Big game from James, who together with Davis interrupts the Nuggets’ streak: series at 1-3 and a spat with the coach over a challenge. The Celtics’ defense (ahead 2-1) leaves no chance for the Heat
April 28, 2024 (changed at 11:35 am) – MILAN
The Los Angeles Lakers dominate Denver and extend the series, now at 1-3, Boston dominates Miami and goes up 2-1 to regain the advantage of the field. The two 1st round games of the NBA playoffs on the Italian night feature monologues from the Lakers and Celtics, the most successful franchises in history, who never go behind in the score in 48 minutes. One name above all, LeBron James: 30 points in 38 minutes of use, at 39 years old. Game 4 in Miami is scheduled from 1.30 in the Italian night between Monday and Tuesday, followed, from 4, by Game 5 in Denver between the reigning champions and Los Angeles.
THE LAKERS-DENVER 119-108 (1-3)
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No team has ever won a best-of-7 playoff series by coming back from 0-3. Well, the Lakers try to rewrite history. They beat the reigning champions at the Crypto.com Arena, beating them after 11 defeats in a row. This time the playoff series doesn’t end 0-4 like the one 12 months ago, this time Los Angeles at least wins one. Thanks to a great Davis with 25 points and 23 (!) rebounds, thanks to a super 4th quarter from LeBron, thanks to the contribution of Reaves and especially Russell from the supporting cast of stars. Gialloviola ahead from start to finish, Denver returns maximum -7 in the 3rd and then in the 4th period despite the triple double of 33 points, 14 rebounds and 14 rebounds from Jokic, who delights with unreal passes, and an excellent Porter, betrayed once more by a G-League bench, “stripped” by the mediocre one of the yellow and purple ones. How General Manager Calvin Booth failed to set up a better one than Braun, Watson, Holiday and Jackson is an inscrutable mystery as well as a mortal sin for which there is no penance worth atonement.
the match
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61-48 Lakers at half time. Davis with 17 points, Jokic 15. Los Angeles goes ahead +15, then a dunk by Porter closes the gap to 77-70, but Russell pushes the guests back by scoring repeatedly after 0 points in Game 3. 91-80 after 36 ‘ game. Jokic scores the triple double with over 9′ to play in the 4th period, but Russell’s “usual” basket makes it 99-84 and closes the score. James’ dunk from a steal from Jokic, after having “overturned” coach Ham for a missed challenge, puts the exclamation point: Lakers still in the running, winning Game 5 in Colorado.
Los Angeles: James 30 (14/21, 0/2, 2/2 TL), Davis 25, Russell/Reaves 21. Rebounds: Davis 23. Assists: Reaves/Davis 6.
Denver: Jokic 33 (8/15, 2/5, 11/11 TL), Porter 27, Murray 22. Rebounds: Jokic 14. Assists: Jokic 14.
MIAMI-BOSTON 84-104 (1-2)
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Go from start to finish. Boston wins Game 3 at the Kaseya Center in Miami by making up for the bad game in Game 2 and regains the home advantage. The difference is made with the defense, limiting the Heat to just 84 points. The Jays, Tatum and Brown, score 22 points, Coach Spoelstra’s team seems to have run out of miracles, after the one done at the Garden the previous game. If you show up on the court without Jimmy Butler, the franchise man, injured and unavailable for the entire series, and also without Rozier (neck) and Wright (family reasons) you have little to invent against a team with more overall talent even in the event of challenge to full staff. Adebayo scores 20 points, yet Miami is essentially never in the game. Game 4 will still be in Florida, but Boston is 6-1 there in their last 7 playoff games.
the match
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Miami scores just 12 points in the 1st quarter, the visitors’ defense immediately directs the game to its liking. Boston then scores 42 points in the 2nd quarter and then limits itself to controlling the lead in the second half of the game, closing with the autopilot engaged. Tatum comments satisfied, indicating the playoff intentions: “We will win the games like this, thanks to the defense.”
You love me: Adebayo 20 (8/17, 0/1, 4/6 TL), Herro/Jovic 15. Rebounds: Adebayo 9. Assists: Jaquez/Highsmith 5.
Boston: Brown/Tatum 22, Porzingis 18. Rebounds: Tatum 11. Assists: Holiday/Tatum 6.
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