Pinoyliga Daily NBA Recap: Miami Draws First Blood, Nuggets Complete Comeback

One conference finals series began with a nail-biter. Out west, the Los Angeles Lakers have their opponents in the Western Conference Finals.

Coming off a tiring seven-game series against the Toronto Raptors, the Boston Celtics raced to a double-digit lead to open Game One of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Eastern Conference Finals but when it mattered the most, the Miami Heat of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo delivered in the extra five-minute period to escape with a 117-114 win over Jayson Tatum and company. 

Jimmy Butler completed a three-point play with 12 seconds left in overtime and Bam Adebayo blocked Jayson Tatum's dunk with two seconds left. Adebayo nailed a free throw to ice the final score and the Heat's victory. 

Goran Dragic led Miami with 29 points on 11 for 19 field goal shooting. Jae Crowder added 22 points while shooting five for nine from the three-point line. Butler had 20 points while Adebayo scored 18 points. Tyler Herro added 12 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists off the bench. The Heat shot 44% from long distance and scored 48 points in the paint. Miami also outscored Boston 35-23 in the fourth quarter.

Jayson Tatum came away with 30 points and 14 rebounds for the Celtics with Marcus Smart sizzling with a six for 13 three-point shooting for 26 points. Kemba Walker made his first appearance in the conference finals and finished with 19 points while shooting one for nine from downtown. Jaylen Brown finished with 17 points for Boston who couldn't hold on after leading as much as 14 points. 

In the West's last semifinal game, the second-seeded Los Angeles Clippers led as much as 12 points in the early goings but if there's one thing we've seen in the playoffs, no lead is safe especially against the Denver Nuggets. 

Nikola Jokic finished with 16 points,  22 rebounds, and 13 assists while Jamal Murray exploded for 40 points as the Denver Nuggets completed their comeback from another 3-1 series hole to beat the Clippers, 104-89. Not only did it deny the Clippers their first trip to the conference finals,  it also denied the "Battle of LA" in the West Finals which fans have been clamoring since the beginning of the season.

Jerami Grant and Gary Harris each had 14 points for Denver who outscored the Clippers, 28-18 and 22-15 in the third and fourth quarter respectively to complete the upset. Denver shot 35% from the three-point line while Los Angeles only made nine of their 26 attempts from three.

Montrezl Harrell finished with 20 points to lead the Clippers who couldn't get their top stars going offensively. Kawhi Leonard shot six for 22 from the field for 14 points while Paul George scored 10 points on four for 16 field goal shooting. The Clippers got outrebounded, 53-37 

Photo is from Los Angeles Times