NBA playoffs on Apr. 18: 76ers, Warriors get serious

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Thursday saw the NBA playoffs move locations for Game 3. The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Denver Nuggets 118-108 at the AT&T Center. The visiting Philadelphia 76ers conquered Barclays Center by taking the Brooklyn Nets 131-115. The Golden State Warriors smashed the Los Angeles Clippers 132-105 at Staples Center.

Spurs vs. Nuggets: Derrick White has best game of his career

Derrick White #4 of the San Antonio Spurs takes a post-game interview after they win against the Denver Nuggets 118-108 at the AT & T Center, April 18, 2019. /VCG Photo

San Antonio's Derrick White scored a career-high 36 points by making 15 of 21 shots in the game while DeMar DeRozan had 25. LaMarcus Aldridge registered a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Both Bryn Forbes and Jakob Poeltl dropped 10 points. Rudy Gay contributed 11 points and 10 rebounds from the bench.

Denver had six players put down double-digit points. Nikola Jokic and Malik Beasley had 22 and 20 points respectively. Paul Milsap, Gary Harris, Torrey Craig and Monte Morris each got 14, 12, 12 and 10 points.

DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Spurs handles the ball in the game against the Nuggets, April 18, 2019. /VCG Photo

Thursday night belonged to White and DeRozan. White sunk 11 of his 15 shots in the first half to get 26 points, helping the Spurs secured their hold in the game, especially in the second quarter when the Nuggets launched a 16-0 run. Thanks to White's string of penetrations, dunks, open shots and free throws, San Antonio responded with a 21-8 run.

DeRozan was the hero of the second half, or specifically, the third quarter where he made seven straight field goals to drop 19 points. Though Denver managed to keep it a close game in the third quarter, that was their last resistance. In the last quarter, Denver's defense fell apart and watched San Antonio launch a 18-4 run to claim the victory, leading 2-1 in the series.

76ers vs. Nets: Simmons dominates game

Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers dunks in the game they win against the Brooklyn Nets 131-115 at the Barclays Center, April 18, 2019. /VCG Photo

Philadelphia's starting squad dominated the game. Ben Simmons put down 31 points and nine assists. Tobias Harris got 29 points and 16 rebounds while J.J. Reddick buried five 3-pointers to score 26 points. Jimmy Butler had 16 points and Boban Marjanovic contributed 14 points from the bench.

By contrast, Brooklyn only had two from the starting-lineup score double-digit points – D'Angelo Russell and Jarrett Allen had respectively 26 and 15 points. Caris LeVert put down 26 points from the bench while Spencer Dinwiddie and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson each contributed 15 and 14 points.

Tobias Harris #33 of the 76ers shoots a three-pointer in the game against the Nets, April 18, 2019. /VCG Photo

Joel Embiid sat on this game because of his knee problem, leaving a big loophole in the 76ers' paint. The Nets took full advantage of this and kept attacking the opponent's rim, especially when Greg Monroe was on the court. Philadelphia was on fire from the 3-pt line, especially Harris who sank three consecutive 3-pointers in the second quarter. The two sides had a close game in the first half, as 76ers led 65-59.

Simmons was given more time at center, which was possible thanks to his 2.08-meter-height and 104-kilogram-weight. This became Philadelphia's winning move in the second half. Simmons' combination of big size and outstanding athleticism made him unstoppable when he posted up in the low block or drove towards the rim after setting a screen for a teammate. Meanwhile, as Brooklyn chose to close in around the paint to defend him, Simmons got enough run-up space before rattling Brooklyn's basket.

Though he did not shoot any 3-pointers or even take any perimeter shots, Simmons made 11 of his 13 shots and earned 11 free throws to claim the highest 31 points on the court.

Warriors vs. Clippers: this time GSW had a different story

Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors and Patrick Beverley #21 of the Los Angeles Clippers stand together in the game at the Staples Center, April 18, 2019. /VCG Photo

When Andre Iguodala dunked to add another two points to GSW's lead with seven minutes to go in the third quarter, it might have felt like déjà vu – Golden State leading by 31 points, Steph Curry was on the bench with four fouls, would this be another epic comeback by the Clippers?

The Warriors' answer was two 3-pointers in a row by Kevin Durant and Iguodala to extend the lead to 33 points (99-66). Though the Clippers sent Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell who scored a few points, unlike Game 2, their efforts did not stop GSW from leading by 36 points in the last quarter and winning the game in the end.

Stephen Curry #30 of the Warriors penetrates in the game against the Clippers, April 18, 2019. /VCG Photo

So what happened? You can find the answer with Durant. Instead of shooting only eight times and spending the whole night slap-fighting Patrick Beverley, Durant turned on his game mode from the beginning by getting rid of defense via screen before shooting to score. With his 2.11-meter height and 2.25-meter-long wingspan, Beverley or anybody could even barely obstruct his view when he pulled up.

That's why it only took him 29 minutes and 23 shots to get 38 points in three quarters.

Curry made significant contributions to Warriors' win too. Though he only played 20 minutes because of foul trouble, Curry made seven of his 11 shots, including four 3-pointers to claim 21 points. Like his nickname, Curry may have "babyface", but he's still an "assassin."