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As the Western Conference Semifinals shifted to Ball Arena, the Denver Nuggets outperformed the Oklahoma City Thunder, finishing 113-104 in overtime and securing a 2-1 advantage in the best-of-seven series on Friday.
Nikola Jokic faced challenges in Game 3, struggling with a shooting performance of 8/25 from the field and failing to make any of his ten three-point attempts. Additionally, he missed a crucial long-range shot as time expired in the fourth quarter and committed eight turnovers. However, during the five-minute overtime, he contributed four of his 20 points, aiding his team, led by coach David Adelman, in establishing a comfortable lead.
The game saw a total of 15 lead changes, but the Nuggets took control during overtime, eventually leading by nine. In addition to Jokic’s contributions—a double-double including 16 rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and two steals—Slovenian Vlatko Cancar and Croatian Dario Saric did not see any playing time.
On the Thunder’s side, German player Isaiah Hartenstein achieved a double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, one block, and one steal. Meanwhile, French Ousmane Dieng and Belgian Ajay Mitchell remained on the bench, and Serbian Nikola Topic was sidelined due to a knee surgery recovery.
In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, after experiencing two home defeats, the Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back with a decisive 126-104 win against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, powered by Donovan Mitchell’s impressive 43-point performance.
Cleveland Cavaliers swept the Miami Heat 4-0 (121-100, 121-112, 124-87, 138-83), while the Boston Celtics secured a 4-1 victory over the Orlando Magic (103-86, 109-100, 93-95, 107-98, 120-89). The New York Knicks triumphed over the Detroit Pistons 4-2 (123-112, 94-100, 118-116, 94-93, 103-106, 116-113) and the Indiana Pacers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 4-1 (117-98, 123-115, 101-117, 129-103, 119-118).
In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder swept the Memphis Grizzlies 4-0 (131-80, 118-99, 114-108, 117-115), while the Houston Rockets fell to the Golden State Warriors in a close 3-4 series (85-95, 109-94, 93-104, 106-109, 131-116, 115-107, 89-103). The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 1-4 (95-117, 94-85, 104-116, 113-116, 96-103), and the Denver Nuggets won against the Los Angeles Clippers in a tight 4-3 series (112-110, 102-105, 83-117, 101-99, 131-115, 105-111, 120-101).
Currently, the Cleveland Cavaliers trail the Indiana Pacers 1-2 (112-121, 119-120, 126-104), while the Boston Celtics are down against the New York Knicks 0-2 (105-108, 90-91).
In the Western Conference, the matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets is tied at 1-1 (119-121, 149-106, 104-113), and the Minnesota Timberwolves are level with the Golden State Warriors 1-1 (88-99, 117-93).
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