NBA Playoff 2010-11: Thursday Roundup (Part 2)
Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday scored seven of their points in the first quarter as the Sixers took a 29-21 lead into the second.
The Southeast Division Champions, Miami, outscored Philadelphia 29-23 in the second quarter. However, the Sixers managed to carry a 52-50 advantage into the locker room.
Both teams scored 23 points each in the third quarter and the Northwest Division Champions took a 75-73 lead into the fourth. Miami outplayed the 76ers 27-19 in the final stanza to seal the victory.
The 32-year-old Philadelphia guard, Elton Brand, praised Miami's sizzling shooting on the night. He said, "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."
Portland Trail Blazers 97-Dallas Mavericks 92
Guard Wesley Matthews scored 25 points as the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Dallas Mavericks 97-92 in the third game of their best-of-seven playoff series at the Rose Garden on Thursday night. However, the Mavericks still lead their Western Conference
quarter-final series 2-1.
Forward LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and four rebounds while LaMarcus Aldridge grabbed 11 rebounds for the sixth-seeded Trail Blazers. Guards Andre Miller and Brandon Roy finished with 16 points apiece for Portland, who ended the regular season with a
48-34 record.
Jason Terry added a game-high 29 points and seven rebounds while Dirk Nowitzki had 25 points and nine rebounds in the defeat for the Mavericks.
The Blazers went on a 10-2 run early in the first quarter to take the initial lead. The Mavericks scored the next five points to cut the deficit to three at 10-7. Portland found their rhythm midway through the quarter to take a 26-18 lead with less than
two minutes remaining in the first.
Dallas managed to make it a three-point contest at 26-23 with 20 seconds to go in the quarter. Roy then hit a fade away jump shot at the buzzer to put the Blazers ahead by 28-23, heading into the second.
Dallas got themselves back into the game early in the second quarter and took a 37-32 lead. Portland responded with a 9-2 run to go ahead by 41-39 with seven minutes to go in the quarter. Matthews scored 22 of his team-high 25 points in the first half as
the Blazers took a 54-52 lead at half time.
The Mavericks shot 60 percent from the field in the first half but they still trailed by two points. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle was not pleased with the sloppy display by his team.
He said, "We got off to a very poor start. Their aggressiveness put us on our heels. We recovered well from it, and eventually got a lead. Then it was a series of things that did not go well for us. Their level of aggression was the biggest thing that influenced
the game."
Roy had a tip-in and a three-point play as the Blazers scored the final four points of the third quarter to go into the fourth with a 75-72 lead. Portland continued to play offensively early in the fourth quarter and held a 95-87 lead with more than two
minutes remaining in the game.
The Mavericks scored five unanswered points in the next minute to cut the deficit to three at 95-92. Miller then hit a pair of free throws in the last nine seconds of the fourth stanza to seal the Trail Blazers first victory of the series.
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