Jamal Murray scored 24 points and the top-seeded Denver Nuggets routed the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-80 in the opener of their playoff series Sunday night. This marked Murray’s first playoff game since the 2020 NBA bubble. He missed the last two postseasons after tearing his left ACL in 2021. Nikola Jokic added 13 points and 14 rebounds and Michael Porter scored 18 for Denver. Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 18 points.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jimmy Butler scored 35 points and the Miami Heat capitalized on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s early exit to beat the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks 130-117 in an Eastern Conference playoff opener featuring two notable injuries. The top-seeded Bucks lost Antetokounmpo to a lower back bruise early in the second quarter. Miami’s Tyler Herro broke his right hand later in the period. No. 8 seed Miami had built a 68-55 halftime advantage before Herro’s departure and stayed ahead by shooting 59.5% from the floor. The Heat were 15 of 25 and the Bucks 11 of 45 from 3-point range.
Rui Hachimura had a career-best playoff scoring performance with 29 points, including 21 in the second half, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Memphis Grizzlies 128-112 in the opening game of their Western Conference playoff series. LeBron James had 21 points and 11 rebounds and Anthony Davis had 22 points and 12 rebounds. Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 31 points, while Desmond Bane scored 22. Ja Morant had 18 points before leaving in the fourth quarter with an injured right hand. Los Angeles wrested home-court advantage from the Grizzlies, who had the NBA’s best home record at 35-6. Game 2 is Wednesday.
PHOENIX (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 38 points, including a pair of late 3-pointers, and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Phoenix Suns 115-110 in the opener of their Western Conference playoff series. Eric Gordon added 19 points and hit a late 3 that kept the Clippers ahead. Russell Westbrook shot just 3 of 19 from the floor for Los Angeles but made a pair of free throws with 17.7 seconds left for a three-point lead, then blocked Devin Booker’s layup attempt at the other end. Kevin Durant scored 27 points for the Suns, who lost for the first time with him on the floor.