The Lakers survived due to the Wolves epic offensive drought

Hawks seize East’s seventh seed with 116-105 win over Warmth

Final season, the Miami Warmth took the Atlanta Hawks to job within the first spherical of the playoffs, dealing with enterprise in simply 5 video games. Trae Younger and firm — beneath new management of their postseason-tested head coach Quin Snyder — have been hell-bent on making certain that the identical disappointing end result didn’t come on this 12 months’s play-in match. Younger scored 25 factors, Dejounte Murray added 18, and Clint Capela pulled down 21 rebounds because the Hawks all-but cruised previous the Warmth and right into a first-round date with the Boston Celtics.

As a lot as this was Atlanta’s sport to lose for a lot of the motion — they led by as many as 24 factors and general simply appeared to have Miami’s quantity — the Warmth did the whole lot of their restricted energy to make issues attention-grabbing within the second half. They lower the Hawks’ result in 15 by halftime and opened the third on a 16-6 run, bringing the Warmth inside 5. However Atlanta answered every Miami run, and given their 63-39 benefit on the boards, the Hawks gave themselves each benefit over the course of the competition.

Kyle Lowry was the almost-hero for the Warmth, scoring 33 factors to steer all scorers. It was essentially the most factors he’s scored as a member of the Warmth in two seasons. Tyler Herro scored 26 factors however shot two-of-nine from three, whereas Jimmy Butler completed with 21 factors. The Warmth will host both Toronto or Chicago on Friday to resolve who will get the ultimate playoff spot within the East and heads to Milwaukee on Sunday.

Atlanta, in the meantime, begins its sequence in opposition to Boston on Saturday. Buckle up.

Lakers outlast T-Wolves in OT thriller, 108-102, will face Memphis in Spherical 1

Given the whole lot that Minnesota has, um, “been by way of” over the previous couple of days — to not point out the ridicule the Wolves have (deservedly) garnered given the dumbfounding variety of belongings they despatched out in alternate for Rudy Gobert — I assume it’s solely honest that the Lakers handed them a ninth life in regulation. With 0.1 seconds remaining, Anthony Davis backed into Mike Conley as he launched a desperation three whereas trailing by three, thus sending Conley to the road with an opportunity to tie it and ship the sport to extra time.

Conley, a profession 82-percent free-throw shooter, naturally knocked down all three. To extra time we went.

The Wolves missed 11 consecutive photographs earlier than Anthony Edwards’ dunk with 2:36 left in extra time. Edwards scored simply 9 factors – greater than 15 under his common – and left the court docket briefly within the second half to get tape on his left shoulder after taking an early fall.

Schröder stepped up tremendously for D’Angelo Russell, who had a nightmare sport for Los Angeles in opposition to the workforce that traded him in February. Russell had eight assists, however scored two factors on 1-of-9 capturing earlier than getting benched down the stretch.

As soon as there, the Wolves couldn’t hit water in the event that they have been to fall out of a ship, no less than till Anthony Edwards completed off a dunk with two-and-a-half minutes to go within the further interval. Edwards had a nightmare sport, particularly contemplating the stakes: he scored simply 9 factors on three-of-17 capturing. Fortunately, Karl-Anthony Cities (24 factors and 11 rebounds), Conley (23 factors), and Kyle Anderson (12 factors and 13 assists) picked up the slack, but it surely wasn’t sufficient.

LeBron James had 30 factors and 10 rebounds to steer the Lakers, whereas Anthony Davis made up for his late blunder by scoring a complete of 24 factors and knocking down 15 rebounds. Dennis Schröder was the true spark, scoring 21 factors, 18 of which got here within the second half and extra time. The Lakers will face Memphis within the first spherical, a sequence that begins on Sunday.

Minnesota, in the meantime, will host New Orleans or Oklahoma Metropolis on Friday to resolve who wins a first-round date with the top-seeded Denver Nuggets, additionally beginning on Sunday.