Brooklyn: Mike Scott hit a 3-pointer with 18.6 seconds remaining to lift the visiting Philadelphia 76ers past the Brooklyn Nets 112-108 to take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference opening-round playoff series on Saturday.
Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 31 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and six blocked shots. Embiid, who had been listed as doubtful, started for the Sixers after missing Game 3 with left knee soreness. Tobias Harris added 24 points while Ben Simmons had 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Caris LeVert led the Nets with 25 points while Allen and D’Angelo Russell had 21 apiece. The Nets were without forward Ed Davis, who had a sprained right ankle.
The game became quite chippy with 7:42 left in the third after Embiid committed a hard foul on Allen. There was a lot of pushing and shoving between multiple players on both teams. Dudley and Philadelphia’s Jimmy Butler were each ejected in the aftermath of a scuffle and Embiid was given a flagrant 1 foul.
Rockets 104, Jazz 101
James Harden had 22 points, 10 assists and six steals to rally Houston to victory over Utah in Salt Lake City for a 3-0 series lead.
Harden went 0-of-14 from the field through the first three quarters. He missed 15 straight shots overall before scoring on a dunk with 7:34 left in the fourth quarter. Harden finished 3-of-20 from the field but made hay at the free-throw line by sinking 14 of 16 attempts.
Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points to lead the Jazz. Derrick Favors added 13 points, while Rudy Gobert chipped in 10 points, eight rebounds, and seven blocked shots, but Utah couldn’t overcome 14 turnovers and 13 missed free throws.
Nuggets 117, Spurs 103
Nikola Jokic racked up 29 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and added eight assists as visiting Denver rolled over San Antonio in Game 4 to even the Western Conference first-round playoff series at two games apiece.
Game 5 in the best-of-seven set will be on Tuesday in Denver, with the second-seeded Nuggets’ win on Saturday allowing them to reclaim the home-court advantage. The victory snapped a 14-game losing streak for the Nuggets in the Alamo City, dating back to March 2012.
Jamal Murray added 24 points for Denver. Small forward Torrey Craig, inserted into the starting lineup for the first time since January 28, hit for 18 points. LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 24 points and nine rebounds, with DeMar DeRozan adding 19 points before being ejected late in the game.
Bucks 119, Pistons 103
Khris Middleton recorded 20 points and nine rebounds to help Milwaukee defeat host Detroit to take a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference first-round series.
Brook Lopez recorded 19 points, seven rebounds and five blocks and Eric Bledsoe also scored 19 points for the top-seeded Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo registered 14 points and 10 rebounds for his third straight double-double in the series.
Detroit’s Blake Griffin had 27 points, seven rebounds and six assists in his first appearance in the series due to a left knee injury. Griffin played with his knee and leg heavily wrapped. Detroit has lost 13 straight playoff games dating back to 2008 to match the dubious NBA mark set by the New York Knicks (2001-12). — Reuters
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