NBA playoffs wrap 2019: 76ers win without Joel Embiid; Warriors bounce back against Clippers

Philadelphia came away with a 131-115 win over the Nets in Game 3 of its opening-round playoff series at the Barclays Center.

Published : Apr 19, 2019 11:17 IST

The 76ers managed to come away with a victory Thursday despite not having one of their best players.

Philadelphia took home a 131-115 win over the Nets in Game 3 of its opening round playoff series at the Barclays Center. The team was without Joel Embiid, who missed the matchup as he continues to deal with knee soreness.

"It is becoming better slowly but surely," Embiid said before the game, via ESPN . "We just have to be smart about how we handle it every single day. But I'm sure these guys won't let me get on the court if there's a chance of something bad happening. So, I just got to trust the process.

“Some days you got your days, and some other days are different. So, even in the games that I play, I just try to go out there and try to play for these guys, I try to help us win the series.”

Philadelphia entered the third quarter leading by seven and pulled away in the final period to secure the victory. It now leads the series 2-1.

READ: NBA playoffs 2019: Nets angry with 76ers' Joel Embiid for laughing after elbowing Jarrett Allen

Ben Simmons scored a game-high 31 points and dished out nine assists to lead Philadelphia to the win. D'Angelo Russell finished with 26 points for the Nets in the losing effort.

Meanwhile, the Warriors dominated the Clippers from start to finish at the STAPLES Center.

Golden State jumped out to an early lead, pushed its advantage to 21 by halftime and never looked back, cruising to an easy 132-105 road win.

The Warriors connected on 54.8% of their shots from the field and knocked down 15 of their 35 3-point attempts.

Kevin Durant was fantastic for Golden State as he finished with 38 points on 14-of-23 shooting. Stephen Curry battled foul trouble but still tallied 21 points.

The Warriors took a 2-1 advantage in the series with the victory. The side led by as many as 31 points in Game 2 but collapsed as the Clippers rallied for a win. Golden State did not make the same mistake on Thursday.

ALSO READ: NBA playoffs 2019: James Harden sees Rockets peaking, 'We're almost there'

Elsewhere, the seventh-seeded Spurs grabbed a 2-1 lead in their series against the Nuggets with a home win.

The teams battled through the first three quarters before the Spurs took command in the final period en route to the 118-108 victory.

Six Spurs players reached double figures, led by a career-high 36 points from guard Derrick White.

Studs of the night

Tobias Harris tallied 29 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the 76ers’ win. He also knocked down all six of his 3-point attempts.

Philadelphia center Boban Marjanovic came off the bench and registered a surprising 14 points, along with eight rebounds, against the Nets.

Duds of the night

Joe Harris was 2 of 7 shooting and finished with a minus-27 in the Nets’ loss.

Nuggets wing Gary Harris knocked down just four of his 13 shots and was a minus-27 in the loss against the Spurs.

Clippers wing Danilo Gallinari was 2-of-13 shooting and missed all eight of his 3-point attempts in his team’s loss to the Warriors.

Highlights

Simmons with the huge fourth-quarter dunk.

 

White with the steal and the slam.

 

Klay Thompson with the nice cut to the basket.

 

What’s next

Trail Blazers at Thunder — Portland has dominated Thunder so far and enters play Friday with a 2-0 lead. Oklahoma City, on the other hand, has struggled to find its rhythm through the first two games. The Trail Blazers will have a chance to essentially wrap up the series at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment