Harden scores 45, hits late 3 as 76ers down Celtics 119-115
James Harden matched his playoff career high with 45 points and hit a go-ahead, step-back 3-pointer over Al Horford with 8.7 seconds left as the Philadelphia 76ers rallied without Joel Embiid to beat the Boston Celtics 119-115 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal.
Nike says Kyrie Irving is no longer one of its athletes
Kyrie Irving’s relationship with Nike is officially over, the shoe and athletic apparel maker said Monday, a move that came a month after the company suspended the Brooklyn guard as part of the fallout over his tweeting a link to a film containing antisemitic material.
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Beal, Westbrook lead Wiz past Pacers 142-115 for East 8 seed
Russell Westbrook nearly had a triple-double and Bradley Beal scored 25 points in just 29 minutes to help the Washington Wizards reach the NBA playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed by overwhelming the Indiana Pacers 142-115 in the play-in round.
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Clippers beat Pacers 129-96 for 1st 4-game winning streak
Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon (7) shoots against Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)LOS ANGELES – Marcus Morris scored a season-high 20 points to lead seven players in double figures, and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Indiana Pacers 129-96 on Sunday night for their first four-game winning streak of the season. “Guys are buying in and enjoying playing the game.”Doug McDermott led the Pacers with 23 points, making five 3-pointers. It was their fourth straight game with at least 15 3-pointers made, tying the longest such streak in franchise history. ... Williams missed his second straight game with a left hip injury.
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Irving leads rout of Celtics in return to Boston Garden
Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving (11) drives against Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III (44) during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game, Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, in Boston. Irving scored 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting and had seven rebounds, five assists and two steals helping the Nets rout the Celtics 113-89 Friday night in the final preseason game for both teams. There were no fans in the new Boston Garden on Friday night, and his introduction was greeted with a faint, fake cheer. Precious Achiuwa scored 13 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Heat, while Bam Adebayo scored 13 points and Tyler Herro scored 10. McCollum led the Blazers with 26 points on 8-of-20 shooting and Gary Trent Jr. added 18 points in the loss.
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Butler, Dragic help Heat pull away to beat Pacers in Game 1
The Heat pulled away in the closing minutes, long after the Pacers had lost star guard Victor Oladipo to an eye injury. 4 and 5 seeds, who were separated by a game in the standings in this pandemic-shortened season. Indiana went 6-2 in the seeding games and Miami was 3-5, with the teams splitting a pair of meetings. Warren and Malcolm Brogdon scored 22 points apiece for the Pacers, who will try to even the series on Thursday. Pacers: Oladipo's loss came after coach Nate McMillan said the guard was no longer playing with a minutes restriction.
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Turner helps Indiana hold off Harden rally to beat Rockets
That's when Harden got Houston going, cutting it to 106-104 on with a driving basket with 27 seconds to go. But after Victor Olidipo missed a 3-pointer, Turner tipped out the rebound to Justin Holliday with six seconds left. ... Malcolm Brogdon, who had 12 points in Monday's loss to Miami, sat out against Houston with a sore neck. Rockets: Russell Westbrook was diagnosed with a strained quadriceps muscle in his right leg and will miss Friday's regular-season finale. Rockets: Play Philadelphia on Friday.
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Warren scores 39, Pacers surge past Lakers late, 116-111
Warren scored 18 in the first quarter, one off the franchise record he tied in a bubble-opening win over Philadelphia a week ago, before getting held without a shot in the second quarter. TIP-INSLakers: After Justin Holliday opened the second quarter with a 3 that pushed the Pacers' lead to 13, the Lakers went on a 22-5 run for a 46-42 lead. James scored six straight points on layups to start the run and later hit a 3. Pacers: Indiana's JaKarr Sampson had back-to-back putback dunks in the first quarter to finish a run to a 32-17 lead. ... Aaron Holiday had seven points and matched James with a game-high seven assists.
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Warren scores career-high 53 as Pacers beat 76ers 127-121
I just wanted to be aggressive, do what I do best, Warren said. Tobias Harris scored 30 points for Philadelphia, and Ben Simmons had 19 points and 13 rebounds. But the leading trio for the Sixers wasn't enough to overcome Warren, who matched a franchise record with 19 points in the first quarter. He punished us tonight from the beginning of the game on.The Pacers got the restart-opening win without two starters. The Sixers were down 35-29 after the first and had eight turnovers, including two each from Embiid and Milton.
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Oladipo backtracks on sitting out rest of season with Pacers
Oladipo's presence could give the Pacers a big boost when the season resumes, especially with starting guard Malcolm Brogdon also expected to be healthy. Kevin Pritchard, the Pacers president of basketball operations, and coach Nate McMillan both said they supported Oladipo, whose minutes were being closely monitored when the season was suspended in mid-March. When he returned in late January, Oladipo wasn't the same. But this is a different situation.Brogdon tore a muscle in his thigh March 4 and was listed as week to week. If Oladipo does play, McMillan may finally get to see just how good these Pacers could be.
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AP source: Heat's Derrick Jones Jr. tests positive for virus
Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. dunks the ball against Charlotte Hornets forward Jalen McDaniels (6) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, March 11, 2020, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)MIAMI A person with knowledge of the situation says Miami forward Derrick Jones Jr. has tested positive for the coronavirus, a result that came in shortly after the Heat and other NBA teams began mandatory testing in preparation for next month's resumption of the season. A small number of NBA players publicly revealed Wednesday that they had tested positive, including Sacramento teammates Jabari Parker and Alex Len and Indiana's Malcolm Brogdon. All-Star Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets has also tested positive, a person with knowledge of that situation told AP on Tuesday. ___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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Pacers' Brogdon in quarantine after positive test for virus
Indiana Pacers' Malcolm Brogdon drives past Milwaukee Bucks' Eric Bledsoe during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 4, 2020, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)INDIANAPOLIS Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon said Tuesday he has been quarantined after testing positive for the coronavirus. I recently tested positive for the COVID virus and am currently in quarantine," the statement read. But with other NBA players voicing concerns about resuming the season amid the continuing protests, Brogdon had decided he would play. If Oladipo does play, the Pacers intend to be cautious with their star.
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AP Interview: Floyd's death opens old wounds for Sefolosha
Thabo Sefolosha knows what its like to be a black man, on the ground, surrounded by police officers. People talk about a few rotten apples, Sefolosha said in an interview with The Associated Press. It changed me a lot, toward the way I see law enforcement in this country, Sefolosha said. Ill be happy to be with my teammates and reunited with basketball in general, Sefolosha said. I think its definitely time for change and that should be a priority for all of us.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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Brogdon scores 26, Pacers forced to rally late to beat Spurs
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Indiana found its bearing in the paint after losing its composure late against San Antonio. Malcolm Brogdon scored 26 points, T.J. Warren added 23 and the Pacers rallied to beat the Spurs 116-111 on Monday night after blowing a 15-point lead. Patty Mills scored 24 points to lead San Antonio and Trey Lyles added 20. “It’s all about being competitive and executing and you’ve got to do it for more of the 48 minutes than your opponent,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. “We didn’t do anything in the second quarter to help ourselves.