Heat finish with five players in double scoring figures against Nets…
The Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs continued to make things look easy in Game 2 of their respective semi-finals series as both took a 2-0 lead.
LeBron James scored 22 points while Chris Bosh added 18 as the Heat took a commanding lead after two home wins against the Brooklyn Nets heading to the Barclays Center for Game 3.
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra spoke of the importance of getting stops down the stretch and then executing on the offensive end, and with Dwyane Wade scoring 14 points while Ray Allen added 13, it was a real team effort from the defending champions.
The Heat tied a franchise record with their eighth consecutive playoff victory, and now seemingly on top of their rivals, they will hope to stretch that to nine when they make their first road trip of the series.
Deron Williams was 0 of 9 from the field in his worst shooting night of his career, while coach Jason Kidd admitted that the defeat “hurt” as ultimately he believed that his team let it slip after being in with an opportunity on the road against the world champions.
Mirza Teletovic set a Nets playoff record with six 3-pointers on his way to a 20-point night, but his team-mates struggled to get into the game and have a significant influence.
Over in the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs also used a balanced effort to take a 2-0 lead over the Portland Trail Blazers, with Kawhi Leonard scoring 20 points while Tony Parker added 16 points and 10 assists.
Portland coach Terry Stotts insists that his team must find a way to deal with the onslaught that the Spurs launch at them in the second quarter, as Gregg Popovich’s men have a 77-48 advantage in that period in winning the first two games of this series.
NIcolas Batum had 21 points for the visitors while Damian Lillard had 19 points and LeMarcus Aldridge added 16 points and 10 rebounds, but the latter duo were not efficient enough to scare their hosts.
The series switches to Portland for Game 3 on Saturday night, and with the Spurs bench also continuing to step up with Manu Ginobili (16 points), Marco Belinelli (13 points) and Boris Diaw (12 points) helping them outscore their rivals 50-19, Stotts has plenty to think about moving forward.
NBA Results:
Brooklyn Nets 82-94 Miami Heat
Portland Trail Blazers 97-114 San Antonio Spurs
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