The Miami Heat have reclaimed control of the NBA Eastern Conference finals after beating the Boston Celtics 109-103 in Game 3 despite losing star Jimmy Butler midway during the game.
Butler did not play in the second half due to an inflamed knee, although it does not appear he will miss further time due to this injury.
And over in the Western Conference finals between the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks, Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins is dealing with an ankle injury but should be ready to play in Game 3.
Read on below as SBOTOP lists down the latest news on the two thrilling NBA conference finals series.
Heat hold on to beat Celtics, lead series 2-1
The top-seeded Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics 109-103 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference finals series.
After getting blown out in Game 2, the Heat came out on fire in Game 3 as they built up a 39-18 lead at the end of the first quarter and were up by 15 points at half-time.
But the Heat lost All-Star Jimmy Butler in the second half with a knee injury, which allowed the Celtics to mount a comeback. Boston went on a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter to cut the lead down to one point with under three minutes left.
However, Bam Adebayo and the Heat held on to reclaim home-court advantage in the series. Adebayo starred with a team-high 31 points, with 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals. PJ Tucker, who was questionable to play with a bruised knee, finished with 17 points, while Kyle Lowry, who was returning from a hamstring issue, added 11 points and 6 assists in 29 minutes.
Jaylen Brown led the way for the Celtics with 40 points on 14-of-20 shooting. But superstar Jayson Tatum struggled with just 10 points (3-14 FG) and 6 turnovers in 41 minutes.
Jimmy Butler not expected to miss time with knee issue
Despite missing the second half due to knee inflammation, NBA 2022 updates after the game suggest Butler is not expected to miss any further time in the series and does not even need to undergo an MRI.
Butler had previously missed Game 5 of their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks due to the same issue, but he has not appeared to suffer any lingering effects of that injury.
Butler had been averaging 29.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in the eight games since missing that game while scoring over 40 points twice. That includes his terrific 41-point performance in Miami’s Game 1 win over Boston.
Meanwhile, the Celtics were without starting centre Robert Williams due to knee soreness. Williams is just a couple of months removed from undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Although he made his return midway through the Celtics’ first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets, he missed majority of their series against the Milwaukee Bucks due to a bone bruise in that same knee. It remains to be seen whether Williams will be able to return for Game 4 of this series.
Warriors’ Wiggins questionable but expected to play in Game 3
Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins is expected to play in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks despite being listed as questionable due to left ankle soreness.
“I expect him to play,” coach Steve Kerr said Saturday evening. “It’s just standard procedure when somebody gets an injury, you have to report it. Technically he’s questionable, but we expect him to play.”
Wiggins has made an impressive start to the Western Conference finals against the Mavs. He’s averaging 17.5 points 5 rebounds and 4 assists through two games while playing fine defence against Dallas’ superstar, Luka Doncic.
Although Wiggins’ availability won’t dramatically alter the NBA 2022 betting odds for Game 3, his presence still gives the Warriors a much better chance of claiming a commanding 3-0 lead in Dallas.
Jason Kidd wants better shot selection from Mavs
Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd was critical of his team’s shot selection in their 126-117 loss to the Golden State Warriors in Game 3.
Despite hitting 21 3-pointers, Kidd points to their third quarter, where they went 2-of-13 on 3s, as a major factor in how they eventually blew a 19-point lead.
“When you go 2-for-13 and you rely on the 3, you can die by the 3,” Kidd said. “And we died in the third quarter by shooting that many 3s and coming up with only two.”
The Mavs, led by hot shooting from guards Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson, went 15-of-27 on 3-pointers in the first half as they built up a 14-point lead by half-time.
But they cooled off in the third quarter, which allowed Stephen Curry and the Warriors to start their impressive comeback.
Kidd is hoping his team will learn from this tough loss by being smarter with their shot selection when the 3-pointers stop falling.
“If you make [3s], that’s great, but you just have to understand, if you miss four in a row, you can’t take the fifth,” Kidd said. “You’ve got to make it. That just puts too much stress on yourself and on your team because, if you’re not getting stops on the other end, it turns into a blowout.”
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