Many eyes were glued to the opening round of the 2014 NFL Draft, but that didn’t stop the NBA from continuing the Conference Semifinals. Unfortunately, a continuation of action didn’t result in competitive basketball.
The hyper-competitive first round drifts further-and-further away. Thursday, May 8 was yet another day highlighted by a blowout. Even the close affair ended in a double-digit victory as we move one step closer to the NBA Finals.
Here’s everything that you need to know about last night’s action.
1. LeBron James scored 22 points and Chris Bosh had 18 as the Miami Heat pulled away for a 94-82 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Shaun Livingston scored a team-high 15 points, but the Nets shot just 42.3 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from distance and 57.1 percent from the free throw line.
The bright spot for Brooklyn was Mirza Teletovic, who set a franchise playoff record with six 3-point field goals made.
2. Deron Williams was held scoreless on 0-for-9 shooting. It’s the first time he’s gone without a point since January 30, 2006 and the first time in his entire career that he’s done so while attempting more than one field goal.
3. Ray Allen has scored 32 points in two playoff games against the Nets. He had 28 total points in four regular season games against Brooklyn.
4. Kawhi Leonard lit up the Portland Trail Blazers for 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 from distance to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 114-97 victory. The Spurs dished out an unfathomable 27 team assists to just eight turnovers and made 12 shots from beyond the arc.
Leonard’s four 3-point field goals were a revelation. He’d gone 4-of-16 from 3-point range in his previous five games.
5. The Spurs’ first three wins of the 2014 NBA Playoffs came by a total of 15 points. San Antonio’s past three wins have come by 64 points.
Bonus Fact: San Antonio is up 2-0. It’s 18-2 under Gregg Popovich in postseason series in which it leads 2-0.