NBA Playoffs Blog – Page 64 – NBA Blog

J.R. Smith, Kenyon Martin sit out Sunday practice

J.R. Smith, who played 25 minutes in Game 3 on Saturday night despite a high fever, sat out of the Knicks’ morning practice on Sunday.

Kenyon Martin also missed practice. “Kenyon’s kind of coming down with [illness], too,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said, “so we’ve got to be careful that this thing doesn’t spread, and other guys start dropping.”

Smith scored only nine points on 4-for-12 shooting during the Knicks’ 82-71 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Saturday. He has shot dreadfully, making just 11 of 52 shots (21.2 percent) in three games this series, and he wasn’t much better in the final two games of New York’s first-round matchup with the Boston Celtics (8-for-27, 29.6 percent).

— Reported by Jared Wade of ESPN New York

Pacers beat Knicks 82-71 in Game 3

Roy Hibbert had 24 points and 12 rebounds and Paul George had 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assist to lead the Pacers past New York 82-71 Saturday night in Game of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Pacers are up 2-1, with Game 4 of the best-of-seven series Tuesday in Indy.

Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points to lead the Knicks, who led only once in the game for a total of 76 seconds. New York spent the final 45 minutes trying to play catch-up but never did.

Amare Stoudemire looked rusty after returning from a two-month absence, going 3 of 8 from the field and finishing with seven points. J.R. Smith scored nine points after missing the morning shootaround because of a 102-degree fever.

Indiana took control with a 14-3 run that gave it a 58-44 third-quarter lead, and the Knicks never got closer than eight.

The big questions heading into the game were whether Smith would play, whether Stoudemire would be effective and whether Indiana could get back to its brand of basketball.

Smith gave it a go, but his shooting problems continued as he went 4 of 12 from the field and walked straight to the locker room when he was replaced with 7:45 left in the game. He returned to the game a few minutes later.

Stoudemire, meanwhile, hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in eight minutes and grabbed two rebounds.

— Reported by Michael Marot of the Associated Press

Grizzlies beat Thunder 87-81 in Game 3

The Memphis Grizzlies call it grit and grind, and it got them through another ugly game.

Marc Gasol scored 20 points and hit two free throws with 1:03 left to put Memphis ahead to stay, and the Grizzlies held off Oklahoma City 87-81 Saturday to take a 2-1 lead in this Western Conference semifinal.

Gasol scored 16 in the second half as Memphis remained unbeaten at home in the postseason.

The Grizzlies pulled out the win in a choppy performance for both teams following a three-day layoff since Game 2 with the Thunder beating them at their own game, dominating the boards and in the paint. After struggling at the free throw line in Oklahoma City, the Grizzlies hit all six at the line in the final 1:03 to clinch it.

”We just stayed after it like we’ve done all year long,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. ”It’s not always pretty. Tonight wasn’t pretty, but it was pretty for us because we got the win.”

Game 4 is Monday night in Memphis, and Hollins wants one more home win for a franchise in its second Western semifinal in two seasons. The Grizzlies lost to Oklahoma City in seven games in 2011 after splitting Games 3 and 4 in Memphis. But they are 18-1 at home since Feb. 8.

”I’d rather take my chances with where we’re sitting now and try to win all of our home games,” Hollins said. ”We got a long way to go, and we got to keep battling.”

Kevin Durant scored 25 points, but only two in the fourth quarter. A 91 percent free throw shooter in the regular season, Durant missed two with 39.3 seconds left. Durant also had 11 rebounds and five assists.

— Reported by Teresa M. Walker of the Associated Press

J.R. Smith misses shootaround due to a fever

J.R. Smith missed the Knicks morning shootaround because of a fever and may not play Saturday night at Indiana.

Coach Mike Woodson says the guard stayed at the team hotel with a fever of about 102 degrees. With the series tied 1-1, Woodson says he’ll rely on the team doctors to decide Smith’s availability.

Smith averaged 18.1 points and 5.3 rebounds during the regular season and won the NBA’s Sixth Man Award.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Teammates tell J.R. Smith to keep shooting

J.R. Smith’s teammates have a simple message for the slumping sixth man: Just keep shooting.

Smith has struggled mightily from the floor in the past four games, hitting just 26 percent of his attempts.

Coach Mike Woodson and others have expressed confidence that Smith can turn things around. “You can’t give up hope,” Woodson said Friday. “J.R.’s a big piece to what we’ve done this season. I’ve just got to help him as a coach. His teammates have got to help him. And he’s got to help himself to snap out of it. I got confidence that he will do that.”

Smith is a combined 7-for-30 in two games against the Pacers.

— Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York

Taj Gibson fined $25,000 for verbal abuse of an NBA referee

Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson has been fined $25,000 for verbal abuse of a game official, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with 10:13 remaining in the fourth quarter of Chicago’s 115-78 loss to the Miami Heat on May 8 at AmericanAirlines Arena.

