounds for seventh-seeded Los Angeles. James added 23 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds, and Austin Reaves had 23 points and seven rebounds.

Davis expressed similar sentiments of those James conveyed.

“Take it one game at a time,” Davis said of the 3-0 hole. “Come Monday, leave it all on the floor and try to get a win. … That’s all you can really do.”

James was 3 of 9 from 3-point range on Saturday and is 3-for-19 in the series.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 17 points, Bruce Brown added 15 and Michael Porter Jr. registered 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the top-seeded Nuggets. Denver had 30 assists and just six turnovers.

The Nuggets made 50 percent of their field-goal attempts, including 17 of 41 from 3-point range. Murray made five treys while Caldwell-Pope and Porter each made four.

Los Angeles connected on 45.2 percent of its shot attempts and was 10 of 32 from behind the arc. Rui Hachimura added 13 points.

Hachimura made two free throws to give Los Angeles a 94-93 edge with 7:48 left before Denver answered with 13 consecutive points. Jeff Green, Brown and Murray all made 3-pointers, Brown added a tip-in and Jokic converted a layup as Denver took a 12-point lead with 4:50 remaining.

“That was the game,” James said. “We had back-to-back turnovers and they made back-to-back threes and we never got back in rhythm.”

Los Angeles was unable to make a sustained charge. When Porter drained a 3-pointer to make it 117-103 with 1:06 left, the silence in the arena made it clear that the Lakers couldn’t avoid their first home loss of the playoffs.

The Nuggets led 58-55 at halftime. Caldwell-Pope scored 12 points in the third quarter, including a trey that gave the Nuggets an 81-74 lead with two minutes left.

A short time later, James made his first two 3-pointers of the series after missing his first 13. The two treys came in a span of less than 19 seconds and pulled Los Angeles within 83-82 with 25.9 seconds left in the period.

Denver led 84-82 entering the final stanza but the Lakers moved ahead on a 3-pointer by Hachimura 60 seconds into the quarter.

–Field Level Media

NBA All-Star: Back to East vs West?

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CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – A possible change to the NBA All-Star Game could bring back a familiar format — East vs. West.

With an eye toward increased competitiveness in the exhibition game, the NBA and the players’ union are considering that change and possibly others in the next collective bargaining agreement, The Athletic reported.

The league’s Board of Governors and general managers have talked of scrapping the current format, which has two players drafting teams of All-Stars for the game, regardless of the players’ conference. Changes are possible for the 2023-24 season, per the Athletic.

The game featured All-Stars from the Eastern and Western conferences until 2018. A format tweak in 2020, known as the Elam ending, had the fourth quarter played without a game clock, but with a set target score. The first team to reach that point total was the winner.

This year’s All-Star Game was the first in which the captains chose sides just before tipoff. In previous incarnations under the captain-selecting format, the teams were determined well in advance of game day. The game was met with severe criticism, including coach Mike Malone of the Denver Nuggets stating, “It’s an honor to be here, it’s an honor to be a part of a great weekend, great players, but that is the worst basketball game ever played,” Malone said.

–Field Level Media

Miami Takes 2-0 Lead Over Celtics

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Miami’s Jimmy Butler scored 27 points, including the tiebreaking basket with 2:33 remaining, and the Heat took control of the Eastern Conference finals with a 111-105 victory over the host Boston Celtics in Game 2 on Friday night.

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Miami won in Boston for the second straight game to grab a 2-0 edge in the best-of-seven series. Games 3 and 4 will be played in Miami on today and Tuesday, respectively.

Caleb Martin established a career playoff high with 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting off the bench for the eighth-seeded Heat. Miami’s Bam Adebayo contributed 22 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists and reserve Duncan Robinson chipped in 15 points.

Jayson Tatum had 34 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for second-seeded Boston but didn’t convert a field goal in the fourth quarter for the second straight game. All five of Tatum’s final-quarter points came on free throws in the final minute.

Jaylen Brown scored 16 points but shot just 7 of 23 from the field for the Celtics. Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III had 13 points apiece.

Miami Heat, “Playoff Jimmy” Take Game 1 of NBA Eastern Conference Finals

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Miami’s “Playoff” Jimmy Butler carried the Heat during the first two rounds of the NBA Playoffs. The opening game of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals was no different.

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Butler played a solid all-around game, stacking-up 35 points, seven assists, six steals and five rebounds while leading the Heat to a 123-116 upset victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference series that will determine the participant of the 2023 NBA Finals.

Butler raised his 2023 postseason average to 31.5 with his fifth 30-point effort in 11 games. He stopped short of saying he is playing better than ever but asserted the Miami coaching staff has set him up for success.

“I’m playing at an incredible level because they are allowing me to do so and not putting a limit on my game,” Butler said. “They are trusting me with the ball and on the defensive end, and I think that’s what any basketball player wants. What anyone wants in life is to be wanted, to be appreciated and just let you go out there and rock.”

Butler and the Heat were doing most of the rocking — particularly during a 46-point third quarter — while delivering the opening salvo in the best-of-seven series.

