moranelkarifnews : NBA playoffs: Warriors take 2-1 lead on Rockets without Jimmy Butler; Aaron Gordon stuns Clippers at buzzer

The NBA playoffs continued Saturday with four first-round matchups, three in the Western Conference. In the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers took a 3-0 series lead over the Miami Heat. 

In Saturday’s two Game 4’s, the Oklahoma City Thunder closed out a sweep over the Memphis Grizzlies, while the Denver Nuggets tied their series against the Los Angeles Clippers, with one of the closest calls you will ever see, and the Golden State Warriors outlasted the Houston Rockets to take the series lead.

The full slate:

• Cavaliers 124, Heat 87, Game 3 (Cavs lead series 3-0)

• Thunder 117, Grizzlies 115, Game 4 (Thunder win series 4-0)

• Nuggets 101, Clippers 99, Game 4 (series tied, 2-2)

• Warriors 104, Rockets 93, Game 3 (Warriors lead 2-1)

Check out Yahoo Sports’ predictions for each first-round series, in addition to Kevin O’Connor’s ranking of the top 40 players in the NBA postseason.

Here are the results and key takeaways from Saturday’s games:

Warriors 104, Rockets 93

The Houston Rockets didn’t have to worry about Jimmy Butler. They still had to worry about Stephen Curry.

It didn’t work out.

The Warriors took Game 3 in front of a raucous crowd at the Chase Center, erasing a double-digit lead in the second quarter and taking control in the fourth behind yet another show of all-time greatness from Curry.

Curry finished with 36 points on 12-of-23 shooting with nine assists and seven rebounds.

Stephen Curry is one of the greatest players of all time

It really needs to be said: The Rockets tried to stop Curry. Tried.

With Butler out, the Rockets did what pretty much every Warriors opponent did before the trade deadline. They keyed in on Curry and defended with help ready to move in on him. That’s easier said than done, because their might not be a sports experience on Earth more miserable than keeping track of Curry for an entire game.

That’s not to say Curry got no help, though. Beyond swapping out Butler for Jonathan Kuminga, head coach Steve Kerr inserted rookie center Quinten Post into the starting lineup in exchange for Moses Moody. It was a different look that just didn’t work offensively until about the final four minutes of the first half.

At that point, the Rockets were up 12 points and looking on track to beat the short-handed Warriors. Then Curry sparked a 9-0 run to end the half, narrowing the deficit to three. Gary Payton II also had one of his best games of the season, posting 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting.

And now the Warriors get a day’s rest, as Butler tries to heal in time for Game 4.

Some postgame fun between Draymond Green and Jalen Green

The Warriors’ other longtime star, Draymond Green, also had a good game, but just on defense. as Golden State held the Rockets to 19-of-48 shooting inside the paint.

The other kind of impact he is known for was evident when the final buzzer sounded, as Jalen Green (nine points on 4-of-11 shooting) met him at half-court with some harsh words. The veteran’s response appeared to be telling his opponent to go paint his nails.

Game 4 is scheduled for Monday at 10 p.m. ET in the Chase Center.

Nuggets 101, Clippers 99

There has never been a game-winning dunk this close to the buzzer.

With a fraction of a fraction of a second remaining, Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon dunked teammate Nikola Jokić’s errant 3-point attempt, sealing a surreal win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

The win spoiled the Clippers’ 22-point fourth-quarter comeback and evened the series, 2-2.

Officials conferred after the final buzzer, leaving the viewing public in limbo. After several minutes, referee Zach Zarba announced Gordon had juuust released the ball before the clock hit zeroes.

Clippers mount massive comeback

Though the Nuggets led through the entirety of the first half, the Clippers remained close — until the third quarter, when Denver turned its 50-48 halftime advantage into an 85-65 lead entering the fourth.

Jokić scored 16 of his game-high 36 points in the third quarter, when the Nuggets shot 56%, and they stretched their lead to as large as 22 points in the opening minute of the final frame. Led by Kawhi Leonard (24 points, nine rebounds), James Harden (15 points, 11 assists), Ivica Zubac (19 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists) and Norman Powell (22 points), the Clippers responded with a 32-9 run to take a 97-96 lead.

