NEW YORK: Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving on one side. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday on the other.
Three former MVPs. Seven NBA scoring titles. The two highest-scoring teams in the league.
Brooklyn against Milwaukee is only a second-round series. Yet with all this talent, there’s a little bit of an NBA Finals feel.
“They’ve had their core and then they added some really good pieces, which is why they’ve been one of the best teams all year,” Harden said. “But if you look at our roster, we’re elite, too. And it’s going to be a showdown.”
The teams played three thrillers during the regular season and Brooklyn coach Steve Nash said the potential is there for this Eastern Conference semifinal between the No. 2-seeded Nets and No. 3 Bucks to be a classic.
“We’ll see how it plays out, but they’re playing as well as any team in the league right now. We have the talent to match any team in the league and it’s just a matter of who performs, who has that grit and toughness to try to get ahead in the series and then see how the other team responds,” Nash said.
“Definitely on paper you could see this being a classic series, but let’s see who brings it and who has the rhythm and timing and performances that are sharper.”
Game 1 is Saturday night in Brooklyn, with both teams rested and ready after cruising through the first round.
“I think it’s meant for a lot of the best players in the league to go up against one another and show why we are who we are,” Irving said.
Milwaukee blew away Miami in a sweep that emphatically avenged its second-round ouster a year ago. The only thing stopping the Nets from a sweep of their own was Jayson Tatum’s 50-point outburst in Game 3 in Boston.
Plenty of guys can go for 50 in this series.
Antetokounmpo, the two-time NBA MVP, nearly did against Brooklyn on May 2, pouring in 49 to outduel Durant, who had 42, in the Bucks’ 117-114 victory. Milwaukee won again two nights later, 124-118, to sweep the two-game set that Harden missed with injury.
He made it back for the playoffs and Brooklyn’s Big Three combined for 85.2 points per game against Boston, including 104 in Game 4 to match the highest total for a trio in NBA postseason history.
Milwaukee has good defenders, with Antetokounmpo the defensive player of the year last season and Holiday long considered one of the league’s best defensive guards. But nobody is even pretending this series will be won with stops, not with the Bucks averaging 120.1 points to Brooklyn’s 118.6 — despite just eight games with Durant, Harden and Irving — during the regular season.
“They’ve got three of the best scorers of all time on their team,” Milwaukee’s P.J. Tucker said. “They’re going to score a bunch of points, we know that, but we’ve just got to make it as tough as possible. We’ve got to make them work, earn every single point, nothing easy and whatever happens, happens. But we’re going to go battle and compete. Blood, sweat, tears. Leave it all on the floor.”
Other things to know about the series:
SEASON SERIES
Brooklyn never had its three stars together against Milwaukee. Irving missed the Nets’ 125-123 home victory on Jan. 18 in their second game after acquiring Harden from Houston. Durant and Harden, who have combined for two MVP awards and seven scoring titles, put up 64 points that night.
INJURY UPDATE
The Bucks have already lost starting guard Donte DiVincenzo for the playoffs after he tore a ligament in his left ankle during Game 3. Versatile forward Jeff Green is out for Game 1 and Nash said he will be day to day after that with a left foot injury that sidelined him the final three games of the first round.
BROOK IN BROOKLYN
Bucks center Brook Lopez will be back in Barclays Center, having played for the Nets in Brooklyn and New Jersey. He scored the most points in franchise history.
“I think I’m excited to go back and play in Brooklyn, play on that court again in Barclays, but obviously we’re going to be pretty focused once tipoff comes,” he said.
FORBES FOR 3
Bryn Forbes averaged 18.3 points and shot 16 of 30 from 3-point range during the final three games of the Bucks’ first-round sweep of Miami. He was a combined 7 of 12 from beyond the arc in the Bucks’ two-game sweep of the Nets in May.
BUCKS ON THE BOARDS
Milwaukee had a double-digit rebounding edge in each game against Miami and dominated the glass by a margin of 16.8 boards per game. The Bucks’ size advantage may make Nash consider reinserting former starting center DeAndre Jordan into the rotation.
Nets-Bucks: Second-round series, NBA Finals-level talent
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Nets-Bucks: Second-round series, NBA Finals-level talent
- Three former MVPs. Seven NBA scoring titles. The two highest-scoring teams in the league.
