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CNN
19-04-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Miami Heat become the first 10th place team to advance out of the NBA's play-in tournament as playoff field is set
The NBA playoff picture came into full focus Friday night with the final two games of the play-in tournament. The Miami Heat, who were the last team into the Easter Conference play-in bracket with the 10th-best record in the regular season, knocked off the Atlanta Hawks with a 123-114 overtime win to become the No. 8 seed in the East. In the Western Conference, it was the Memphis Grizzlies pummeling the Dallas Mavericks 120-106 to take the eighth seed in the West. In the first game of the night the Heat rolled into looking for a second straight do-or-die win after defeating the Bulls in Chicago on Wednesday in their first play-in game. The Heat caught the Hawks flat-footed, leading by as much as 17 points in the first half. The Hawks shook off a poor shooting performance early in the game and rallied to take the lead in the fourth quarter, sparked by some clutch shooting from guard Trae Young. It was a driving lay-up from Young that tied the game at 106 with just a second left on the clock to force overtime. Heat reserve guard Davion Mitchell took over in the added period with a trio of 3-pointers to outscore the Hawks single-handedly in overtime. Mitchell scored nine of his 16 points in OT. The Heat's Tyler Herro led all scorers with a game-high 30 points, while Young had a team-high 29 points for Atlanta. With the win, the Heat slide into the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and become the first 10th place team to ever advance out of the play-in tournament. Miami will now face the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in a first round series beginning Sunday. In Friday's nightcap, the Grizzlies were not about about to let Dallas become the second 10th place team to advance, as Memphis dealt the Mavericks a decisive defeat. The Grizzlies pounced all over the Mavs early, walloping Dallas from the opening tip to establish a 39-24 lead after the first quarter. Memphis continued to pour it on in the second quarter, running their lead up to as many as 25 points. The Grizzlies would coast from there. With star guard Ja Morant playing on an injured right ankle after rolling it in Grizzlies' loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, Memphis was lifted by an all-around team effort on Friday. All of the Grizzlies' starters scored in double figures, led by Jaren Jackson Jr.'s 24 points. Morant scored 22 for Memphis. The Mavericks, on the other hand, were more or less a one-man band. Anthony Davis, who joined Dallas as part of the much-scrutinized trade with the Los Angeles Lakers involving Luka Dončić, scored a game-high 40 points. The next highest scorer for Dallas was Klay Thompson with 18, and two of the Mavericks' starters – PJ Washington and Dereck Lively II – didn't score at all. It was a lackluster ending to a disappointing season for the Mavericks, who entered the season with championship dreams fueled by the presence of their MVP-candidate Dončić. But the surprising mid-season decision to trade the Slovenian superstar coupled with a slew of key injuries, including to star guard Kyrie Irving, ultimately derailed any title aspirations Dallas might have had. With their win, the Grizzlies earn the final spot in the Western Conference and a showdown with the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder, owners of the NBA's best record during the regular season. That series will begin Sunday. First round playoff action begins Saturday with the NBA Finals scheduled to tip off on June 5.
CNN
19-04-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Miami Heat become the first 10th place team to advance out of the NBA's play-in tournament as playoff field is set
The NBA playoff picture came into full focus Friday night with the final two games of the play-in tournament. The Miami Heat, who were the last team into the Easter Conference play-in bracket with the 10th-best record in the regular season, knocked off the Atlanta Hawks with a 123-114 overtime win to become the No. 8 seed in the East. In the Western Conference, it was the Memphis Grizzlies pummeling the Dallas Mavericks 120-106 to take the eighth seed in the West. In the first game of the night the Heat rolled into looking for a second straight do-or-die win after defeating the Bulls in Chicago on Wednesday in their first play-in game. The Heat caught the Hawks flat-footed, leading by as much as 17 points in the first half. The Hawks shook off a poor shooting performance early in the game and rallied to take the lead in the fourth quarter, sparked by some clutch shooting from guard Trae Young. It was a driving lay-up from Young that tied the game at 106 with just a second left on the clock to force overtime. Heat reserve guard Davion Mitchell took over in the added period with a trio of 3-pointers to outscore the Hawks single-handedly in overtime. Mitchell scored nine of his 16 points in OT. The Heat's Tyler Herro led all scorers with a game-high 30 points, while Young had a team-high 29 points for Atlanta. With the win, the Heat slide into the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and become the first 10th place team to ever advance out of the play-in tournament. Miami will now face the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in a first round series beginning Sunday. In Friday's nightcap, the Grizzlies were not about about to let Dallas become the second 10th place team to advance, as Memphis dealt the Mavericks a decisive defeat. The Grizzlies pounced all over the Mavs early, walloping Dallas from the opening tip to establish a 39-24 lead after the first quarter. Memphis continued to pour it on in the second quarter, running their lead up to as many as 25 points. The Grizzlies would coast from there. With star guard Ja Morant playing on an injured right ankle after rolling it in Grizzlies' loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, Memphis was lifted by an all-around team effort on Friday. All of the Grizzlies' starters scored in double figures, led by Jaren Jackson Jr.'s 24 points. Morant scored 22 for Memphis. The Mavericks, on the other hand, were more or less a one-man band. Anthony Davis, who joined Dallas as part of the much-scrutinized trade with the Los Angeles Lakers involving Luka Dončić, scored a game-high 40 points. The next highest scorer for Dallas was Klay Thompson with 18, and two of the Mavericks' starters – PJ Washington and Dereck Lively II – didn't score at all. It was a lackluster ending to a disappointing season for the Mavericks, who entered the season with championship dreams fueled by the presence of their MVP-candidate Dončić. But the surprising mid-season decision to trade the Slovenian superstar coupled with a slew of key injuries, including to star guard Kyrie Irving, ultimately derailed any title aspirations Dallas might have had. With their win, the Grizzlies earn the final spot in the Western Conference and a showdown with the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder, owners of the NBA's best record during the regular season. That series will begin Sunday. First round playoff action begins Saturday with the NBA Finals scheduled to tip off on June 5.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nuggets hang on to beat Warriors despite sitting Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray and Christian Braun in prime-time matchup
