NBA roundup: Heat set record with 23 3-pointers; Thunder roll to 2-0 lead
Boston — The Miami Heat beat Boston with an unprecedented barrage of 3-pointers on Wednesday night to erase the home-court advantage the Celtics worked all season to establish.
Tyler Herro had 24 points and 14 assists, hitting six of Miami's 23 3-pointers – the most in a playoff game in franchise history – to lead the Heat to a 111-101 victory over top-seeded Boston and tie the first-round playoff series at one game apiece.
Bam Adebayo had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and new Celtics nemesis Caleb Martin also had 21 points for the Heat, who shot 53.5% (23 of 43) from beyond the arc to bounce back after a Game 1 blowout. That broke Miami's playoff record of 20 3-pointers, set against the Bucks in the 2021 first round.
“It was a very good response," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And then we also made some shots. It always looks better when you make shots.”
Jaylen Brown scored 33 points for Boston. Jayson Tatum scored 28, showing no ill-effects of Martin’s hard foul that sent him crashing to the floor with under a minute to play in Boston’s 114-94 victory on Sunday.
Tatum got back up off the parquet floor.
But so did Miami.
“They obviously made a conscious effort to have free reign to shoot more,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I thought most of those were moderately to heavily contested. And so were going to have to make the adjustments on some of those.”
The series moves to Miami for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday.
(At) Oklahoma City 124, New Orleans 92: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points and Oklahoma City beat New Orleans to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.
Chet Holmgren had 26 points and seven rebounds and Jalen Williams added 21 points for the top-seeded Thunder, who shot 59% from the field and made 14 of 29 3-pointers.
Jonas Valanciunas scored 19 points and Herb Jones and Brandon Ingram added 18 each for the Pelicans.
New Orleans continued to struggle on offense without top scorer Zion Williamson, who remained out with a strained left hamstring.
Minnesota's Reid wins Sixth Man of the Year
Naz Reid was having a productive season as a reserve when the Minnesota Timberwolves needed him in the starting lineup while playing without All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns.
Reid was excellent in that role, too, helping the Timberwolves to the second-best season in franchise history.
Reid was rewarded with the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year on Wednesday, edging Sacramento's Malik Monk in a close vote to become the third undrafted player to win the award for the league's best reserve.
Reid averaged career highs of 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 81 games. The forward-center came off the bench 67 times, getting a feel for the game in the early minutes before getting his chance to impact it.
“I kind of joke around with my teammates a little bit, but it’s kind of a saying where I feel like we have to keep the momentum going, anyway,” Reid said in an interview on TNT after the award was announced. “Either we got to have the mentality to come back in the game, or to push the lead forward.”
The 6-foot-9 Reid helped the Timberwolves do that plenty of times en route to a 56-26 record to earn the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. They have a 2-0 lead over the Phoenix Suns in their first-round series.
Fernandez first head coach from Spain
New York — Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden weren't the only ones who didn't stick around long in Brooklyn.
The Nets have gone through coaches almost as quickly as superstar players in recent years, even while the team had been good enough to make five straight playoff appearances from 2019-23.
Maybe Jordi Fernandez will be the coach to have lasting success.
The first head coach from Spain in NBA history said Wednesday he expects the Nets to improve quickly after finishing 32-50 last season.
“We will see results right away because like I said before, this industry is about getting results and getting better,” Fernandez said.
The coach of Canada's men's national team spent the past two seasons as the associate head coach of the Sacramento Kings and stood out during a search that began almost immediately after the Nets fired Jacque Vaughn at the All-Star break.
“I think something that separates Jordi from a lot of the candidates, we found that he could look at a developmental roster, he could do various different pathways,” general manager Sean Marks said. “I mean, he’s coached stars before, he’s been the head, director of development before. So as I said, he’s worn many hats and I think with our roster that he’s going to be able to get the respect of those guys.”
The Nets have to decide what kind of roster that will be. They were building gradually early in Marks' tenure under Kenny Atkinson before he was replaced during the 2019-20 season. Then they tried the superstar route under Steve Nash, signing Durant and Irving and then acquiring Harden in a blockbuster trade.
With those players all traded, the Nets were back to a younger squad last season, which they finished under interim coach Kevin Ollie, and Fernandez said he likes having that kind of roster.
“The youth is always great, right, because it allows you to have a team for a long run,” Fernandez said.
“You never want to have to let people go from positions, whether that’s coaching or staff members and so forth,” Marks said. "I think what we’re in is, we’re in professional sports and there’s turnover. I mean, we’re all very, very lucky and very fortunate to have the jobs that we have and hold on to them for as long as we can.
“You hope you do it the right way and you do it with the right people and you continue to build. As I said before, hopefully with Jordi this is a long-term fit, he can continue to grow and develop just the same as we all have.”
The 41-year-old Fernandez, who is from Badalona, Spain, began coaching in his teens. He was an assistant on his national team's staff when it won the bronze medal at the 2017 EuroBasket and for Nigeria in the Olympics in 2021. Last year he led the Canadians to their first medal in the Basketball World Cup when they beat the U.S. for bronze.
Marks said he received positive feedback from people who had worked with and played under Fernandez, who was also an assistant coach in Denver from 2016-22.
Fernandez said he couldn't fully answer why things haven't worked long for recent coaches in Brooklyn, but he sees the possibilities for himself. He thinks the Nets' youth will allow them to play fast and thinks they can build a top-10 offense and defense, adding that he believes center Nic Claxton can win the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Fernandez said he's already spoken to the team's players. He will begin working with them and setting up his staff before leaving for six weeks to rejoin his Canada squad, then returning to the Nets in August.
