The second round of the NBA playoffs is already underway as eight teams are left to battle for the Larry O’Brien trophy.
In the Western Conference, the Clippers and the Rockets drew first blood against their counterparts in the Nuggets and the top-seeded Lakers.
In the Eastern Conference, the Heat and the Celtics have built series leads over the Bucks and the Raptors.
Elsewhere, the Nets are in the midst of a revamp after making one of the biggest NBA 2020 news few days ago.
Here are some of the updates around the Association and SBOTOP has you covered with our latest recap.
Raptors win at the buzzer, Clippers dominate Nuggets
The Raptors were in need of a miracle after they were outplayed by the Celtics in the first two games, and it came from an unexpected source during Game 3.
OG Anunoby hit the game-winning triple with 0.5 seconds left as Toronto came away with a much-needed win.
The defending champions were on the brink of a 0-3 deficit when Kemba Walker hooked up with Daniel Theis for a deuce to break the tie in the possession prior.
Tacko Fall was sent to face guard Kyle Lowry during the ensuing inbound, but the diminutive floor general looped the pass over to a wide open OG Anunoby for the winning trey.
With the series at 2-1, the Raptors can breathe a sigh of relief for now as they have a chance to turn things around.
Kyle Lowry top-scored for the Raptors with 31 while Fred VanVleet added 25.
Kemba Walker scored 29 for the Celtics, and they will look to take a 3-1 lead come tomorrow.
On the other hand, the Clippers stamped their class by rolling over the Nuggets in the first game of their series.
Kawhi Leonard tallied 29 points while Paul George and Marcus Morris added 19 and 18 apiece for Los Angeles.
Los Angeles took charge of the second period to where they’ve outscored Denver 38-20.
They built an 18-point advantage to end the first half and they held the Nuggets to only 25-per cent shooting from the field.
The Clippers showed no mercy even in the second half by holding the Nuggets to only 16 points in the third quarter. Los Angeles’ lead ballooned up to 29 points at one point.
Jamal Murray, who came into this series averaging 31.6 points per game, was held to only 12 points on a bad shooting night.
Heat send Bucks on the brink, Rockets show no signs of fatigue
The Bucks are in deep trouble after their latest letdown as they have found themselves in a big hole.
No NBA team has yet to come back from a 0-3 deficit, so the NBA 2020 odds are now backing the Heat to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Jimmy Butler continues to be the best player of the series. The 3-and-D star led the Heat in Game 3 by scoring 30 points.
17 of those came in the final period as the Heat played catch up all night. Miami outscored Milwaukee 40-13 in the said stretch.
Bam Adebayo and Jae Crowder did their job in supporting Butler by adding 20 and 17 points respectively.
As for the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo almost had a triple-double with 21 points, 16 rebounds, and nine assists, but he failed to show up when it mattered most.
It didn’t help either when he twisted his ankle in the first quarter, and it was evident when he walked gingerly in several possessions down the stretch.
With the loss, the Bucks are now 0-7 in playoff games against the Heat.
Meanwhile, the Rockets continued their fine form fresh off of a resounding Game 7 win over the Thunder last Friday.
Houston executed their small-ball to perfection as they outpaced the rusty Lakers with a blowout victory.
The Rockets may play small, but their toughness reigned supreme in this one.
Through their stingy defence, the Rockets forced 17 turnovers that led to 27 points and they outscored them 16-3 to blow the game wide open in the fourth quarter.
James Harden topped all scorers with 36 points while Russell Westbrook and Eric Gordon added 24 and 23 each.
Anthony Davis had 25 points and 14 rebounds while LeBron James notched 20 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in the losing effort.
Steve Nash says hello to Brooklyn
After being shown the door in the first round, the Brooklyn Nets wasted no time in retooling.
Brooklyn signed Steve Nash to be their head coach with a four-year deal while keeping Jacque Vaughn as his lead deputy.
This comes as a surprise to everyone especially when the Nets were linked to long-time Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
Apparently, owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks have been aggressive in recruiting Nash and they kept it secret all along.
Steve Nash is coming in with no prior head coaching experience, but he has worked within a coaching staff already.
He once worked as a consultant for the Golden State Warriors, having mentored the likes of Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry.
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