Stephen Curry heats up with Jimmy Butler out, scores 36 as Warriors beat Rockets 104-93 for 2-1 lead
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry eventually found his shooting groove and got hot while Houston tried everything to stop him, finishing with 36 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to lead the Golden State Warriors past the Rockets 104-93 for a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series. The Warriors won without Jimmy Butler, who sat out with a pelvic injury. Buddy Hield scored 17 points off the bench with five 3-pointers as the Warriors won their sixth straight Game 3 in the opening round. Gary Payton II scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter.
Aaron Gordon’s historic dunk at buzzer lifts Nuggets over Clippers 101-99 and ties series 2-2
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Aaron Gordon slammed down Nikola Jokic’s miss as time expired to lift the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Clippers 101-99 on Saturday to tie their playoff series 2-2. Video review confirmed the ball left Gordon’s hands above the rim just before the buzzer sounded after the Nuggets had blown a 22-point lead. Jokic had 36 points, 21 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Nuggets. Michael Porter Jr. and Christian Braun had 17 points apiece. Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points for the Clippers. Norman Powell added 22 and Ivica Zubac had 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.
Thunder complete sweep of Grizzlies, reach Western Conference semifinals with 117-115 victory
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder advanced to the Western Conference semifinals Saturday by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 117-115 to complete a four-game sweep. Jalen Williams added 23 points for the top-seeded Thunder, who led the NBA with a 68-14 record this season and became the first team to reach the second round. They will await the fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets or No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers in the next round. The Grizzlies played without star guard Ja Morant, who bruised his left hip in a hard fall in Game 3.