NIKOLA Jokic scored 39 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as the host Denver Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns 97-87 on Monday night (Tuesday in Manila) in Denver to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
Aaron Gordon added 16 points, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 14 points and made all four of his 3-point attempts for the Nuggets, who held Phoenix to 14 points in the fourth quarter. Jamal Murray scored 10 points and dished out eight assists.
Devin Booker scored 35 points, Kevin Durant had 24 points and Deandre Ayton added 14 for the Suns, who lost Chris Paul to left groin tightness in the third quarter. Paul produced eight points and six assists in 25 minutes.
Game 3 in the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Friday (Saturday in Manila) in Phoenix.
The Suns led by three points entering the fourth quarter, but they missed their first nine shots of the final period. Denver grabbed a 78-73 lead on two 3-pointers from Caldwell-Pope and a short jumper by Murray.
In the other game, James Harden tied his career playoff high by scoring 45 points to help the visiting Philadelphia 76ers defeat the Boston Celtics 119-115 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Harden made 17 of his 30 field-goal attempts, including 7 of 14 from behind the 3-point arc. It was the 10th playoff game in which Harden scored at least 40 points.
Harden’s 3-pointer with 8.4 seconds to play gave the third-seeded 76ers a 117-115 lead.
Jayson Tatum was called for a foul on the ensuing possession, and then Paul Reed capped the scoring by making two free throws with 4.6 seconds left. Philadelphia closed the game with a 12-4 run.
The 76ers played without Joel Embiid, who sustained a sprained LCL in his right knee during Game 3 of Philadelphia’s first-round sweep of Brooklyn. Embiid led the NBA by averaging 33.1 points per game during the regular season.
Durant broke the drought with a fadeaway and driving layup to make it a one-point game with 7:36 left.
The lead stayed within a five-point margin until under the three-minute mark, with both teams having chances to make a run. Jokic put the Nuggets ahead 86-81 when Durant was called for goaltending.
Bruce Brown blocked a Durant shot, and after a timeout, Caldwell-Pope hit another 3-pointer to give Denver an 89-81 lead with 2:43 to go. Cameron Payne missed at the other end, and Murray made a jumper to give the Nuggets a 10-point advantage, and the hosts closed it out.
After a high-scoring Game 1 (a 125-107 Nuggets win), the defenses were in control in the first half of Game 2. Both teams struggled to make shots, but Phoenix used nine offensive rebounds to outscored Denver 8-0 in second-chance points and lead 42-40 at halftime.
Tatum led the second-seeded Celtics with 39 points and 11 rebounds. Boston received 23 points from Jaylen Brown, and 20 from Malcolm Brogdon.
Tyrese Maxey added 26 points for the 76ers, who received 10 points and 13 rebounds from Reed. — Field Level Media