According to the Associated Press, “The league announced the fine Friday. And Gibson was relieved the punishment wasn’t worse. “I knew I was going to get hit,” he said. “I was just hoping it wasn’t a suspension, but I deserved (the fine).” The Heat were well on their way to a 115-78 victory when Gibson went off at an official early in the fourth quarter. With 10:13 remaining, he did not leave the court in a timely fashion after he and teammate Joakim Noah were ejected by referee Scott Foster. Gibson continued to shout at Foster.”

Nazr Mohammed ejected for shoving LeBron to ground

Nazr Mohammed tossed for shoving LeBron to ground

Chicago Bulls center Nazr Mohammed was ejected from Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Miami Heat on Friday night after shoving LeBron James to the court.

As James dribbled up the floor early in the second quarter, Mohammed reached in and tried to steal the ball near midcourt. Their arms got tangled and Mohammed fell.

He then got up and shoved James to the court.

— Reported by the Associated Press

If Amare Stoudemire returns for playoffs he will have a minutes limit

Amare Stoudemire will likely be limited to about 10 to 15 minutes per game if he is able to return during New York’s playoff series against the Indiana Pacers.

With Stoudemire nearing a comeback from a two-month absence following right knee surgery, both he and the Knicks are keeping expectations low.

”To be honest with you, I don’t think we or he is expecting to come out and play 20 or 30 minutes and to score 15, 20, 30 points,” forward Carmelo Anthony said Thursday. ”I think he’s just trying to gradually get himself back going. He understands that, we understand that, so if he says he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go. I mean, he’s one of our guys. If he can help us, which we know he can, he can do that.”

Not for long, though.

— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Warriors finally win in San Antonio, beat Spurs 100-91

Golden State coach Mark Jackson insisted the Warriors’ historic collapse in the opener of the Western Conference semifinals would only help his team’s growth.

The young Warriors took a big step in their development Wednesday night, withstanding another furious rally by the San Antonio Spurs for a 100-91 victory to even their series at one game apiece and snap a 30-game skid in the Alamo City.

Klay Thompson had a career-high 34 points and 14 rebounds, and Stephen Curry added 22 points for Golden State, which had not won in San Antonio since Feb. 14, 1997. None of the losses was as painful as the one Monday.

”I truly believe the trials and tribulations are transportation for where you’re going,” Jackson said. ”Game 1 made us better. We didn’t panic. We made plays. That’s a heck of a basketball team that’s extremely well-coached and has no quit in them. We don’t have any quit in us, either. The bottom line is we made the plays we needed to make.”

Tim Duncan scored 23 points and Tony Parker added 20 for San Antonio, which had won five straight in the postseason. Manu Ginobili had 12 points and Kawhi Leonard had 11 points and 12 rebounds…

Thompson, who scored 29 points in the first half, finished 8 for 9 on 3-pointers and 13 for 26 overall…

Harrison Barnes had 13 points, Carl Landry added 10 and Andrew Bogut had six points and 11 rebounds.

After scoring 44 points in the opener, Curry’s total was cut in half as he shot 7 for 20 from the field.

— Reported by Raul Dominguez of the Associated Press

Heat dominate Game 2, beat Bulls 115-78

For the first time in these playoffs, the Miami Heat were facing some real adversity.

They responded with a technical knockout.

After nine technical fouls, two ejections and a whole lot of extracurricular pushing and shoving, the end results were as follows: The biggest postseason win in Heat history, the biggest postseason loss in Chicago Bulls history, and tons of fresh venom pulsing through the veins of this now-tied Eastern Conference semifinal series. Miami won 115-78, a stunning outcome for a game that was basically back-and-forth for much of the first half.

That is, until the Heat started embarrassing the Bulls, and the Bulls started embarrassing themselves for good measure.

”No matter if you win by 20, 30, or one point, it’s a 1-1 series,” Heat star LeBron James said. ”They came in and did their job. They got one on our floor and took home court. So, we’ve got to try to go Chicago and get it back.”

Game 3 is Friday in Chicago, where the Heat will have to win at least one game if they’re going to win the series.

Ray Allen scored 21 points in only 19 minutes, James finished with 19 points and nine assists, and the Heat led by as many as 46 points. Sure, the Heat have lost home-court advantage when they dropped Game 1. But this domination made the reigning NBA champions look like the clear-cut team to beat in this title race once again…

Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson were ejected in the fourth quarter for Chicago, and the league will almost certainly review some of the things said and done in a game that was close for the first 20 minutes. The Bulls were called for six player technicals, the most by any team in a playoff game since Boston had that many against Indiana in 2005.

— Reported by Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press