Saturday started slow but the final two games of the day made up for it. The Raptors and Grizzlies both tied up their series at two while the Hawks got their first win against the Wizards. The Warriors ripped out the hearts of the Trail Blazers in brutal fashion. Out of the four games, Grizzlies-Spurs gets the game of the day award. An OT thriller capped off with a Marc Gasol game winner. Here’s your recap of the day:
NBA playoff scores 2017: Bucks let perfect opportunity slip away in Game 4
The Bucks had a chance to go up 3-1 but let the Raptors tie the series before heading back to Toronto.
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
The Bucks let the Raptors back into the series
It was not the prettiest game by any means but that doesn’t matter in the playoffs. The Raptors badly needed a win in Milwuakee to avoid going down 3-1 to the Bucks and thanks to DeMar DeRozan they got it done. The Bucks on the other hand had a perfect opportunity to go up 3-1 heading into Game 5. They had every chance to do it on Saturday but let it slip away and now a more veteran team in the Raptors have taken back control.
It doesn’t matter how the win looks, because the Raptors were willing to take it however it came. DeRozan steadily contributed throughout the first 24 minutes, ending the half with 21 points. Down the stretch, DeRozan’s efforts were matched by the other Raptors stars — Kyle Lowry snuck in for a couple layups, while Jonas Valanciunas even scored six points down the stretch. But it was DeRozan who made sure the Raptors reached that point, and Toronto couldn’t have survived without his 33 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
Hawks pull off decisive Game 3 on Wizards
The Hawks needed a win on Sunday and they needed it badly. After jumping out to a 25-point lead, they were able to sustain it throughout the rest of the game winning 116-98 in Game 3.
The Hawks went to Paul Millsap, who finished with 29 points on 12-of-20 shooting. Dennis Schroder’s speed and timely three-point shooting resulted in 27 points and nine assists, and rookie forward Taurean Prince had his best game of the series. He caught the Wizards off-guard for 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, making both of his threes and bringing a junkyard dog defensive mentality reminiscent of ex-Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll.
The Hawks will need a lot more of this in Game 4.
Grizzlies-Spurs gave us a wonderful Game of the Year candidate
These are the games we dream about when we think about the NBA playoffs. Two players going back and forth, leading their teams as far as they could take them. We even got a game-winner to boot.
He turned in a Herculean performance that featured a playoff career-high with 43 points on 14-of-30 shooting, scoring San Antonio’s final 16 in the fourth quarter. Leonard erased an eight-point deficit with under five minutes left in regulation to force overtime.
Conley scored 35 points in 42 minutes, shooting 13-of-23 from the floor in the Grizzlies’ victory. He nearly put up a triple double, adding on nine rebounds and eight assists in one of the best games of his career. He put up 11 in the fourth quarter, stabilizing a Memphis team in shambles with its floor general on the bench to help fend off a rallying San Antonio squad attempting to steal a game on the road.
Game 3 of Portland-Golden State was eerily similar to Game 3 of Pacers-Cavaliers. Higher seeded team builds big lead and appears to have hope in series then lower seeded team wakes up and rips their hearts out. The Warriors were able to erase a 16-point lead in four minutes during the third quarter led by Klay Thompson three-pointers and JaVale McGee dunks.
In a four-and-a-half-minute third-quarter stretch from 6:30 to two minutes, Thompson scored 11 points on 3-of-3 shooting from downtown. That 19-1 run was catalyzed by JaVale McGee, who scored on two alley-oops and energized a Warriors team itching to make a run. Golden State outscored Portland by 17 when McGee subbed in in the third quarter.
It got better for the Warriors when Steph Curry caught fire in the final period. The two-time MVP scored 14 points in the fourth quarter on 3-of-5 shooting, including 2-of-4 on threes and nailing all six of his foul shots. He also had four dimes in the fourth quarter, putting the cap on an incredible night that produced 34 points (10-of-25 shooting), eight assists and two steals.
The Warriors now lead the series 3-0 and while a 3-1 lead may scare them, I think they’ll make it out of this one.
Saturday’s scores
Raptors 87, Bucks 76 (Raptors HQ recap | Brew Hoop recap)
Hawks 116, Wizards 98 (Peachtree Hoops recap | Bullets Forever recap)
Grizzlies 110, Spurs 108, OT (Grizzly Bear Blues recap | Pounding the Rock recap)
Warriors 119, Trail Blazers 113 (Golden State of Mind recap | Blazers Edge recap)
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