Khris Middleton recorded 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists as the surging Milwaukee Bucks beat the host Miami Heat 113-84 to take a 3-0 lead in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
The Bucks will try for a sweep on Saturday in Miami.
Giannis Antetokounmpo tallied 17 points and 17 rebounds for Milwaukee, and Jrue Holiday added 19 points and 12 assists. The Bucks, the top offensive team in the NBA, have outscored the Heat by 63 points in the past two games.
Miami, which made it to the 2020 NBA Finals, was led by Jimmy Butler’s 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Bam Adebayo added 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Lakers 109, Suns 95
Behind another strong defensive performance, host Los Angeles smothered Phoenix for a victory and a 2-1 series lead in the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs. About 7,500 fans were in attendance as Staples Center hosted a Lakers playoff game for the first time since 2013.
Anthony Davis led the way for the Lakers with 34 points and 11 rebounds. LeBron James chipped in 21 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Dennis Schroder added 20 points and four assists.
Deandre Ayton led the Suns with 22 points — his third straight game with at least 20 points — as well as 11 rebounds. Devin Booker added 19 points, but he was ejected in the final minute for a flagrant foul.
Nuggets 120, Trail Blazers 115
Nikola Jokic had 36 points, Austin Rivers scored 16 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and visiting Denver beat Portland in Game 3 of their Western Conference first-round series.
Michael Porter Jr. had 15 points, Aaron Gordon scored 13 and Facundo Campazzo had 11 for the Nuggets, who took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers with 37 points. CJ McCollum had 22, Norman Powell scored 18, Carmelo Anthony had 17 and Jusuf Nurkic finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
–Field Level Media