Bam Adebayo recorded 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists as the Heat recovered from a 13-point, second-quarter deficit. Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent all scored 15 points for Miami.

Jayson Tatum had 30 points and seven rebounds and Jaylen Brown added 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists for Boston. Malcolm Brogdon scored 19 points, Robert Williams III had 14 points and seven rebounds and Marcus Smart registered 13 points and 11 assists for the Celtics.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Friday night in Boston.

Letting a double-digit lead get away at home was disappointing to Tatum.

“We’re going to watch film and talk about it,” Tatum said. “We’ll discuss the things we did well and the things we can do better and come out and execute better on Friday.”

The Heat led 114-105 after Butler’s basket with 5:33 remaining before the Celtics scored the next five points. Martin halted a Miami scoring drought of 3:23 by burying a 3-pointer to make it 117-110 with 2:10 to go.

Butler then made a 3-pointer that went in and out, bounced high and back in to make it a 10-point game with 1:03 left, and the Heat closed it out.

“He’s not playing for numbers,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said of Butler. “He’s trying to help the offense get the best possible high-percentage shot.”

Miami shot 54.1 percent from the field, including 16 of 31 (51.6 percent) from 3-point range.

Boston made 51.9 percent of its shots and was 10 of 29 (34.5 percent) from behind the arc. Derrick White added 11 points for the Celtics.

Miami trailed 66-57 at halftime before outscoring Boston 46-25 in the third quarter to take a 12-point advantage. The Celtics led 71-59 after Smart’s 3-pointer 65 seconds into the period before the Heat’s explosion began.

Miami used a 13-1 burst to tie the score. The Heat later went on a 10-2 push to move ahead 86-80 on a 3-pointer by Strus with 4:25 left in the period. Miami took a 103-91 lead into the final stanza.

“We got away from who we are in the third quarter,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I thought the first half was good. I thought we just let go of the rope in the third quarter. Lost our sense of urgency. We played harder than them in the first half, and they played harder than us in the third quarter.”

Tatum scored 18 first-half points. The score was tied at 47 before the Celtics went on a 15-2 run to open up a 13-point lead with 2:08 left in the second quarter.

Butler scored 15 points and Lowry had 13 in the first half for the Heat.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Prepare for Playoff Jimmy

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Miami Heat playoff hero Jimmy Butler is known for speaking his mind, and he didn’t disappoint Tuesday, one day before eighth-seeded Heat play the veteran Boston Celtics in the opener of the Eastern Conference finals at TD Garden.

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Butler insisted this Miami team will not be deterred on its way to the NBA title.

“This year is our year,” Butler said. “We’re going to go into this Game 1 and do what we’re supposed to do and be the first one to four (victories). We are very capable of it.”

This is the third time in the past four seasons that the Celtics and Heat have met in the East finals. And it will be a different Boston coach on the sideline for the third occasion.

Miami eliminated Brad Stevens’ Boston team in six games in 2020 before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. Last season, the Ime Udoka-coached Celtics ousted the Heat in seven games before falling to the Golden State Warriors in the championship round.

Udoka was fired prior to the season due to a workplace affair and was replaced by Joe Mazzulla, a first-time head coach who gets to match wits against Miami’s well-respected Erik Spoelstra.

“It’s definitely going to be a challenge for Joe, but I think he’s going to handle it well,” Boston star Jaylen Brown said. “He’s handled it well all season. He’s been scrutinized, but he’s done a good job. He is a rookie coach, but he’s taken a championship-caliber team and now we’re back in the Eastern Conference finals.

“He deserves some credit for that. But he’s going against one of the greatest coaches of all time, and I think there’s a level of respect there and understanding that Spoelstra is going to make adjustments.”

Brown averaged 24.1 points in last season’s matchup with the Heat, just behind star Jayson Tatum’s 25 per game.

Tatum is coming off a performance for the ages. He poured in a Game 7-record 51 points as the Celtics pounded the Philadelphia 76ers 112-88 to reach the Eastern finals.

“It’s a big movie,” Boston guard Marcus Smart said of Tatum’s show. “Being able to just sit back, eat your popcorn and watch. Sometimes we do get in that mode where we forget that we’re on the court playing with him.”

Tatum has quickly put that epic effort behind him and is focused on competing against the Heat.

“A team that we’re extremely familiar with,” Tatum said about the matchup. “A very well-coached team, they compete with the best of them, play hard. They defend, they make plays and they figure out a way to win games. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be highly competitive and I’m looking forward to it.”

The intensity level is always high when Butler is on the floor. He averaged 25.6 points against Boston in last season’s series.

He also produced a milestone effort in this season’s playoffs with 56 points in a first-round victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. The 56 points tied for fourth most in an NBA playoff game.

Butler was plagued by an ankle injury in the conference semifinal series win over the New York Knicks. The ankle is feeling better, and so is Butler’s outlook about Miami’s supporting cast.

“Guys are playing some incredible basketball,” Butler said. “I like our chances, as does everyone in this organization.”

