Game 3 Round up of the NBA Play-offs: Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat wins – Part 1
Chicago Bulls 88 - Indiana Pacers 84
At the Conseco Fieldhouse on Thursday night, the streaking Chicago Bulls outshined the Indiana Pacers for a thrilling 88-84 victory to lead the best-of-seven games series 3-0. The All-Star Derrick Rose racked up a game-high 23 points whereas the prolific
forward Luol Deng finished with 21 points and placed the Bulls on the frontline.
Danny Granger and Tyler Hansbrough landed double figures for the Pacers as the remaining starters failed to put an upright performance which took them out of the game down the stretch.
Accompanied with the confidence of the last two wins, the visiting Bulls headed out aggressively and buried three blows from down-town to wrap up the 21-17 lead with the end of the first quarter. The Pacers lifted the momentum in the second quarter and displayed
an exciting come-back by tying the score 42-42 as the game progressed into half-time.
Deng and Rose carried the action for the Bulls in the third quarter and held off the forceful assail from the Pacers as the Chicago managed to grab a one point advantage before entering the final 12 minutes.
Despite of securing a five point lead in the preliminary minutes of the fourth period, the Pacers failed to fight back against the formidable play of Rose. The spirited Derrick scored eight points in the last eight minutes that included a game-winning layup
shot to break the tie as the Bulls clinched their third straight victory.
Miami Heat 100 – Philadelphia 76ers 94
The invincible trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh combined for 75 points and thrashed the struggling Philadelphia 76ers for a brilliant 100-94 win at the Wells Fargo Centre on Thursday night. The vibrant Wade led the scoring with a magnificent
game-high 32 points and 10 rebounds to hand the Sixers their third successive loss of the post-season.
Five players from Philadelphia scored in double figures however their super effort was insufficient against the star power of Miami’s Big 3.
Sixers’ forward Elton Brand said after the game, "They got some good shots. They have a lot of experience on their side and got to the line. We let them get in transition and that's what hurt us."
The home team did not make life easy for the spirited Heat in the first half of the game. The Sixers romped with a 9-0 run in the starting three minutes of the game that took them for a 29-21 lead with the end of the first period. The Heat strived to bounce
back in the second quarter and James Jones landed two successive 3-pointers just before the half-time. However, Philadelphia managed to sustain the lead 52-50 after the first two quarters.
The third quarter showed great aggression from both teams that ended the period in a tie as the Sixers’ kept their two point advantage going into the final 12 minutes. On the verge of securing control, the trio utterly dominated the fourth period, thrashing
the opposition out of the game as Miami wrapped up an outstanding victory.
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