Game Center
Maccabi Tel Aviv wins playoff semifinals opener
Omri Casspi sparked Maccabi Tel Aviv with 17 points in an 88-72 victory over visiting Hapoel Eliat on Sunday in the Israeli League semifinals. Yovel Zoosman poured in 16 point, Ante Zizic contributed 11 and Scottie Wilbekin finished with eight points and eight assists for the hosts. Chris Jones had a 10-point outing. Game 2…
Read MoreLos Angeles Clippers beat the Mavericks and move on to the next round of the playoffs
The Los Angeles Clippers secured a 126-111 win in a decisive Game 7 against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday afternoon at Staples Center. By doing so, they avoided, at least for now, a second consecutive short postseason run for stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The Clippers will face the top-seeded Utah Jazz in the Western…
Read MoreMZT Skopje sweeps the North Macedonian series and wins the title
MZT Skopje Aerodrom beat Euro Nickel 89-78 in game three of the North Macedonian league finals and thereby swept the series 3-0. It was a remarkable feat since MZT only ended fourth in the regular season. However, in the quarter-finals of the playoffs, they first beat Kumanovo, and in the semis, they swept the number…
Read MoreEfes Pilsen demolishes Fenerbahçe in game two of the Turkish final series
The second finals match of the Turkish basketball playoff series was marred with fights and discharges as Anadolu Efes clinched its second win over powerful rival Fenerbahçe Beko. Saturday’s 95-73 victory at Istanbul’s Sinan Erdem Arena gave fresh EuroLeague champion Anadolu Efes a significant advantage in its 15th title bid. Rodrigue Beaubois scored 27 points to carry…
Read MoreKK Zadar wins Croatian championship after a 13-year drought
Since Croatian independence, Zagreb teams Cedevita and Cibona have mostly dominated the Basketball Championships (25 of 28 seasons). Split was able to pull off one title in 2003, while Zadar was able to win two in 2005 and 2008. Tonight, the two Dalmatian teams had to battle to find out who would be forever remembered…
Read MoreCSKA takes 1-0 lead in VTB League finals
CSKA Moscow beat UNICS in Kazan in the first game of the VTB League finals – 85:77. The rivalry between UNICS and CSKA has become principal in Russian basketball for many years. Finals are expected to be a hard-fought, uncompromising rivalry. The early minutes met those expectations. The opponents spent some time adjusting, after which…
Read MoreLA Clippers beat Dallas and force decisive game seven
The LA Clippers beat Mavericks 104-97 to force Game 7 in the series. Kawhi Leonard was the man of the match with a dominant all-around outing. The clock ticked away as the Los Angeles Clippers inched closer either to elimination or survival. Yet, Kawhi Leonard stood calmly while holding the ball and ultimately dictating the…
Read MoreThe Lakers are eliminated in the 1st round of the playoffs
The brief reign of the Los Angeles Lakers is over. The Phoenix Suns eliminated the Lakers from the NBA. Playoffs on Thursday night with a 113-100 victory in Game 6 of their first-round series, ending LeBron James’s hopes of hauling the Lakers to back-to-back championships. It is the first time that James, 36, has exited…
Read MoreChiba Jets crowned Japanese B-League champions
The Chiba Jets clinched their maiden B-League championship Tuesday after holding off Utsunomiya Brex 71-62 in the deciding third game of the finals. Gavin Edwards led the way for Chiba with 15 points and 6 rebounds, while finals MVP Sebastian Saiz scored 12 points, including a crucial tip-in off a missed basket to put the…
Read More55 points by Damian Lillard not enough
The Portland Blazers wasted Damian Lillard’s latest historic NBA playoff performance in loss to the DenverNuggets. Lillard poured in a playoff career-high 55 points Tuesday in an otherworldly shooting display, but the Denver Nuggets prevailed 147-140 in a double-overtime thriller to take a 3-2 lead in their first-round series. MVP favorite Nikola Jokic had 38…
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