“It’s going to take time, it’s going to take direction and structure,” Fernandez said, “but I believe with the team we have and the partnership that we have right now, no doubt in my mind that we’ll start the right way.”
Road teams finally pick up wins
Pascal Siakam scored more points than anyone else in the NBA on Sunday. He did the same thing again on Tuesday.
And finally, road teams made a dent in these NBA playoffs.
Siakam became the first player in the last decade to have at least 73 points and 24 rebounds in the first two games of the playoffs. He helped the Indiana Pacers get the first road victory of this year's opening round, as they topped the Milwaukee Bucks 125-108 on Tuesday night.
Another road winner quickly followed: Dallas evened up its series by beating the Los Angeles Clippers 96-93.
Home teams started these playoffs 12-0, the last of those wins coming in Tuesday's opener when Minnesota downed Phoenix 105-93 to take a 2-0 lead in the opening-round series. It was the best home start to a playoff season since 2004, when teams started 13-0 on their floors. The record remains a 15-0 start by home playoff teams in 1990.
Eastern Conference
Milwaukee vs. Indiana
(Series tied 1-1)
▶ Game 1: Milwaukee 109, Indiana 94
▶ Game 2: Indiana 125, Milwaukee 108
▶ Game 3: Friday at Indiana, 5:30 p.m.
▶ Game 4: Sunday at Indiana, 7 p.m.
▶ x-Tuesday, April 30: Indiana at Milwaukee, TBA
▶ x-Thursday, May 2: Milwaukee at Indiana, TBA
▶ x-Saturday, May 4: Indiana at Milwaukee, TBA
Boston vs. Miami
(Series tied 1-1)
▶ Game 1: Boston 114, Miami 94
▶ Game 2: Miami 111, Boston 101
▶ Game 3: Saturday at Miami, 6 p.m.
▶ Game 4: Monday at Miami, TBA
▶ x-Wednesday, May 1: Miami at Boston, TBA
▶ x-Friday, May 3: Boston at Miami, TBA
▶ x-Sunday, May 5: Miami at Boston, TBA
Cleveland vs. Orlando
(Cavaliers lead 2-0)
▶ Game 1: Cleveland 97, Orlando 83
▶ Game 2: Cleveland 96, Orlando 86
▶ Game 3: Thursday at Orlando, 7 p.m.
▶ Game 4: Saturday at Orlando, 1 p.m.
▶ x-Tuesday, April 30: Orlando at Cleveland, TBA
▶ x-Friday, May 3: Cleveland at Orlando, TBA
▶ x-Sunday, May 5: Orlando at Cleveland, TBA
New York vs. Philadelphia
(Knicks lead 2-0)
▶ Game 1: New York 111, Philadelphia 104
▶ Game 2: New York 104, Philadelphia 101
▶ Game 3: Thursday at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
▶ Game 4: Sunday at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.
▶ x-Tuesday, April 30: Philadelphia at New York, TBA
▶ x-Thursday, May 2: New York at Philadelphia, TBA
▶ x-Saturday, May 4: Philadelphia at New York, TBA
Western Conference
L.A. Clippers vs. Dallas
(Series tied 1-1)
▶ Game 1: L.A. Clippers 109, Dallas 97
▶ Game 2: Dallas 96, L.A. Clippers 93
▶ Game 3: Friday at Dallas, 8 p.m.
▶ Game 4: Sunday at Dallas, 3:30 p.m.
▶ x-Wednesday, May 1: Dallas at L.A. Clippers, TBA
▶ x-Friday, May 3: L.A. Clippers at Dallas, TBA
▶ x-Sunday, May 5: Dallas at L.A. Clippers, TBA
Denver vs. L.A. Lakers
(Nuggets lead 2-0)
▶ Game 1: Denver 114, L.A. Lakers 103
▶ Game 2: Denver 101, L.A. Lakers 99
▶ Game 3: Thursday at L.A. Lakers, 10 p.m.
▶ Game 4: Saturday at L.A. Lakers, 8:30 p.m.
▶ x-Monday, April 29: L.A. Lakers at Denver, TBA
▶ x-Thursday, May 2: Denver at L.A. Lakers, TBA
▶ x-Saturday, May 4: L.A. Lakers at Denver, TBA
Oklahoma City vs. New Orleans
(Thunder lead 2-0)
▶ Game 1: Oklahoma City 94, New Orleans 92
▶ Game 2: Oklahoma City 124, New Orleans 92
▶ Game 3: Saturday at New Orleans, 3:30 p.m.
▶ Game 4: Monday at New Orleans, TBA
▶ x-Wednesday, May 1: New Orleans at Oklahoma City, TBA
▶ x-Friday, May 3: Oklahoma City at New Orleans, TBA
▶ x-Sunday, May 5: New Orleans at Oklahoma City, TBA
Minnesota vs. Phoenix
(Timberwolves lead 2-0)
▶ Game 1: Minnesota 120, Phoenix 95
▶ Game 2: Minnesota 105, Phoenix 93
▶ Game 3: Friday at Phoenix, 10:30 p.m.
▶ Game 4: Sunday at Phoenix, 9:30 p.m.
▶ x-Tuesday, April 30: Phoenix at Minnesota, TBA
▶ x-Thursday, May 2: Minnesota at Phoenix, TBA
▶ x-Saturday, May 4: Phoenix at Minnesota, TBA