BOSTON (AP) — The Heat were embarrassed in Game 2, surrendering home-court advantage in their blowout loss to the Celtics in their Eastern Conference finals matchup.
Miami returned the favor in Game 3, building a 26-point first-half lead en route to hanging on for a 109-103 victory despite star Jimmy Butler sitting out the second half with swelling in his right knee.
BOSTON (AP) — Still angry over a blowout loss in Miami that cost them home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference finals, the Heat jumped to a 26-point first-half lead over the Boston Celtics in Game 3.
BOSTON (AP) — The Miami Heat played the entire second half without their top scorer. The Boston Celtics lost two of their top players, who both returned to do their best Willis Reed impersonations.
BOSTON (AP) — Bam Adebayo scored 31 points with 10 rebounds for the Miami Heat, who blew a 25-point, first-half lead and lost Jimmy Butler to a knee injury but held on to beat the Boston Celtics 109-103 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals Saturday night.
BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics will be without center Robert Williams III for Game 3 of their Eastern Conference finals matchup with the Miami Heat on Saturday night due to soreness and swelling in his left knee.
BOSTON (AP) — Marcus Smart brought the energy boost the Celtics needed to ignite a blowout win in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference finals matchup with the Heat.
Now armed with home-court advantage in the series, Boston will look to maintain its edge at TD Garden during Saturday's Game 3, where it will be opposite a Miami team that is dealing with new health concerns.
MIAMI (AP) — His team was down by 10 in the opening minutes, and Boston coach Ime Udoka was making no effort to hide his level of disappointment.
MIAMI (AP) — The Boston Celtics are closer to whole for the Eastern Conference finals.
Al Horford's stay in the NBA's health and safety protocols ended Thursday, a few hours before tipoff of Game 2 of the series against the Miami Heat.
MIAMI (AP) — Jimmy Butler doesn’t like being a called a scorer.
Never mind that the moniker seems appropriate. He’s averaging nearly 30 points per game in this postseason, has reached the 40-point mark three times in his last 10 games after having zero such regular season games since 2017, and carried the Miami Heat over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
MIAMI (AP) — His team was down by eight at halftime, and Miami coach Erik Spoelstra went into the locker room ready to deliver a big speech.
Turns out, one wasn't needed.
Jimmy Butler decided to let his play do the talking.
MIAMI (AP) — Boston was without two starters for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night, with Al Horford entering the NBA's health and safety protocols and Marcus Smart unable to play because of a mid-foot sprain.
MIAMI (AP) — He grew up in Portland, basketball in his blood. Wasn’t exactly a big-time recruit before eventually playing some college ball in the West Coast Conference. Took a circuitous route into coaching, guided along the way by one of the game’s legendary sideline bosses.
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions on one side. The Presidents’ Trophy winners on the other. Franchises separated by just a couple hundred miles of highway. And two teams that don’t like each other very much.
Preview capsule for the Miami-Boston Eastern Conference finals series that starts Tuesday:
No. 1 MIAMI HEAT (53-29, 8-3) vs. No. 2 BOSTON CELTICS (51-31, 8-3)
BOSTON (AP) — In the fog of the Celtics’ Game 5 loss to Milwaukee that dropped his team into a 3-2 series hole, Boston coach Ime Udoka made a prediction.
“It’ll make it sweeter when we bounce back,” he said.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jayson Tatum wouldn’t let it happen again.
With the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks attempting to complete a fourth-quarter comeback for the second straight game and close out their Eastern Conference semifinal, Tatum made sure the Boston Celtics instead kept their season alive and forced a decisive seventh game.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Boston forward/center Robert Williams missed his third straight game with an injured left knee as the Celtics tried to keep their season alive Friday night in Game 6 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The first piece of the 76ers’ offseason is set: Doc Rivers will return to coach next season, early exits and all. Another question mark seems somewhat settled, James Harden wants to stay in Philly and the Sixers want him back.
Max Strus probably couldn’t have envisioned this.