It would be their only lead of the game.

After Bogdan Bogdanović’s put-back put the Clippers up one with 1:11 remaining, Jokić made one of a pair of three throws to tie the game 12 seconds later, 97-97. Neither team would score until Jokić broke the tie with a fadeaway jumper over Zubac with 16 seconds to play. Harden missed a game-tying layup, but Zubac tipped it in to tie the game again, 99-99, paving the way for Gordon’s last-second heroics.

Jokić: ‘Top-5 center’?

Jokić reminded us: Three-time MVPs do not go quietly in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

The 7-foot Serbian amassed 36 points (14-25 FG, 3-6 3P, 5-6 FT), 21 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and a block in 43 minutes. It marked the fourth 30-20-5 game of his playoff career. The others who have hit those marks at least four times in the postseason: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain. That is it.

Speaking of which, the TNT crew introduced an interesting debate at halftime, as Shaquille O’Neal named Jokić one of the top-five centers in the history of the game. Charles Barkley and Jalen Rose checked him on that, naming Kareem, Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Hakeem Olajuwon and, of course, O’Neal to their list.

“I would never take Hakeem off,” said O’Neal, who added, “All right, [Jokić is] top 10.”

Stick with your take, Shaq! It was a good one. Not to remove anyone from a top-five list, but Jokić has more MVPs than O’Neal and Olajuwon combined. They both have Jokić beat in rings … so far. Statistically, though, it is not crazy to put Jokić on par with both O’Neal and Olajuwon — especially after this night.

• Jokić (10 seasons): 21.8 PPG (56/36/82), 10.9 RPG, 7.2 APG; 28.5 PER

• O’Neal (19 seasons): 23.7 PPG (58/1/53), 10.9 RPG, 2.5 APG; 26.4 PER

• Olajuwon (18 seasons): 21.8 PPG (51/20/71), 11.1 RPG, 2.5 APG; 23.6 PER

Porter, Gordon gut it out

The Nuggets got good minutes from Gordon and Porter, both of whom are battling significant injuries. Gordon, playing through a lingering right calf injury, “can barely jump right now,” he told ESPN’s Marc J. Spears on Friday. At the same time, Porter’s sprained left shoulder is “probably like 20 or 30%” healthy.

It sure looked like Gordon could jump just fine on the game-winning dunk. Maybe it was all adrenaline. He finished with 14 points (5-9 FG), six rebounds and five assists in 43 minutes on his heavily taped right leg.

Meanwhile, Porter scored a series-high 17 points, adding four rebounds and two assists in 42 minutes. He hurt his shoulder at the end of a 15-point, 15-rebound effort in a narrow Game 2 loss and was limited to seven points on nine shots in a blowout defeat in Game 3. He answered the call in Game 4, sprinkling four 3-pointers throughout, each of which made an ever-winnowing lead a little more comfortable for Denver.

Christian Braun added 17 points, as all five Nuggets starters scored in double figures. Each of them played at least 42 minutes. The contributions from Gordon, Porter and Braun helped offset a subpar offensive effort from Jamal Murray (13 points on 5-for-17 shooting) and little additional help from the bench (four points combined). Once again the Clippers looked like the deeper team, but the series is tied.

Technicals galore

These are among the most physical first-round series we have seen in years. Bruises are mounting, especially as the younger Rockets and Magic have tried to manhandle the veteran Warriors and Celtics, respectively. Responses are coming. And things are heating up between the Nuggets and Clippers as well.

With 6.6 seconds left in the first half, following a Braun foul on Harden, the two got entangled. Jokić stepped in, and then Gordon, and a fracas ensued. Harden shoved Jokić. Gordon and Harden shoved each other. Technical fouls were issued to Braun, Jokić, Gordon, Harden, Powell and Kris Dunn.

