Durant, Nets pound Knicks 112-85 after promoting Vaughn
Kevin Durant had 29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, becoming the first player since Michael Jordan to score at least 25 points in his team’s first 12 games, and the Brooklyn Nets routed the New York Knicks 112-85 after making Jacque Vaughn their head coach.
Durant leads big rally at MSG as Nets storm past Knicks
Kevin Durant had 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, leading the Brooklyn Nets back from 21 points down to a 110-98 victory over the New York Knicks that strengthened their chances of the best spot possible in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
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Tobias Harris comes up big late as Sixers hold off Warriors
Golden State Warriors guard Damion Lee reacts after making a 3-point basket against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Tuesday, March 23, 2021. Tobias Harris hit a go-ahead jumper with 3:44 to play, scored another basket on the next possession and finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds to help the Sixers hold off the Golden State Warriors 108-98 on Tuesday night. AdOne member of the family delivered with a big night: Their brother-in-law, Damion Lee, scored 16 points for Golden State in 24 minutes off the bench. He will miss at least the next two games for Golden State before being re-evaluated in a week. Golden State beat the Kings 137-106 at home on Jan. 4.
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Antetokounmpo lifts Bucks to 109-105 OT victory over 76ers
Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo , left, goes up for a shot against Philadelphia 76ers' Ben Simmons during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, March 17, 2021, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)PHILADELPHIA – Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 10 of his 32 points in overtime to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 109-105 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference’s best teams. Tobias Harris scored 19 points and Danny Green added 18 for Philadelphia, which had its six-game winning streak snapped. After being hounded by Simmons for most of the game, Antetokounmpo found his offense in the extra session with Simmons in foul trouble. He scored 10 straight Bucks points, the last a 10-foot jumper in the lane that pushed Milwaukee's lead to 105-98 with 1:11 left in overtime.
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AP Interview: Morey embraces challenges of leading 76ers
Morey hasn't had to make any major moves in his first season running the Philadelphia 76ers. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)PHILADELPHIA – Like any top NBA executive this time of the season, Daryl Morey is trying to better his roster. “I just grabbed all the Sixers,” Morey said. “Younger fans want to feel like they’re part of something,” Morey told The Associated Press in an interview this week. “Well, we happen to have the best inside players in the NBA,” Morey said.
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Embiid, Harris lead 76ers to OT victory over Jazz
Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid, right, goes up for a shot against Utah Jazz's Bojan Bogdanovic, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, March 3, 2021, in Philadelphia. The game included four players who will be participating in Sunday’s All-Star game in Embiid and Simmons, and Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert of the Jazz. AdThe Jazz beat Philadelphia 134-123 on Feb. 15 in Utah when Embiid sat with a back injury. The 76ers couldn’t free their shooters for a tying 3, so Embiid stepped back and drained one himself with 5.9 seconds remaining. Mitchell had 33 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Jazz, who lost their second straight.
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Lillard scores 30 as Blazers down 76ers 118-114
Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, left, is fouled by Philadelphia 76ers guard Furkan Korkmaz during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore., Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)PORTLAND, Ore. – Damian Lillard had 30 points and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 118-114 on Thursday night. The Eastern Conference-leading Sixers had won six of seven, with the only defeat during that span coming a week ago to the Trail Blazers, 121-105. Lillard was third in the league, averaging 29.4 points a game with 13 of 30 or more points this season. The Trail Blazers host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.
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Embiid, Simmons lead 76ers past short-handed Nets 124-108
Philadelphia 76ers' Ben Simmons, left, dunks the ball against Brooklyn Nets' Iman Shumpert during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021, in Philadelphia. Simmons played a complete game on both ends of the court, finishing with 16 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and three steals to help the Philadelphia 76ers to a 124-108 victory over the short-handed Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night. Joel Embiid scored 33 points and Tobias Harris added 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Eastern Conference-leading 76ers, who have won five of six. “I think you have to coach him and be around him to see his value,” Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers said. “I do think fatigue played a part,” coach Steve Nash said after Brooklyn played the second game of a back-to-back.
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Trent, Anthony lead undermanned Portland past 76ers 121-105
Portland Trail Blazers' Rodney Hood, left, tries to dribble past Philadelphia 76ers' Seth Curry during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021, in Philadelphia. Gary Trent Jr. scored 24 points and Enes Kanter had 17 points and 18 rebounds to lead the undermanned Trail Blazers to a 121-105 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night. Carmelo Anthony had 22 points and a Trail Blazers team with four starters missing led by as many as 29 points against the top team in the East. “But on both ends of the floor, the other guys did an amazing job today.”Joel Embiid scored 37 points for the Sixers. Throw in four players already out with injuries -- including Jusuf Nurkic (wrist) and McCollum (left foot) -- and the Trail Blazers were down to nine players.
