Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers win: NBA Playoffs Wednesday Roundup
Six franchises of the National Basketball Association (NBA) went head-to-head on Wednesday, 20th April, in Game 2 of their best-of-seven quarter-final series. The Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers came out on the top in their
respective matchups.
Here is an overview of the games:
Oklahoma City Thunder crush Denver Nuggets 106-89
Kevin Durant finished with 23 points and Russell Westbrook scored 21, as the Oklahoma City Thunder thrashed the Denver Nuggets 106-89 in Game two of their Western Conference quarter-final series on Wednesday night.
Guard James Harden came off the bench with 18 points while forward-centre Serge Ibaka finished with 12 points and as many rebounds in the defeat. Ty Lawson scored 20 points to lead the fifth-seeded Nuggets, who ended the regular season with a 50-32 record.
Nene and Raymond Felton posted 16 points each while forward Al Harrington had 15 points in the defeat for Denver. The Thunder got off to a great start and outscored the Nuggets 31-15 after 12 minutes.
Denver fought hard to cut the deficit in the second quarter but Oklahoma managed to take a 59-44 lead at half time. Both teams scored 22 points apiece in the third quarter and the Thunders carried an 81-66 lead into the final stanza.
Oklahoma City maintained their double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
San Antonio Spurs beat Memphis Grizzles 93-87
All-Star Manu Ginobili returned to the line-up and finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, as the San Antonio Spurs cruised past the Memphis Grizzlies 93-87, to even the best-of-seven quarter-final series at one game apiece.
Richard Jefferson and Tim Duncan added 16 points each while Duncan also grabbed 10 rebounds in the victory. On the other hand, Guard-forward Sam Young scored 17 points while Tony Allen racked up 15 points in the defeat for the Grizzlies.
Centre Marc Gasol had an impressive game with 12 points and 17 rebounds for the Grizzlies. The first quarter ended in a 17-17 tie while Memphis held a 44-41 lead at half time.
The Western Conference Champions came out strongly in the third quarter and converted a three-point half time deficit into a 66-65 advantage, heading into the fourth. A three-pointer by Young then cut the deficit to 89-87, and San Antonio went on a 4-0 run
to walk away with the victory.
Los Angeles Lakers defeat New Orleans Hornets 87-78
Andrew Bynum scored 17 points on 8-for-11 shooting and had 11 rebounds, as the two-time defending NBA champions, Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Orleans Hornets 87-78 to even the quarter-final series 1-1.
Lamar Odom came off the bench with 16 points and seven rebounds while Ron Artest added 15 points in the victory. Trevor Ariza scored a game-high 22 points while Chris Paul ended with 20 points in the defeat for New Orleans.
The Lakers and Hornets began the game ice cold, using 23 possessions apiece in the opening quarter. The Pacific Division Champions, Los Angeles, outplayed New Orleans 24-18 in the second quarter and held a 47-41 lead at half time.
Both teams played some sloppy basketball in the third quarter but Los Angeles managed to take a 63-56 lead into the fourth. Kobe Bryant scored six of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, as the Lakers tied the first-round Western Conference playoff series
with the victory.
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