It turns out that the Denver Nuggets didn't need their stars on Monday night. The Nuggets, who sat Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray and Christian Braun due to various injuries, still beat the Golden State Warriors 114-105 at the Chase Center on Monday in their primetime matchup behind a 38-point night from Aaron Gordon. [Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K] Jokić was held out with a right elbow contusion and left ankle impingement. Murray missed the game with left knee inflammation and Braun was held out with left foot inflammation. That left the Nuggets without three key starters, and their MVP-candidate leader. Jokić appeared to initially injure his elbow in a March 9 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Nikola Jokic was holding his right elbow after being fouled by Isaiah Hartenstein on this — Digits Sports App (@Digits3App) March 9, 2025 He wrapped his elbow on the sideline after a fall. He finished the game and was seen with ice on his elbow postgame. He'd played in each of Denver's three games since. Murray appeared to tweak his ankle late in Saturday's loss to the Washington Wizards. Jokić and Murray were both initially listed as questionable for Monday's game prior to being downgraded to out. Braun was listed as probable before being downgraded to questionable, and then out. The NBA has been active in investigating potential violations of its player participation policy and recently fined the Utah Jazz $100,000 for sidelining former All-Star Lauri Markkanen for multiple games without an approved reason. But the Jazz are in competition for the worst record in the league and the No. 1 pick in a highly anticipated NBA Draft. The NBA implemented rules in 2023 targeting the load management practice of resting star players when they're not injured. Teams are subject to fines for various violations of the policy that include prohibiting teams from sitting multiple star players in the same game when they're not injured and resting star players during nationally televised games. Despite losing their stars, the Nuggets still led nearly the entire way in San Francisco. They jumped out to a seven-point lead after the opening period, and then they fended off a late push by the Warriors down the stretch to sneak out with the nine-point win. Gordon shot 14-of-23 from the field and had six rebounds to go with his 38 points in the win for Denver, which is battling for the No. 2 seed in a competitive Western Conference. Michael Porter Jr. added 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Russell Westbrook finished with 12 points and 16 assists. The Nuggets now hold a 44-25 record, which is in line with the Houston Rockets for second in the conference. Jimmy Butler led the Warriors with 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the loss. Stephen Curry added 20 points and shot just 4-of-14 from behind the arc. Gary Payton II put up 18 points off the bench, too. The Nuggets will be back in action against the Los Angeles Lakers next on Wednesday night, which is another critical battle in the playoff race. It's unclear if their stars will be back for that matchup.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nuggets sit Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, Christian Braun for prime-time showdown with Warriors
Monday's NBA showdown between Western Conference powers has lost a lot of its luster. Shortly before Monday's 10 p.m. ET tipoff on ESPN, the Denver Nuggets announced that they were sitting Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray and Christian Braun against the Golden State Warriors. The official reason for Jokić's absence is right elbow contusion/left ankle impingement. Murray's out with left knee inflammation and Braun's out with left foot inflammation. The absences leave the Nuggets without their MVP-candidate leader in Jokić and two other starters in Murray and Braun for a matchup of two Western Conference contenders. Braun was initially listed as probable for Monday's game before being downgraded questionable and then out. Jokić and Murray were both initially listed as questionable. The good news for the Nuggets is that Aaron Gordon was available after missing six of the previous nine games with calf and ankle injuries. The NBA has been active in enforcing its player participation policy lately and recently fined the Utah Jazz $100,000 for sidelining former All-Star Lauri Markkanen for multiple games without an approved reason. But the Jazz are in competition for the worst record in the league and the No. 1 pick in a highly anticipated NBA Draft. The Nuggets are battling for the No. 2 seed in a competitive Western Conference. But it appears that Jokić, Murray and Braun were all apparently ailing enough that the Nuggets chose to sit them in a game with stakes for both teams.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nuggets sit Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, Christian Braun for primetime showdown with Warriors
Monday's NBA showdown between Western Conference powers has lost a lot of its luster. Shortly before Monday's 10 p.m. ET tipoff on ESPN, the Denver Nuggets announced that they were sitting Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray and Christian Braun against the Golden State Warriors. The official reason for Jokić's absence is right elbow contusion/left ankle impingement. Murray's out with left knee inflammation and Braun's out with left foot inflammation. Injury Update ahead of tonight's game against the Warriors:AVAILABLE:Aaron Gordon (Right Calf Injury Management/Left Ankle Sprain)OUT:Nikola Jokić (Right Elbow Contusion/Left Ankle Impingement)Christian Braun (Left Foot Inflammation)Jamal Murray (Left Knee Inflammation)… — Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) March 18, 2025 The absences leave the Nuggets without their MVP-candidate leader in Jokić and two other starters in Murray and Braun for a matchup of two Western Conference contenders. Braun was initially listed as probable for Monday's game before being downgraded questionable and then out. Jokić and Murray were both initially listed as questionable. The good news for the Nuggets is that Aaron Gordon was available after missing six of the previous nine games with calf and ankle injuries.