- Game 1 is Saturday night in Brooklyn, with both teams rested and ready after cruising through the first round
Suryakumar hits ton as Mumbai dent Hyderabad’s play-off push
- Chasing 174 for victory, Mumbai slipped to 31-3 before Suryakumar Yadav put on an unbeaten stand of 143 with Tilak Varma to achieve the target
- Hyderabad, led by Pat Cummins, stay fourth in the table but their fifth loss and a big one could hurt their play-off chances
Chasing 174 for victory, Mumbai slipped to 31-3 before Suryakumar put on an unbeaten stand of 143 with Tilak Varma to achieve the target with 16 balls to spare at their home Wankhede Stadium.
Suryakumar hit the winning six, which also raised his second IPL ton in 51 balls and comes as a welcome sign for India ahead of the T20 World Cup in June in the West Indies and the United States.
However the win for five-time winners Mumbai, placed ninth in the 10-team table, could be late in a tournament fast moving toward its business end.
Hyderabad, led by Pat Cummins, stay fourth in the table but their fifth loss and a big one could hurt their play-off chances.
Hyderabad need to win two of their remaining three matches to make the play-offs as they remain locked at 12 points with third-placed Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants at fifth.
The top four teams will make the play-offs with the final on May 26 in Chennai.
Former champions Hyderabad posted 173-8 courtesy of Travis Head’s 48 and an unbeaten 17-ball 35 by lower-order batter Cummins after being invited to bat first.
The left-handed Head gave the team a brisk start with his 30-ball knock before his departure in the 11th over and Hyderabad lost their way with regular wickets.
Skipper Hardik Pandya spinner Piyush Chawla took three wickets each to rattle the opposition middle and lower-order as Hyderabad slipped to 136-8 in 17 overs.
But number nine Cummins had other ideas as the Australian Test and ODI captain hit back in the final three overs and put on an unbeaten stand of 37 off 19 balls with Sanvir Singh.
The batting effort inspired the team and fast bowlers came roaring to reduce Mumbai to 31-3 including the key wicket of Rohit Sharma, out caught behind for four off Cummins.
Suryakumar soon took charge with his attacking batting as he raised his 50 in 30 balls and hammered the opposition bowling with 12 fours and six sixes.
The left-handed Varma made 37 and enjoyed Suryakumar’s blitz from the other end.
FIA President Ben Sulayem welcomes Trump to Miami Grand Prix
- The former US president witnessed maiden Formula 1 win for McLaren’s Lando Norris
MIAMI: Former US president Donald Trump was welcomed to the Miami Grand Prix by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, where he saw McLaren’s Lando Norris notch up his first Formula 1 victory.
Sunday’s race saw British driver Norris take the checkered flag from three-time world champion Max Verstappen in the Red Bull Racing car. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc came third.
Trump, along with a number of famous athletes and other celebrities, delighted the audience by engaging with fans and attendees. He was also invited behind the scenes to tour the McLaren pit garage accompanied by the team’s CEO, American Zak Brown.
A spokesman for the Miami Grand Prix said the race weekend had sold out, with more than 275,000 fans in attendance to witness the high-octane atmosphere and exciting result.
Sandhagen to face Nurmagomedov at UFC fight night in Abu Dhabi
- The event will take place at the Etihad Arena on Aug 3
ABU DHABI: UFC has announced that its return to Abu Dhabi will see No. 2 ranked bantamweight Cory Sandhagen face No. 9 ranked Umar Nurmagomedov on Saturday, Aug. 3 at Etihad Arena.
Tickets for the event, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi go on sale from on Tuesday, May 7
Sandhagen, with a record of 17-4 and fighting out of Aurora, Colorado, returns to the UAE capital to cement his status as top contender in the bantamweight division. The Colorado native boasts wins over Rob Font, Chito Vera, and soon-to-be UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar. He now hopes for a convincing win over rising star Nurmagomedov to make his case for a title shot.
Nurmagomedov, 17-0, fighting out of Chelyabinsk, Russia, looks to put the division on notice by taking out a top-ranked opponent and making his first Octagon appearance in Abu Dhabi. He made his mark in the division after delivering dominant performances over Raoni Barcelos, Brian Kelleher and Sergey Morozov.
