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SPORTS Thursday 25 april 2019

Lillard’s 3 at buzzer gives Blazers series win over Thunder

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Da- early and never trailed. a decade. Up 3 games to
mian Lillard hit a 37-footer Leonard also made all six of 2, the Nuggets can wrap
at the buzzer and finished his free throws. He checked up the series Thursday night
with career playoff-high out to cheers of “MVP, in San Antonio, where they
50 points to help the Port- MVP” with 8:05 to play and won last weekend for the
land Trail Blazers eliminate Toronto up 105-75. first time since 2012, re-
the Oklahoma City Thun- D.J. Augustin scored 15 gaining the home-court
der from the playoffs in five points, Terrence Ross had advantage. The Nuggets,
games with a 118-115 vic- 12 and Aaron Gordon 11 who posted the best home
tory on Tuesday night. for the Magic, who won record in the NBA and
With the game tied, Lillard 104-101 on Augustin’s late ended a six-year playoff
dribbled just inside of half- 3-pointer in Game 1 but drought by earning a sur-
court near the Blazers logo never again topped 96 prising second seed in the
and then pulled up and hit points against Toronto’s Western Conference play-
the game-winner. dominant defense, and offs, finally looked like the
Lillard waved goodbye to twice finished with 85 or team that rolled through
the Thunder bench after fewer. the regular season led by
nailing the shot, then was 76ERS 120, NETS 100 All-Star Nikola Jokic and
promptly mobbed by his PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel backed up by the best
teammates. As the Thunder Embiid scored 23 points bench in the league.
left the floor, Lillard circled and had 13 rebounds and Jokic had 16 points, 11
the court, high-fiving fans. Ben Simmons added 13 rebounds and eight as- Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard watches his game-winning
The crowd chanted “MVP! points to help the 76ers rout sists and Denver led by as three-pointer as Oklahoma City Thunder’ Paul George defends,
MVP!” Lillard had 10 the Nets and close out their many 30 points at 99-69, af- to beat the Thunder 118-115 in Game 5 of their best-of-seven
3-pointers, breaking the Eastern Conference play- ter which their starters took first-round playoff series in Portland, Ore., Tuesday, April 23, 2019.
franchise record. off series in five games. a seat.q Associated Press
Portland advances to the Up next, a second round
Western Conference semi- series against the Toronto
finals to face the winner Raptors, who dropped their
of the series between the playoff opener before win-
Nuggets and San Antonio. ning four straight against
Denver won 108-90 earlier Orlando — the same thing
in the night to take a 3-2 the Sixers did to Brooklyn.
lead in that series. Any late arrivals missed the
It was the 12th straight road defining moments of the
playoff loss for the Thunder, game from a jovial Sixers
who have been eliminated team that enjoyed toying
in the opening round for with the sickly Nets.
three straight seasons. The Sixers stunned the Nets
Russell Westbrook had 29 with a 14-0 run in front of
points, 11 rebounds and the loudest and rowdiest
14 assists for his 10th ca- packed house of the sea-
reer playoff triple-double son. Embiid again shook off
and his second of the se- a bad left knee and had six
ries. Paul George added 36 points and five rebounds
points. in the first two minutes to
RAPTORS 115, MAGIC 96 chants of “MVP!” The Nets
TORONTO (AP) — Kawhi later trailed 20-2, and Sim-
Leonard scored 27 points, mons put an exclamation
Pascal Siakam added 24 point on the stunning first
and the Raptors used an- quarter when he drove
other stifling defensive ef- the paint and used a right-
fort to beat the Magic, win- handed jam to make it 32-
ning their first-round playoff 12 — with a thump of his
series in five games. chest for emphasis.
Kyle Lowry scored 14 points No starter played more
as the Raptors finished than 27 minutes in a game
off the Magic with ease, that could have been
bouncing back from a called off after the first
Game 1 defeat to win by quarter.
double-digits in three of the Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
next four. Toronto led by as scored 21 points for the
many as 37 in the clincher, Nets, who head into the
their biggest-ever margin in offseason after their first
a playoff game. playoff series since 2015.
It’s the fourth straight year NUGGETS 108, SPURS 90
the Raptors have reached DENVER (AP) — Jamal Mur-
the second round. ray’s 23 points led six Nug-
Leonard made 8 of 11 gets in double figures and
shots, including 5 of 5 from Denver routed the Spurs to
3-point range, as the Rap- move within one win of their
tors jumped on Orlando first playoff series triumph in