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Home , 2017 NBA playoffs, Wes Edens

Sports FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

Warriors cut down Blazers, Westbrook runs out of gas

WASHINGTON: The a postseason triple-double in NBA history. clamped down on defense as they cruised to Despite the historic night, Westbrook failed a 110-81 victory over the Portland Trail to find his teammates with passes as he Blazers, taking a 2-0 lead in their first-round appeared to run out of steam in the final playoff series. Playing without injured star quarter. He missed 14 shots in the fourth, , Golden State held Portland to the most misses in any quarter in the last 20 just 12 points in the third quarter Wednesday NBA playoffs. "I wasn't tired," Westbrook to post their 11th straight home win over the said. "I don't care about the (personal stats). Trail Blazers in a rematch of last year's We lost." "It's not like it is going to be a sur- Western Conference semi-final series. Durant prise to anybody. We know what we have to missed the game with a calf strain. do," said Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni of "You got to be aggressive. Tonight we stopping Westbrook. didn't really get it going and we had some Gordon gave the Rockets their first lead dry spots but we won the game with our with his three-pointer at the 8:07 mark of the defense," said Warriors star . fourth quarter at 96-94. Gordon delivered "We asserted ourselves in first quarter that another clutch basket with 1:48 remaining, set the tone for the game." Curry had 19 drilling a 28-footer off a pass points and added 16 as the to extend the lead to eight. Harden finished Warriors won easily despite scoring 11 fewer with 35 points and eight assists and was a points than in their 121-109 win in the perfect 18 for 18 from the free-throw line. opening game of the series. JaVale McGee Game three is today in City. : #34 of the Bucks drives against DeMarre said they miss not having Durant in the line- Carroll #5 of the in the first half of Game Two of the Eastern Conference up but they also know how to adjust when WHISTLE HAPPY REFS Quarterfinals during the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. — AFP he is not there. In Washington, scored 16 of "We have confidence. We have had to his 31 points in the final quarter as the play without KD for a lot of games earlier seized a 2-0 lead in their Playoff berth provides a so we are used to it. But we need KD. We first-round series with a 109-101 win. John need his scoring," said McGee, who came Wall delivered a team high 32 points as he off the bench to score 15 points. The teams and Beal tallied 20 of the Wizards' final 21 glimpse at Bucks' future will travel to Portland for the next two points in a penalty filled contest. Game three meetings in the best-of-seven series, with is in tomorrow as the Wizards have MILWAUKEE: Steel beams and giant cranes 10 on the strength of tougher defense and the Warriors taking their lead into game won five in a row over the Hawks. Paul tower over a lot next to the , a winning close games in a 14-victory March. three tomorrow. Millsap had 27 points and 10 rebounds for busy construction site that will turn into the "One of the things that I've learned is that no the Hawks. Dennis Schroder scored 23 points next home of the . A new one feels sorry for you. At one (we were) HISTORIC NIGHT FALLS SHORT and Tim Hardaway had 19. Atlanta commit- downtown arena offers the most visible sign 22-30 and struggling," Edens said. "It starts Elsewhere, and ted 18 turnovers. of progress for a franchise in transition. From with the very high play of Giannis. ... Khris caught fire in the fourth quarter as the After game one, Millsap made a point of the emergence of Giannis Antetokounmpo as came back and he's such a good basketball Rockets rallied for a 115-111 playoff calling out what he considered overly an NBA All-Star to a return to the playoffs, this player, you see him down the stretch being so win over the Thunder, who aggressive play from the Wizards-"They were has been an important season for the Bucks. effective. "Look at the record in close games, lost despite another historic 50-point night playing MMA," he said. In game two, the They return home on Thursday to host the were much better down the stretch. More by . The Rockets erased a teams were whistled for 55 fouls and took a Toronto Raptors in Game 3 of a first-round broadly, the team is a very deep team," Edens 15-point deficit to take a 2-0 lead after game combined 71 free throws. Atlanta was 33 of series tied at 1-1. added. two of their Western Conference series. 38 and Washington finished 24 of 33. "In a very real sense, we're in the process of Westbrook delivered a triple-double of Washington's easily controlled fulfilling the commitment we made ... build- 'OWN THE FUTURE' 51 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds but the head-to-head matchup as Dwight ing the arena and building in downtown After the new ownership group took over, couldn't get the ball to drop when it count- Howard's struggles in the playoffs continued. Milwaukee," co-owner Wes Edens said. "Every the Bucks began using the slogan "Own the ed. He shot a dismal four of 18 in the fourth Hawks center Howard had just six points and time you go out there, you can see the arena Future." They've tweaked that slogan on a quarter. His scoring total was the highest for seven rebounds. — AFP rising before your eyes." Edens was part of an highway billboard in recent days to read ownership group that bought the franchise "Come See the Future," a nod to the playoffs from former US Sen. Herb Kohl in 2014. The and the arena project. "We have a two- to goals seemed lofty back then: turning a 15- four-year plan to be an extremely successful, win team back into a winner while also build- sustainable NBA franchise," team President ing a new arena that would keep the Bucks in Peter Feigin said. "You tell the promise and town. While the road to reaching both targets then you deliver on it." The $524 million proj- hasn't always been smooth, the Bucks are ect is expected to be completed before the brimming with optimism. 2018-19 season. A public financing plan cov- On the court, Antetokounmpo blossomed ered $250 million toward construction, with into the team's first All-Star since 2004, and current and former team owners having com- first All-Star starter since 1986. He's now in the mitted $250 million and expected to cover top 10 of NBA jersey sales, the first Bucks play- any cost overruns. er on that list since Gary Payton's brief tenure The Bucks are scheduled to move into a with the team in 2003. A 6-foot-11 forward new 60,000 square-foot practice facility across with freakish athleticism, Antetokounmpo is a the street from the new arena this summer, triple-double threat every night. "His length is what the team says will be a state-of-the-art unbelievable," Raptors coach space that will be among the best in the said. "He plays so hard, the kid plays so hard. league. It promises to be a big upgrade over He has a heart as big as this table." the current facility just outside Milwaukee. A first-round draft pick in 2013, the 22- The new downtown project would be the year-old Antetokounmpo is part of a young centerpiece of a multi-purpose entertainment group for the Bucks at similar points in their district on what was 30 acres of mostly vacant development, including fifth-year forward- land or parking lots. The goal is to turn the guard and third-year forward area into "a vibrant neighborhood activated Jabari Parker. Middleton returned from a by sports, entertainment, residential and hamstring injury that sidelined him for the office uses," the team has said. A playoff berth season's first 50 games on Feb. 8, the same for the Bucks allows the rest of the NBA to night that Parker was lost with a season-end- also get a glimpse of the team's future. "It ing left knee injury. means a lot for the franchise and the city of OAKLAND: Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (30) scores against the Portland Trail The Bucks still made the playoffs and fin- Milwaukee," Middleton said. "We've come a Blazers during the first half in Game 2 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series. — AP ished above .500 for the first time since 2009- long way." — AP