Now, he sets his sights on securing the biggest win of his career by getting his hand raised against Sandhagen.
Al-Itttihad fined $37,000 for King’s Cup misconduct
- The reigning Saudi Pro League champions lost 2-1 to Al-Hilal last week in the semifinals of the Kingdom’s renowned competition
RIYADH: Al-Ittihad Football Club have been fined $37,000 (SR140,000) for misconduct by players and fans in its recent 2-1 defeat by Al-Hilal in the semi-final of the King’s Cup.
A statement issued by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s disciplinary and ethics committee said Abderrazak Hamdallah and Saad Al-Mousa were each fined around $5,300 for not fulfilling their post-match media duties.
The committee also imposed a fine of $27,000 on the Jeddah club after fans threw bottles at opposition players from the stands. Nobody was harmed as a result of the incidents.
The authorities stressed that the three decisions are not subject to appeal.
Mitchell rallies Cavs for series-clinching Game 7 win over Magic
- Cavs move on to second round a year after a stinging first-round loss to the New York Knicks
- The Celtics will host Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Tuesday
LOS ANGELES: Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers silenced the young guns of Orlando, beating the Magic 106-94 in Game 7 of their NBA playoffs first-round series Sunday to book a meeting with Eastern Conference top seeds Boston.
It was another magisterial performance from Mitchell, who scored 39 points two days after pouring in 50 in the Cavs’ Game 6 defeat.
This time he had plenty of scoring support from teammates as the Cavs erased an 18-point second-quarter deficit to clinch a series in which the home team won every game.
Caris LeVert scored 15 points off the bench and Max Strus scored 11 of his 13 points in the third quarter, when the Cavs outscored the Magic 33-15 to take charge.
Evan Mobley scored 11 points with 16 rebounds and five blocked shots and Darius Garland chipped in 12 points to help Cleveland withstand a 38-point performance from Paolo Banchero.
The Cavs, with starting center Jarrett Allen sidelined a third straight game with bruised ribs, moved on to the second round a year after a stinging first-round loss to the New York Knicks.
“I didn’t want to go home,” Mitchell said of the mindset that saw him score 17 points in the third quarter as he virtually willed Cleveland to the lead.
The Magic delivered a strong first punch, Banchero scoring 10 points in the first period as Orlando grabbed a 24-18.
In the face of Orlando’s suffocating defense the Cavs connected on just six of 22 shots in the first quarter and didn’t make a three-pointer until Sam Merrill drilled one midway through the second quarter.
The Magic pushed their lead to as many as 18 points in the second quarter before the Cavs clawed back to cut the lead to single digits.
Banchero’s layup in the closing seconds of the first half saw Orlando take a 10-point lead into the break, but momentum was on Cleveland’s side and they overwhelmed the Magic in the third.
“I didn’t feel our confidence waver much, even when we had 18 points in the first quarter,” Mitchell said.
“They came out and jumped on us,” he added, saying the key was for the Cavs “to respond the way we did, keep plugging, just keep chipping away.”
Mitchell, again relentless in the paint, tied it at 64-64 with a floater and LeVert drained a pair of free throws to give the Cavs their first lead since the first quarter.
Strus hit back-to-back three-pointers as Cleveland built a 76-68 lead going into the final period.
The Cavs pushed their advantage to 14 points in the final frame, fans chanting “We want Boston” as the final minutes ticked off.
The Celtics will host Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Tuesday, and Mitchell vowed the Cavaliers will be ready for the team that posted the best record in the regular season.
“We didn’t make the group we made just to win the first round,” he said. “We accomplished one goal. Now we have to do it again.”
It was a crushing end to a strong season for the Magic, collectively the second-youngest team in the playoffs behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Wendell Carter Jr. scored 13 points and Jalen Suggs added 10 for the Magic, but Franz Wagner was held to just six as Orlando remained in search of a first playoff series victory since 2010.
Mitchell heaped praise 21-year-old Banchero, the top pick in the 2022 draft.
Banchero himself said the Magic’s fight back from 0-2 down in the series to force game seven “just shows where we’re headed.”
