Nets hit franchise playoff record from beyond the arc to get back into series against Heat.
The San Antonio Spurs extended their series lead over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night, but the Brooklyn Nets got back into contention after Game 3.
Spurs point guard Tony Parker joked after the game that he had questioned whether or not he was still with the team after coach Gregg Popovich rested him through April in order to ensure he was ready for the playoffs.
It appears as though Pop made the right decision given Parker’s freshness in this series so far, with the Frenchman scoring 29 points and adding six assists in another dominant display.
His coach was delighted with not only his engine in pushing the Spurs forward, but he has also seen a great effort on the defensive end which in turn has led to him suggesting he has the “complete game”.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 21 points and 12 rebounds but the Trail Blazers were never really close in getting a footing in this series ahead of Game 4 at the Moda Center on Monday night.
Inevitably, Portland must win in order to keep their hopes alive, but the Western Conference top seed are making it near impossible for them to even think about the finals at this stage.
Over in the Eastern Conference, the Brooklyn Nets knocked down 15 3-pointers to cut the Miami Heat’s lead down to 2-1.
Paul Pierce insisted that his team are not scared of the Heat, and that showed despite some quick points from LeBron James with the prospect of going down 3-0 in the series.
Joe Johnson scored 19 points, Andray Blatche had a career playoff high of 15 points while Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Deron Williams all bounced back from an offensive slump last time out.
James had 28 points for the visitors, but it wasn’t enough to avoid a first defeat in the post-season since Game 5 of the NBA Finals last year.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra conceded that the Nets outplayed them on Saturday, but he will be keen to see his team bounce back in Game 4 in order to give themselves the opportunity to close out the series when it heads back to Miami next week.
NBA Results:
Miami Heat 90-104 Brooklyn Nets
San Antonio Spurs 118-103 Portland Trail Blazers
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