All the fouls were offsetting. It was as if nothing had happened. And then everything happened.

Thunder 117, Grizzlies 115

The Thunder finished off the Grizzlies with a win in Game 4 on Saturday, and it didn’t take a 29-point comeback this time.

With Memphis missing star point guard Ja Morant, out with a hip injury from Game 3, Oklahoma City was in control for most of the nip-and-tuck game behind 38 points from Shai Gilgeous Alexander. Despite Morant missing the game and Zach Edey and Scotty Pippen Jr. fouling out, the Grizzlies stayed within striking range until the final possession.

All things considered, the Grizzlies can at least say this loss was the least embarrassing of the series.

Thunder struggle from distance, but persevere

Oklahoma City didn’t have its A game offensively Saturday, struggling mightily to find the range from beyond the arc — just 7-for-35 (20%) from 3-point land as a team, one of the worst long-distance shooting performances in franchise playoff history.

Great teams have more than one way to win, though … and if we’ve learned anything this season, it’s that the Thunder — the NBA’s No. 1 defense, and one of the best teams in the league at winning the possession battle — are a pretty great team. And now, they’re on to Round 2.

The MVP favorite steps up

Gilgeous-Alexander, an MVP finalist, scored his 38 points on 13-for-24 shooting, capped by a stepback dagger with 11 seconds remaining, to help Oklahoma City finish off the sweep of an undermanned Grizzlies squad. All-Star forward Jalen Williams added 23 points, five assists and four rebounds for the top-seeded Thunder, who will take on the winner of the 4-vs.-5 matchup between the Nuggets and Clippers in the Western Conference semifinals.

With Morant unavailable, Memphis needed big games from Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane to extend its season. They combined for just 35 points on 32 field-goal attempts, though, as they battled both foul trouble and a snarling OKC defense.

While this series opened with the Thunder blowing the Grizzlies out in Games 1 and 2 — and outscoring Memphis by 32 points in the second half of Game 3 — the closeout contest was a much closer affair, with seven lead changes and neither team able to get more than 12 points clear of the other. With its long-range shooting offline, Oklahoma City relied largely on its defense, forcing the Morant-less Grizz into 21 turnovers, leading to 32 Thunder points. Between all those Memphis miscues and OKC both limiting its own mistakes (just eight turnovers leading to nine Memphis points) and grabbing its misses (12 offensive rebounds, 15 second-chance points), the Thunder wound up taking 14 more field-goal attempts than the Grizzlies — a major possession advantage that paid major dividends.

Memphis looked to bounce back from Thursday’s devastating blown 29-point lead by getting off to a hot start, opening 8-for-12 from the floor to gain an early edge. The Thunder kept pace, though, thanks to Gilgeous-Alexander finally starting to thaw out after an icy start to the playoffs.

After shooting just 35.3% from the floor and 25% from 3 in the first three games of the series, Gilgeous-Alexander made his first seven shots on Saturday, pouring in 16 points in the first quarter — the highest-scoring postseason quarter of his career — and assisting on seven more, helping stake OKC to a 34-31 lead after 12 minutes.

But while Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams came out hot, Oklahoma City’s frigid perimeter shooting allowed a physical (sometimes toophysical) Memphis team to stay in the fight. Morant’s replacements at point guard (Scotty Pippen Jr.) and in the starting lineup (elevated reserve forward Santi Aldama) combined for 25 points on 8-for-15 shooting in the first half, sending the Grizzlies into intermission down only one, 60-59.

Oklahoma City seized control in the third, ripping off an early 9-0 run fueled by — what else — its defense:

Scotty Pippen Jr. and Memphis show heart — but it’s not enough

But Pippen Jr. — a revelation in Morant’s place, scoring a career playoff high 30 points to go with 11 rebounds and four assists — continued to work his way to the basket and keep the Grizzlies close. But after a 10-0 Memphis run made it a one-score game heading into the final minute, Thunder center Chet Holmgren stripped Pippen Jr. under the basket before drawing a sixth foul that turned Memphis’ best offensive initiator into a spectator for the balance of the game.