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Denver tops short-handed 76ers hit with virus, injuries
The team met the minimum eight active players by including injured forward Mike Scott, who was not actually able to play. Gary Harris scored 21 points for the Nuggets, who played without Michael Porter Jr. (19.5 points per game) because of health and safety protocols. Danny Green was the only regular in Philly's starting lineup, joined by backups Dakota Mathias, Dwight Howard, Joe and Maxey. “I don’t know enough about any of this.”Sparked by Maxey, the undermanned, feisty Sixers stuck with Denver throughout the first half. Nuggets: Play Saturday in New York.
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Nets, without Irving and Durant, beat NBA-leading 76ers
(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)NEW YORK – The Brooklyn Nets couldn't put Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant into those throwback blue tie-dye jerseys from 30 years ago. Joe Harris scored a season-high 28 points and the Nets shook off the absence of their two superstars to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 122-109 on Thursday night. The Nets already knew they’d be without Durant for a second consecutive game because of the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Nash said he didn't think the strong performance without them sent a message to the rest of his players. Nets; Brooklyn was also without G Tyler Johnson because of the health and safety protocols.
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Sixers top Wizards despite Beal's record-tying 60 points
(AP Photo/Chris Szagola)PHILADELPHIA – Joel Embiid scored 38 points and the NBA-leading Philadelphia 76ers overcame a Washington record-tying 60-point performance by Bradley Beal in a 141-136 win over the Wizards on Wednesday night. Beal, who once scored 53 and 55 points in consecutive games, sank a free throw with 4.4 seconds left to hit the mark. He hit seven 3s and reached 57 points through three quarters, and that should have been enough to give the Wizards the lead. They gave up 82 points and trailed by as many as 21 points, Beal outscoring the rest of the Wizards. Russell Westbrook scored 20 points for the Wizards.
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Ben Simmons all in on 76ers’ new buzzword: accountability
Simmons says hes 100% healthy following surgery on his left knee in August that kept him from playing in the postseason. “I mean, you can’t just come into a situation like the bubble if you guys aren’t ready and don’t have that chemistry and accountability already,” Simmons said Friday. The same team Rivers coached last season that blew a 3-1 playoff series lead in the Western Conference semis and led him to leaving Los Angeles? Simmons said accountability -- the new buzzword in Philly - starts with the players. I think Doc would say the same thing, I go out there and make plays.”___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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As the NBA playoffs begin, here are 10 things to know
Playoff teams will split a record $23,287,266 for making the NBA postseason, a figure that's up about $1.6 million from last year. And the Milwaukee Bucks stand to grab the biggest share of a pool ever, if they win the NBA title. The biggest slices, of course, go to the teams that make the NBA Finals. For winning the NBA title last season, the Toronto Raptors split $5.6 million from the playoff pool. And the last time an NBA Finals had two non-division-winning teams was 2007, when San Antonio topped Cleveland.
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Suns top Mavs to keep playoff hopes alive, go 8-0 in bubble
Dario Saric scored 16 points and Cameron Payne and Cameron Johnson each added 15 for the Suns. Dallas was already locked into a playoff matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers, so the starters played limited minutes. Luka Doncic, who had averaged 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11.3 assists in the bubble, finished with 18 points in just over 13 minutes. Booker scored 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting before the break. Suns: Either season over or will be in a play-in game against Memphis on Saturday.
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Lillard pours in 61 to lift Blazers past Mavs, 134-131
Kristaps Porzingis scored 36 points and Luka Doncic had 25 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds for the Mavericks, who will finish No. Lillard then drew a double-team and dished to Haasan Whiteside for a dunk to put the Blazers up by two. The game featured the two leading scorers since the NBA restart, with Doncic entering averaging 33.4 points and Lillard 33. Lillard was hot from the start, scoring 25 in the first half as the Blazers took a 66-58 lead. Mavericks: Play Suns on Thursday.
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Doncic gets 17th triple-double, Mavs top Bucks 136-132 in OT
Brook Lopez scored a season-high 34 points for the Bucks, who have already clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Doncic's final assist was a between-the-legs pass to Maxi Kleber for a three-point play and a 133-128 lead. The foul that sent Doncic to the line was originally called as the sixth on Antetokounmpo. Middleton's three-point play with 1.9 seconds left in the half put Milwaukee up 71-62. Mavericks: Play Utah on Monday.