Heading almost midway into the first round of the playoffs, the venues shifted with now the lower-seeded teams getting the home advantage. Bucks continued to dominate the Heat while the Lakers secured their first playoff win at the Staples Center in eight years.
Heat 84 – 113 Bucks
Miami welcomed 17,000 fans into the American Airlines center as the Heat looked to make a statement in the series they are currently trailing 2-0 in.
The shooting crisis for the hosts continued after only 14 points in the first quarter. A poor conversion percent resulted in the trail being up to 12 points in the first 12 minutes.
Bucks headed into the half-time break with a 13-point lead as the Heat managed only thrr offensive rebounds off the 31 shots they missed.
The visitors lost Donte DiVincenzo as a result of a foot contusion while the 2020 NBA Finalists kept searching for momentum in front of their fans.
It was raining buckets after half time with the number three seed posting seven three pointers in the third quarter.
Milwaukee Bucks wrapped off the game 113-84 to go 3-0 up in the series and put one foot into the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Jimmy Butler netted 19 points for the hosts while Khris Middleton top scored in the contest with 22 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded a double double following 17 rebounds and points.
Lakers 109 – 95 Suns
LeBron James played his first playoff fixture in front of the fans at the Staples Center for the Lakers.
The Western Conference giants went toe-to-toe in the first quarter with only a single point separating them.
Chris Paul, struggling with a shoulder contusion, had his moments but required treatment off the court at times.
The defending champions led the proceedings 43-40 at the halfway mark following a lean second quarter by both sides. The Suns failed to convert their last six field-goal attempts and missed ten three-point attempts in a row as well.
A poor start from the Suns in the third quarter gave the Lakers their biggest lead in the contest with 16 points. LeBron James and Anthony Davis exploded after reaching double digits in points for the quarter.
The Lakers extended their lead to 21 points in the final quarter of the game despite the Suns starting the phase bright with an early 5-0 run.
Despite a late surge from the visitors, the Lakers comfortably got their win in the end to go 2-1 up in the series.
Anthony Davis replicated his efforts from Game 2 by notching 34 points and 11 rebounds. LeBron James stepped up after recording 21 points and 9 assists.
"It's a dirty play."
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 28, 2021
Anthony Davis shared his thoughts on Devin Booker's hard foul on Schröder. pic.twitter.com/l7CyKehalL
TrailBlazers 115 – 120 Nuggets
The high-scoring series continued as the venue shifted to Portland. The first quarter yielded 69 points collectively as the Nuggets tallied a 9-point lead.
A fightback by the hosts reduced the deficit to 5 points after a solid second quarter. The Nuggets were impeccable in the three-point range and notched 20 of them with a conversion of over 50%
Austin Rivers scored more than half of the points for the Nuggets in the final quarter as they secured a close 120-115 win. With this win, Denver Nuggets are now 2-1 up in the series after being initially 1-0 down.
Nikola Jokic scored 36 points and registered 10 rebounds for the win. Damian Lillard top scored in the contest with 37 points, but his efforts ended in a losing effort at the Moda Center.
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