The Philadelphia 76ers pushed the Brooklyn Nets to the brink of elimination on Thursday because the Golden State Warriors clawed again in their NBA playoff sequence towards Sacramento with a 114-97 rout of the Kings.
A rugged conflict in Brooklyn featured two ejections and a controversial kick from Joel Embiid, who nonetheless remained in the sport.
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Philadelphia’s MVP candidate scored simply 14 factors however pulled down 10 rebounds and produced an important block with eight seconds remaining that helped the Sixers cling on for a 102-97 victory.
When the mud settled the Sixers had a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference first-round sequence — the Nets nicely conscious that no NBA staff has come again from 3-0 right down to win a best-of-seven set.
Across the nation in San Francisco, the reigning champion Warriors averted a 3-0 gap regardless of the absence of star Draymond Green, who was suspended one recreation for stamping on Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis in recreation two.
The Warriors, who had been 33-8 at residence in the common season, led wire-to-wire, pushing the benefit to as many as 23 factors to chop the sequence deficit to 2-1.
The Phoenix Suns, fueled by Devin Booker’s 45 factors, had been additionally up 2-1 after a 129-124 victory over the Clippers in Los Angeles.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 36 factors. Center Kevon Looney pulled down 20 rebounds — together with 9 offensive boards — profitable the battle with Sabonis.
Sabonis scored 15 factors and grabbed 16 rebounds for the Kings, who had been led by De’Aaron Fox’s 26 factors.
“Losing each video games (in Sacramento) was a tricky approach to begin,” said Curry, leader of the Warriors’ four-title dynasty but who had never before been down 2-0 in a series.
Curry said the Warriors were stung by Green’s suspension but knew “we couldn’t change the decision that we knew was wrong.
“But,” he added, “if we might come out and win tonight and alter the  momentum of the sequence, that offers us a chance to make it about basketball.”
While Curry believes the Warriors have put the Green stamping debate behind them, there will be plenty of discussion around game three of the Sixers-Nets series.
Down by five with 2:15 to play, the Sixers surged home. Tyrese Maxey scored 10 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, his step-back three-pointer with 44.7 seconds left giving the Sixers a 99-96 lead.
Spencer Dinwiddie cut the deficit by one with a free throw and looked headed for a game-tying layup when Embiid soared up to reject the shot and the Sixers held on.
Nets coach Jacque Vaughn expressed frustration that Embiid was even in the game at that point, marvelling that he wasn’t ejected when he aimed a kick from the floor at Nic Claxton’s groin as the Nets player stepped over him in the first quarter.
Embiid had hit the deck when he tangled with Claxton as the Nets player threw down an alley-oop dunk.
“For a guy to intentionally kick someone in an area that none of us want to be kicked at or toward, and for him to continue to play — I’ve never seen that before,” Vaughn stated.
Sixers star James Harden was tossed late in the third quarter after piling his shoulder and arm into Royce O’Neale’s physique on a drive to the basket.
And Brooklyn’s Claxton was ejected early in the fourth when he picked up a second technical foul for a muscle-flexing taunt of Embiid.
“We stayed collectively,” Embiid said of the key to the hard-fought victory. “We kept playing through everything that was going on.”
Harden was steaming at his ejection — for a flagrant 2 foul — over what he insisted was a traditional basketball play.
“When someone’s draped over you want that defensively, it’s only a pure basketball response,” he stated.
Mikal Bridges led the Nets with 26 points and Dinwiddie added 20, but Brooklyn are in danger of being swept for the second straight season.
Embiid, who went to the locker room briefly in the first quarter and could be seen limping later in the game, said the Sixers need to be better in Saturday’s game four — and that he’d be ready.
“I took a lot of shots today, but I’m fine,” he stated.
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In Los Angeles, the Clippers needed to make do with out star Kawhi Leonard, who was dominated out with a knee sprain as they returned residence after splitting the primary two video games with the Suns in Phoenix.
It was a heavy blow for a staff already with out injured star Paul George, and even 42 factors from Norman Powell and 30 factors from Russell Westbrook weren’t sufficient towards a Suns staff that had 28 factors from Kevin Durant.
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