Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin (7) reacts after scoring during the second half in game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the Miami Heat at Time Warner Cable Arena.
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Thunder 118, Mavericks 104: Russell Westbrook had 36 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, and the Thunder beat the Dallas Mavericks in Oklahoma City to win the first-round playoff series 4-1 and advance to the Western Conference semifinals. Miami’s 17-1 run helped cut the deficit to two and make it a game again late into the third quarter.
The Charlotte Hornets snapped a postseason skid in Game 3 and now look to even up the series. Owner Michael Jordan was in the Hornets’ bench all game and celebrated with the Hornets after getting the victory.
The Heat, which combined to shoot 57.8 percent from the field in the two opening wins, hit 10 of their first 15 shots and then went completely cold. Ultimately, the Hornets came away with a 96-80 victory in Game 3 without Nicolas Batum, who is now sidelined with an ankle injury, in the lineup.
Courtney Lee was the other Hornet in double figures with 11 points as Charlotte played good defense at crunchtime to hold off a surging Heat squad hoping for a road upset.
The Hornets were leading by 24 at the beginning of the forth quarter. They would eventually get the win after maintaining pressure in a 123-91 affair.
DeMarre Caroll and Kyle Lowry each scored 12 and Norman Powell added 10 for the Raptors, the second seeds behind Cleveland in the East.
“We’ve probably fouled more in these four games than we have in the last four weeks”, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
The Miami Heat need to play better in every aspect of the game if they want to beat the Hornets in a critical game 4.
In Indianapolis, George Hill and Ian Mahinmi each scored 22 points, Paul George added 19 and the Pacers evened first-round playoff series at 2-2.
For the Heat, expect to see Goran Dragic, Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson, Luol Deng, and Hassan Whiteside. The Charlotte Hornets are shooting 23.5 percent from beyond the arc and 82.8 percent from the free throw line. Durant made both free throws to put Oklahoma City up 113-103 with 2:49 to play.
That’s when Charlotte’s backcourt begins to take charge, as Kemba Walker gets the kiss of the glass, and he’s on his way to 17 points. As a team, Miami shot only 34.2 percent (27-for-79) from the field.
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Charlotte jumped out to an early lead over the Heat and, for much of the first half, used a strong defensive effort to retain control of the matchup.