Division II player when he started college. Ended up at DePaul and went undrafted. Bounced around a couple of summer leagues. Went to training camp with Boston and didn’t make the team.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jimmy Butler knocked Joel Embiid out of the playoffs, then walked over to his former 76ers teammate and hugged him, told him he loved him and was proud of him.
Butler then headed out of a familiar court a winner — and straight into another conference finals with Miami.
DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 33 points and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Phoenix Suns 113-86 on Thursday night to force a Game 7 in the Western Conference semifinals.
The home team has won all six games, none with a final margin closer than seven points.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid took a shot to the face that not even his mask could help him absorb. He went down in a heap and stayed on the court in pain until he could compose himself.
Game 5 would get worse in so many ways for Embiid and the 76ers.
PHOENIX (AP) — Devin Booker scored 28 points, Deandre Ayton added 20 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Dallas Mavericks 110-80 on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
The Suns used a huge third quarter to turn a tight game into a comfortable win.
MIAMI (AP) — Shots fell again for the Miami Heat. They kept Joel Embiid and James Harden in check. Their coach got an in-game massage from DJ Khaled.
Yes, really.
It was that sort of night for the Heat, who — even without everyone getting shoulder rubs — are feeling pretty good about their playoff prospects again.
MIAMI (AP) — Kyle Lowry's strained left hamstring has sent him back to the bench.
Lowry's leg issue forced the Miami Heat to rule out their starting point guard for Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Phoenix's Chris Paul was livid. Miami's Kyle Lowry was limping.
The playoffs are getting tougher for the No. 1 seeds, and issues with their point guards are part of the reason why.
Phoenix and Miami find themselves in big-time fights now, after both took 2-0 leads in their respective conference semifinal series and then went 0-2 on the road.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — James Harden took a sensational step forward in the postseason for the 76ers with step-back 3s that rekindled his dominant form. Joel Embiid is playing better by the game, and the MVP finalist might have his best basketball ahead.
DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 26 points and the Dallas Mavericks took advantage of foul trouble for Chris Paul to beat the Phoenix Suns 111-101 on Sunday, evening the Western Conference semifinal series at 2-2.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid's final line in the box score looked a bit pedestrian compared to his usual MVP numbers. But the Philadelphia 76ers center played Game 3 anyway. With a thumb that needs a surgery.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid spent the week groggy from a concussion. His busted thumb needs surgery.
MVP form? Not yet. But Embiid wore his black mask and injected the 76ers — and a skittish fanbase - with revitalized championship aspirations.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is in the starting lineup for Game 3 of the playoff series Friday against Miami after sitting out the first two games with a right orbital fracture and a mild concussion.
ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler says the team won't repeat the mistake of complacency he says set the stage for this season's disappointing first-round exit from the playoffs.
MIAMI (AP) — Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers would probably need hours to explain everything that he’s learned from Miami President Pat Riley over the last three decades.
PHOENIX (AP) — Chris Paul scored 14 of his 28 points in another spectacular fourth quarter and the Phoenix Suns beat the Dallas Mavericks 129-109 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
MIAMI (AP) — Bam Adebayo caught a lob for an alley-oop dunk midway through the fourth quarter, then threw a lob to Jimmy Butler for another dunk about a minute later.
Both were very easy.
Joel Embiid could complicate those plays going forward — and the Miami Heat are heading north expecting that he might be waiting for them.
MIAMI (AP) — Tyler Herro was told before the season began that he wouldn’t be in the Miami Heat starting lineup. To his credit, he saw that as an opportunity.
“I said, ‘Let’s go for Sixth Man of the Year,’” Herro said.
PHOENIX (AP) — The Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat are top seeds in the NBA playoffs and at the moment they look like it, coming off impressive performances.
Both have a chance to take 2-0 leads in their respective series on Wednesday and are strong favorites to get it done, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
MIAMI (AP) — There’s nobody on the Miami Heat roster that knows Philadelphia guard James Harden better than P.J. Tucker.
They got further acquainted in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.