Heat center Bam Adebayo hasn’t forgotten the critics that pounced when the team lost to the Atlanta Hawks in its first play-in game before beating the Chicago Bulls to move into the playoffs.

“It’s a crazy story being written,” Adebayo said. “Through all the ups and downs of this season, a lot of people counting us out and saying we weren’t even going to make it past the first round and now we’re in the Eastern Conference finals. It just shows the determination and the will that this team has.”

Boston and Miami split four regular-season meetings. Each club split the two games on its home floor.

–Field Level Media

Nuggets Hold Homecourt, Defeat Lakers in G-1

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DENVER – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Denver Nuggets tried to run the Lakers out of the arena early behind another big game from Nikola Jokic, but the experienced Los Angeles team didn’t flinch — and nearly stole Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

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The Nuggets built an 18-point halftime lead in front of their home crowd and were up by 21 in the third quarter but had to hold off a furious Los Angeles rally to pull out a 132-126 win on Tuesday night.

Jokic had 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists for his third straight triple-double, and teammate Jamal Murray scored 31 points despite battling an ear infection.

“The whole playoffs he is playing amazing,” Jokic said jokingly of Murray. “Maybe he faked it, he doesn’t want to practice just to get a couple of days off.”

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope contributed 21 points, Bruce Brown had 16, Michael Porter Jr. added 15 points and 10 rebounds and Aaron Gordon finished with 12 points for the Nuggets.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Thursday night in Denver.

Anthony Davis had 40 points and 10 rebounds, LeBron James finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, Austin Reaves scored 23 points and Rui Hachimura put up 17 points for the Lakers, whose second-half rally came up short.

“We’ll go back and look at the film, see what we need to clean up,” Los Angeles coach Darvin Ham said. “Take a good look at that second half, see what went well, try to sustain the good stuff and alleviate and repair the bad stuff.”

The Lakers lost Game 1 for the first time this postseason.

“It’s the playoffs, we need to be aggressive, we need to win the game, especially in front of the home crowd,” Jokic said. “They won two Game 1s.”

Los Angeles chipped away at the large deficit, getting within three points three times in the final four minutes. Denver responded by scoring the next points each time.

The Lakers opened the fourth on an 8-2 run to pull within 108-100 with 10:10 left.

Porter and Jeff Green hit corner 3-pointers and Murray scored on consecutive possessions to make it 118-104.

Los Angeles got within 124-118 with 3:53 left, and a Nuggets turnover led to a Reaves 3-pointer that made it a three-point game. Denver got the margin back to six, but another Reaves 3-pointer made it 127-124 with 2:18 left.

James had a chance to tie with 45 seconds left but missed a 3-point attempt, and Jokic closed it out at the line.

“I think we did a good job of just making shots and weathering the storm,” Murray said. “But that’s why it’s a series. Both teams will make adjustments.”

Denver used a 36-13 edge in rebounding to take a 72-54 lead into halftime. Jokic had 12 rebounds in the first quarter and finished with 16 for the half to go along with 19 points and seven assists.

“It took us a half to get into the game, and that was pretty much the ballgame,” James said.

Murray hit a pair of 3-pointers at the start of the third, giving the Nuggets a 78-58 lead. Jokic notched his triple-double when he fed Caldwell-Pope for a floating jumper midway through the third quarter. It is his 12th postseason triple-double, the most by a center in NBA history.

Jokic put the Nuggets ahead 93-72 with a 3-pointer and fed Caldwell-Pope for another before Los Angeles closed the third strong. The Lakers went on a 16-7 run, but Jokic drained a 28-footer at the quarter buzzer to make it a 14-point game entering the fourth.

–Field Level Media

Spurs Win NBA Lottery; Rights to Wembanyama

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CHICAGO – (Staff Report from Official News Release) –  The San Antonio Spurs won NBA Draft Lottery 2023 presented by State Farm, which was conducted at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. The Spurs will have the first overall pick in NBA Draft 2023,

which will be held on Thursday, June 22.

Below are the results from NBA Draft Lottery 2023:
1. San Antonio
2. Charlotte
3. Portland
4. Houston
5. Detroit
6. Orlando
7. Indiana
8. Washington
9. Utah
10. Dallas
11. Orlando (from Chicago)
12. Oklahoma City
13. Toronto
14. New Orleans

Below is the order for the remainder of the first round of NBA Draft 2023 presented by State Farm:

15. Atlanta
16. Utah (from Minnesota)
17. Los Angeles Lakers
18. Miami
19. Golden State
20. Houston (from LA Clippers)
21. Brooklyn (from Phoenix)
22. Brooklyn
23. Portland (from New York)
24. Sacramento
25. Memphis
26. Indiana (from Cleveland)
27. Charlotte (from Denver via New York and Oklahoma City)
28. Utah (from Philadelphia via Brooklyn)
29. Indiana (from Boston)
30. LA Clippers (from Milwaukee via Houston)

Note: The draft order above assumes that a team with the right to swap one pick for another exercises such right only if it is favorable to do so.