NBA Playoffs: Top seeded Heat, Suns secure 2-0 leads

Phoenix Suns beat Dallas Mavericks while Miami Heat overpowered Philadelphia 76ers to gain 2-0 leads in the NBA playoffs.

Chris Paul (3) — a 12-time All-Star who turns 37 on Friday — almost single-handedly turned a tight game into a comfortable victory.

HEAT 119, 76ERS 103

Bam Adebayo scored 23 points, Jimmy Butler had 22 points and 12 assists and Miami beat Philadelphia to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Game 3 is Friday night in Philadelphia, with 76ers star Joel Embiid possibly ready to play after missing the first two games because because of a concussion and orbital fracture. The MVP finalist led the NBA in scoring.

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Victor Oladipo scored 19 points on his 30th birthday and Tyler Herro added 18 for the Heat, the East’s No. 1 seed. Oladipo had 10 points in the fourth quarter.

Tyrese Maxey scored 34 points for Philadelphia. Tobias Harris had 21, and James Harden 20.

SUNS 219-109 MAVERICKS

Chris Paul scored 14 of his 28 points in another spectacular fourth quarter and the Phoenix Suns beat the Dallas Mavericks 129-109 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.

Paul — a 12-time All-Star who turns 37 on Friday — almost single-handedly turned a tight game into a comfortable victory, the Suns’ 11th win in a row against the Mavericks counting regular-season games.

The Mavs led 60-58 at halftime but the Suns quickly recaptured the lead after Devin Booker hit back-to-back 3-pointers. The Suns took an 89-83 advantage going into the final quarter and it looked like a tough fight was coming.

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But that’s about the time Paul decided the game was his to control, hitting six shots in a row on everything from 3-pointers to mid-range jumpers to layups. The feisty Mavericks finally didn’t have an answer. Booker hit a pair of 3-pointers midway through the fourth to give the Suns a 114-95 lead.

Booker led the Suns with 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range. The Suns shot 64.5% overall and made 52% of their 3-pointers.

Luka Doncic scored 35 points for Dallas on 13-of-22 shooting two nights after a 45-point performance in Game 1. Reggie Bullock added 16 points.

Game 3 is on Friday night in Dallas.