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Erik Spoelstra’s Heat team joined the Denver Nuggets in earning a 3-0 Conference Finals series lead after blasting the Celtics into submission on their Miami return, having snatched the initiative in Boston. Point guard Gabe Vincent led the way with a new career-high 29 points, as their role players stepped up in style as they’re now one game away from another NBA Finals trip.
Continue reading “Vincent vanquishes Celtics as Miami join Denver with commanding 3-0 series lead”
Jimmy Butler had 35 points, seven assists, six steals and five rebounds – armed with clutch plays late on – as the Miami Heat swiftly erased a nine-point half-time deficit en route to a surging Game 1 East Finals victory on the road against Boston, who began well but finished with a whimper at TD Garden overnight.
Continue reading “Heat 123-116 Celtics: Jimmy Butler burns bright as Mazzulla’s men stumble late on”
Jimmy Butler recorded 25 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals in 43 minutes – playing through a rolled ankle late – as Miami Heat profited from turnovers, overcoming a sluggish start to overwhelm the New York Knicks 108-101 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semi-final matchup on Sunday night. Continue reading “Jimmy Butler battles through pain barrier as Heat start East semis with road win”
Having both endured an inefficient night as Atlanta bested them on Tuesday, Jimmy Butler and Chicago’s own Max Strus combined for 61 points with clutch moments galore to help Miami overcome a six-point fourth quarter deficit against a reactive Bulls team, punching their postseason ticket. Top seed Milwaukee await them on Sunday night in Game 1, to finish a whirlwind week.
Continue reading “Heat 102-91 Bulls: Butler, Strus combine for 62 points as Miami lock up No. 8 seed”
Trae Young led the way with 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as the Atlanta Hawks started fast and finished assertively en route to a double-digit road win in Miami during the league’s maiden play-in tournament matchup of the season overnight. The result secures their standing as the Eastern Conference’s seventh seed, and Boston [2] await them in Game 1 this weekend. Continue reading “Hawks 116-105 Heat: Young silences trade noise as Snyder’s men stun Miami to secure playoff berth”
The February 9 trade deadline is just a week away, and Rui Hachimura’s surprise trade move to the LA Lakers last month – January 23 – hasn’t exactly caught fire as far as opening the floodgates for moves across the league. That much should change though before long, so here’s a round-up of the latest news and chatter, including the Clippers’ search for a guard. Continue reading “NBA: Clippers linked with VanVleet, Kings monitoring Thybulle, two teams want Olynyk reunion and more”
It’s NBA trade season, so speculation is predictably in full flow as teams – whether championship contenders, pretenders or rebuilding teams – are all involved between now and the Feb. 9 deadline. Will any team satisfy Toronto’s big expectations in an OG Anunoby trade? What about Bojan Bogdanovic in Detroit, or the silence coming from the Suns about wantaway wing Jae Crowder? Read about all of that and more, with some free agent chatter to finish. Continue reading “NBA news round-up: Anunoby, Bogdanovic, Crowder and more as trade season hots up”
More than a third of the way through the NBA regular season, title contenders and tanking teams have largely been identified. As for the cluster of teams flickering in the middle, the race to February’s All-Star break will decide where their future lies. I spoke to NBA expert Jack Brown for another Q&A, featuring Chicago’s issues, best Victor Wembanyama landing spots and more.
Continue reading “NBA Q&A – Christmas special: A look at struggling teams, trade targets and stories to watch”
After finishing the top seed in last season’s Eastern Conference and finding themselves a missed three-pointer away from a second NBA Finals trip in three years – losing a seven-game series against the Boston Celtics – Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and co are raring to go ahead of the new campaign, one which poses many questions as far as their long-term future is concerned. Continue reading “No excuses, Miami Heat looking to pick up where they left off as preseason inbound”
With season six of his NBA career two months away, Bam Adebayo – who recorded a new career-high in points (19.1) last term – wants to emulate Udonis Haslem by remaining with the Miami Heat for the rest of his playing days. While his name has risen in trade speculation this offseason, related to Kevin Durant’s desire to depart Brooklyn, the 25-year-old knows he can’t dwell on things out of his control, but reaffirmed his desire to stay in south Florida long-term. Continue reading “Amid trade rumours, Miami’s Adebayo reaffirms desire to remain with Heat for his entire career”
Details of James Harden’s two-year contract extension with the Philadelphia 76ers emerged overnight, confirming what was first reported: the 10-time All-Star guard agreed a reduced deal to help the franchise sign more quality players in their attempt to go all-out for a NBA championship charge this coming season. Will his bullish comments prove prophetic or not? Continue reading “After agreeing reduced $68.6m deal, will 76ers and Harden hum along into true title contention?”
With their Game 1 clash vs. the Miami Heat set for tip-off in a few hours’ time, here’s a quick refresh: Boston Celtics, armed by a new career-high display from Grant Williams, overcame a 3-2 series deficit to knock out the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. Hours later, Dallas did similar but in enemy territory, stunning the Phoenix Suns in a historic blowout win. Continue reading “Conference Finals set after Celtics, Mavericks dominate their respective Game 7 duels”
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