NBA Round up - Embiid inspires 76ers to rout of Heat, Mavs set down Suns
Philadelphia's star center Joel Embiid returned from injury to help the re-energized 76ers beat the Miami Heat 99-79 on Friday, clawing back a game in their NBA playoff series.
Luka Doncic Sport News
Dallas Mavericks bounce back, trim Phoenix Suns' lead to 2-1, but know they 'can't be satisfied'
DALLAS — Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic felt that he let his teammates down with what he accurately described as a «horrible» defensive effort during the second half of a Game 2 loss to the Phoenix Suns. His backcourt partner Jalen Brunson needed only one word to sum up his performance in the 0-2 trip to Phoenix: «Terrible.»
Mavericks get defensive, top Suns for 2-1 series deficit
DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic had 26 points and 13 rebounds, and the Dallas Mavericks turned up the defensive pressure to get back in their Western Conference semifinal series with Phoenix, beating the Suns 103-94 on Friday night.
Kidd: Suns will hunt Luka Doncic, “He’s got to participate. He’s got to play defense.”
The Phoenix Suns targeted Luka Doncic 50 times in Game 2 according to former Mavericks front office man Haralabos Voulgaris. Whether that specific number is accurate or not is moot, the eye test showed Chris Paul and company hunted Doncic, dragging him into pick-and-rolls or isolations seemingly every trip down the court. It had the desired effect, Doncic wore down and was not the same player in the fourth quarter when the Suns pulled away to take a 2-0 series lead.
Doncic necesita ayuda... y defensa
No hay tregua. El calendario de semifinales de Conferencia ha concentrados los cuatro primeros partidos de la serie Phoenix Suns-Dallas Mavericks en siete días: desde que arrancó el lunes hasta que el domingo se juegue el cuarto, que los Mavs esperan que no sea el último. y ahora la serie se traslada a Texas para otros dos partidos, el primero esta noche (03:30, hora española) y el segundo el domingo (21:30). Los Mavericks saben que dos derrotas los eliminan… y una los dejaría casi listos, con lo que sería un 3-1 en contra camino de Phoenix. Hoy se jugará el primer partido de segunda ronda en Dallas en exactamente once años, desde el 6 de mayo de 2011. Entonces, los Mavs venían con un 2-0 a favor tras ganar dos veces a domicilio a los Lakers, un vigente campeón que se hacía añicos. El 4-0 final lanzó a los de Dirk Nowitzki hacia el único anillo de su historia. Desde entonces y hasta ahora, no habían vuelto a pisar una semifinal del Oeste.
Paul shines for Suns in win over Mavs, Heat burn Sixers again
Paul scored 14 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter as Western Conference top seeds Phoenix broke open a close game, withstanding a 35-point performance from Mavericks star Luka Doncic.
Chris Paul takes over fourth, Suns pull away from Mavericks to take 2-0 series lead
How bad did things get for the Mavericks in the second half Wednesday night? Luka Doncic wore down and had as many turnovers (4) as he did buckets. Chris Paul dominated the fourth, scoring 14 of his 28 points on the night, and Phoenix shot 70.7% as a team for the half. Turns out, the Suns shot the ball well all game.