WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Mike Budenholzer was fired on Thursday as coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, ousted after a first-round playoff exit only two years after guiding them to their first NBA crown in 50 years. The Bucks went a league-best 58-24 this season but the Eastern Conference top seeds were eliminated by the Miami Heat 4-1 in a best-of-seven series. In an open letter to fans posted on social media, Bucks team president […]
Tag: basketball
Davis, Lakers hold off Warriors to win opener
SAN FRANCISCO, United States — Anthony Davis scored 30 points and led a defensive masterclass as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors 117-112 on the road to take a 1-0 lead in their NBA Western Conference playoff series on Tuesday. The eagerly anticipated showdown between the two Californian glamour clubs lived up to the billing as the Lakers held off a thrilling late Golden State rally to take a crucial early advantage […]
Ice-cool Harden scores 45 as Sixers stun Celtics, Jokic downs Suns
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — James Harden scored 45 points as the Philadelphia 76ers stunned the Boston Celtics in the NBA playoffs on Monday before Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets took a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Phoenix Suns. In a pulsating Eastern Conference duel in Boston, Harden produced a vintage performance -– including a pivotal go-ahead three-pointer with 8.4 seconds remaining — to leave the TD Garden in stunned silence as […]
Curry hits 50 as Warriors advance, Butler hurt in Heat win
NEW YORK, May 1, 2023 (AFP) – Stephen Curry scored 50 points in a record-shattering performance Sunday to send the defending champion Golden State Warriors into the second round of the NBA playoffs while a Jimmy Butler ankle injury raised tensions for the triumphant Miami Heat. Curry, a four-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, was nearly unstoppable as the Warriors won 120-100 at Sacramento to capture their best-of-seven Western Conference series 4-3. […]
Looney’s rebounding sparks Warriors into NBA second round
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Stephen Curry’s epic 50-point effort stole the spotlight but Kevon Looney grabbed 21 rebounds to deliver his own heroics Sunday as Golden State advanced in the NBA playoffs. The 27-year-old center, a three-time NBA champion with the Warriors, helped Golden State win 120-100 at Sacramento to win their Western Conference series in seven games and reach the second round. “They kicked our behind on the glass,” Kings coach Mike […]
Nuggets thrash Suns in NBA Western Conference semi-final opener
LOS ANGELES, April 30, 2023 (AFP) – The Denver Nuggets, fueled by 34 points from Jamal Murray, dominated Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns 125-107 Saturday in game one of their NBA Western Conference semi-final series. Denver’s two-time reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic scored 24 points and grabbed 19 rebounds as six Nuggets players scored in double-digits to give the top seeds a convincing victory against the potentially explosive Suns. Jokic had […]
Butler-inspired Miami send Bucks crashing out
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Jimmy Butler scored 42 points as the Miami Heat staged yet another stunning comeback to send the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks crashing out of the NBA playoffs in overtime on Wednesday. Butler, who scored 56 points in a dazzling game four win on Monday, conjured another virtuoso display as eighth seeds Miami completed a 4-1 series triumph with a 128-126 victory. It is only the sixth time in NBA history […]
Morant magic keeps Grizzlies alive as Lakers beaten
MEMPHIS, United States (AFP) — Ja Morant led a superb second half rally as the Memphis Grizzlies kept their NBA playoff campaign alive with a 116-99 victory over LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Memphis, down 3-1 in the best-of-seven Western Conference series after defeat in game four, looked to be in control after opening up a 17-point lead in the first half in front of their raucous home fans at the […]
Knicks down Cavaliers to advance in NBA playoffs
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The New York Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-95 to complete a 4-1 series victory and advance to the NBA Eastern Conference playoff semi-finals on Wednesday. Jalen Brunson scored 23 points and RJ Barrett 21 as the Knicks produced a clinical wire-to-wire victory on the road to book their place in the next round. The win was New York’s first playoff series victory since 2013. They will face either […]
Butler brilliance as Heat leave Bucks on brink
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Jimmy Butler produced a scintillating 56-point performance as the Miami Heat scored a stunning come-from-behind victory to leave the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks on the brink of elimination from the NBA playoffs on Monday. In an electrifying battle at Miami’s Kaseya Center, Butler all but single-handedly led Miami to a 119-114 win that leaves the Bucks 3-1 down in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series. Butler’s points haul was the joint […]
Booker brilliance as Suns sink Clippers, Celtics dominant
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Devin Booker led a second-half rally as the Phoenix Suns came from behind to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers 123-109 and level their Western Conference playoff series 1-1 on Tuesday. Booker scored 18 points in the third quarter before finishing with a 38-point haul to complete a battling comeback by Phoenix, who had trailed by 13 in the second quarter against the Kawhi Leonard-inspired Clippers. The Clippers stunned Phoenix […]
Celtics dominate Hawks to lead series 2-0
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Jayson Tatum bagged 29 points as the Boston Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks 119-106 to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference NBA playoff series on Tuesday. The second-seeded Celtics, 112-99 victors over Atlanta in game one, overcame a slow start to dominate the seventh-seeded Hawks for a comfortable victory at Boston’s TD Garden. “Playoffs are all about adjustments, trying to move on from game-to-game, seeing what […]





