MIAMI (AFP) – The Denver Nuggets bounced back with a vengeance on Saturday, powering to a 110-101 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers to even their NBA playoff series 1-1.
It was all-square between the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics, too, after the Raptors notched a second straight win, 100-93, to knot their Eastern Conference semifinal series 2-2 in Orlando.
The Nuggets, routed 120-97 in Game 1 of the Western Conference series Thursday, turned the tables with a blistering first half in which they led by as many as 23 points.
”Game 1, we were tired. I hate to admit it, but we were tired,” said guard Jamal Murray, who led Denver with 27 points.
”We came out sloppy, came out exhausted, fatigued. We didn’t make any shots, we didn’t get back on defense,” Murray added. ”Tonight we just upped the energy and that’s all it took to win.”
Nikola Jokic added 26 points and 18 rebounds for Denver, who had rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Utah Jazz in seven games in the first round.
The NBA champion Raptors, who won Game 3 against the Celtics Thursday on OG Anunoby’s buzzer-beating three-pointer, clamped down defensively to win again, holding the Celtics to 20 percent shooting from three-point range while draining 17 three-pointers themselves.
Pascal Siakam shook off a slow start to score 23 points as the NBA champion Toronto Raptors leveled the series.
Kyle Lowry scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds with seven assists for the Raptors, who won their second straight game and will try to gain the upper hand in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series for the first time in Game 5 on Monday.