A pair of late 3s by Bane and Vince Wlliams Jr. made the Thunder sweat into the closing seconds. But Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault didn’t let OKC get off a potential overtime-forcing 3-point attempt, having his players foul with a three-point lead to preserve the advantage — and, a few ticks later, make Oklahoma City the first team to move on in the 2025 NBA playoffs.

— Dan Devine

Cavaliers 124, Heat 87

The Heat needed a win Saturday to avoid falling behind 3-0. They also arguably had their best opportunity to get a victory with the Cavaliers missing second-leading scorer Darius Garland. 

However, Miami didn’t play anything like a team whose season was at stake, getting blown out at home. It was the worst playoff loss in the Heat’s history and the third-biggest playoff margin of victory for the Cavaliers. 

Cleveland had a 20-point lead and boosted the margin to 22 points after three quarters. With five minutes remaining in the game, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra emptied his bench and decided to move on to Game 4, where Miami will hope to avoid a series sweep. 

De’Andre Hunter made up for Garland’s absence

Sam Merrill took Garland’s place in Cleveland’s starting lineup and didn’t provide much. But De’Andre Hunter filled the missing point production with his best scoring performance of the playoffs. The sixth-year veteran tallied 21 points off the bench, shooting 3 of 5 on 3-pointers. 

Plenty of the postseason remains to be played, but Hunter provided exactly the kind of boost the Cavaliers were hoping for when they acquired him at the trade deadline from the Atlanta Hawks. Cleveland now has the kind of depth that can help in a long playoff series against teams like the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics. 

Tyler Herro was ‘f***ing around’

Tyler Herro didn’t like being singled out by Garland as a weak defender who could be “picked on” by the Cavaliers, saying he wasn’t “f***king around” in his matchup. Facing closer scrutiny after those comments, Herro didn’t shine under a harsh spotlight. 

The Heat guard scored only 13 points, harassed into a 5-of-13 shooting performance (including 1 of 3 on 3s) by a smothering defensive effort from the Cavs’ backcourt. (Maybe Garland’s absence helped his team on that end of the floor.) 

Coming off a 33-point performance in Game 2, Herro arguably needed to be even better. Instead, he registered one of his worst games of the season. He hadn’t scored fewer than 20 points in his past 15 games. 

Cavaliers’ frontcourt stepped up

In addition to not having Garland’s 24 points per game in the lineup, Donovan Mitchell scored only 13 for the Cavs while shooting 4 of 14 from the floor. Being outscored by Max Strus (18 points) likely wouldn’t have been predicted as a key to victory by any observer. 

However, the Cavaliers also made up for Garland’s absence by picking up their play in the frontcourt with a strong performance from Jarrett Allen. Allen tallied 22 points and nine rebounds, answering Bam Adebayo’s identical numbers for the Heat. He also helped limit Kel’el Ware to eight points and Andrew Wiggins to 10 in a clear win on the frontline for Cleveland. 

— Ian Casselberry

The NBA playoffs continued Saturday with four first-round matchups, three in the Western Conference. In the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers took a 3-0 series lead over the Miami Heat.

In Saturday’s two Game 4s, the Oklahoma City Thunder closed out a sweep over the Memphis Grizzlies, while the Denver Nuggets tied their series against the Los Angeles Clippers, with one of the closest calls you will ever see, and the Golden State Warriors outlasted the Houston Rockets to take the lead.

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The full slate:

Check out Yahoo Sports’ predictions for each first-round series, in addition to Kevin O’Connor’s ranking of the top 40 players in the NBA postseason.

Here are the results and key takeaways from Saturday’s games:

The Houston Rockets didn’t have to worry about Jimmy Butler. They still had to worry about Stephen Curry.

It didn’t work out.

The Warriors took Game 3 in front of a raucous crowd at the Chase Center, erasing a double-digit lead in the second quarter and taking control in the fourth behind yet another show of all-time greatness from Curry.