(New Orleans) Jalen Williams stunned the opponent with a three-pointer with 3:08 remaining and the Oklahoma City Thunder won 97-89 in New Orleans on Monday, completing a sweep of the Pelicans in the first round of the playoffs, in the West.
Posted at 9:44 a.m.
His shot from distance was successful after an offensive rebound from Quebecer Luguentz Dort. The Montrealer totaled 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Williams had 24 points, as did Ontarian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The latter also provided 10 rebounds for OKC, which erased a five-point deficit in the last quarter.
With the Pelicans up 80-75, Chet Holmgren converted an offensive rebound and Josh Giddey tied the game with a three-pointer. The Australian scored a perfect shot following a turnover – with his team recovering quickly and outnumbering the opponent, what’s more.
Giddey made another long shot shortly after, with 7:19 on the clock in the final quarter.
PHOTO GERALD HERBERT, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Montreal’s Luguentz Dort (right) totaled 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s victory.
After a missed shot from Trey Murphy, Williams followed up with a long three-pointer then a steal, followed by two free throws.
This sequence put OKC in control 90-82, with 3:52 remaining in the final quarter.
The Pelicans were without Zion Williamson for the entire series. In the four matches, their maximum points were 92; in the regular season, there were only two games where they did not cross this plateau.
Giddey and Holmgren had 14 points each. Holmgren also grabbed nine rebounds.
McCollum collected 20 points for the Pelicans, who were not very effective beyond the perimeter (eight in 34, or 23.5%).
Jonas Valanciunas contributed 19 points and 13 rebounds, but foul trouble limited his playing time to 26 minutes.
Reserve Naji Marshall had 16 points, including four three-pointers.
Oklahoma City had a slim lead at the half, 44-43.
The first half was bumpy, with nine turnovers on each side. The visitors were able to control this aspect afterwards: the Pelicans concluded with 19 of these blunders, compared to 14 for the Thunder.
OKC was held scoreless in the final 3:16 of the first quarter, missing four shots.
Brandon Ingram missed nine of his first 10 shots and finished the game two for 14 in continuous play.
Brilliant in defense, Dort made life difficult throughout the series.
For the Thunder, this is a first passage to the second round since 2016.
After that, there were four straight first-round exits, then three years without a playoff appearance.
The team ranked number 1 in the West will have the Dallas Mavericks or the Los Angeles Clippers as their next rivals. This series is tied 2-2.
Celtics 102 – Heat 88
PHOTO MARTA LAVANDIER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Derrick White (left) of the Celtics set a personal mark with 38 points.
Derrick White set a career-high 38 points, Jayson Tatum added 20 points and 10 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics defeated the Heat 102-88 to take a 3-1 series lead in Miami.
Jaylen Brown scored 17 points and Jrue Holiday 11 for the Celtics, who finished first in the NBA overall. The Massachusetts team has won its last six games in Miami and 14 of its last 17.
Kristaps Porzingis left the game in the first half for the Celtics due to a calf injury.
Bam Adebayo totaled 25 points, 17 rebounds and five assists in the loss. The Heat were without Jimmy Butler (knee) and Terry Rozier (neck).
Game 5 will take place on Wednesday in Boston. The Celtics have won all 28 series in which they took a 3-1 lead in their history thus far.
2024-04-30 13:44:54
#NBA #Series #Thunder #complete #sweep #Pelicans
