NBA Playoff Top Moments: 76ers vs. Hawks, Suns vs. Nuggets
A pair of pivotal Game 3's highlight Friday night's NBA playoff schedule.
In the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks returned to their home floor, where Trae Young hoped to lead his team to a 2-1 series lead over Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Things didn't go according to plan for the Hawks, though, as the Sixers came away victorious, 127-111 in Game 3, led by Embiid's 27 points.
Then in the Western Conference, the Phoenix Suns ruined Nikola Jokic's MVP party, winning 116-102 to move one win from the Western finals and push the Denver Nuggets into a 3-0 hole.
No team has ever come back from down 3-0 in the NBA playoffs.
Here are the top moments from Friday night's NBA action:
Phoenix Suns 116, Denver Nuggets 102 (Suns lead series 3-0)
Before Game 3 got underway, Jokic was awarded his MVP trophy in front of the Denver crowd.
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The mood in Denver quickly shifted from joyous to nervous when the game began, thanks to Devin Booker's hot start from the field.
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It was more of the same early on in the second quarter from Booker, as he once again dipped into his deep bag of skills on the offensive end.
But, as expected, Jokic and the Nuggets fought back in the second quarter with the MVP recording 15 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists in the first half to pull the Nuggets out of an 11-point hole.
They trailed 59-55 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Suns were able to extend their lead into double digits thanks to a scoring burst from Chris Paul.
Paul poured in 10 points in the third and the Suns entered the fourth quarter ahead 90-76.
Jokic tried to help the Nuggets make a run in the fourth quarter, but Denver had a hard time slowing down Booker on the other end.
And then Jokic got T'd up, with a little encouragement from Paul.
In the end, the Nuggets were pushed one step closer to an early vacation.
Philadelphia 76ers 127, Atlanta Hawks 111 (76ers lead series 2-1)
Trae Young is known for his microwave scoring ability and elite playmaking, and early in the first quarter, those playmaking skills were on display with an accurate skip pass to Bogdan Bogdanovic for a 3-pointer.
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But the star of the first quarter was Sixers reserve guard Furkan Korkmaz, who scored 11 points off of the bench to lead all scorers at the end of the first quarter.
His hot start helped the Sixers build a 28-20 lead at the end of the first quarter.
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In the second quarter, Young was once again displaying his otherworldly passing ability, this time on a lob to a John Collins that led to a highlight dunk.
Young starred in the first half with 16 points and four assists to cut the Sixers' lead down to five points at halftime.
The Sixers led 61-56 at the half, led by Tobias Harris' 12 points.
The third quarter was all Ben Simmons, which spelled good news for the Sixers and bad news for the Hawks.
Simmons was everywhere, whether it was scoring or creating for others, scoring 11 points or creating awe-inspiring plays with his passing.
And by the end of the third quarter, the Sixers had a 95-75 lead.
That lead would not be threatened in the fourth quarter, with the Sixers holding on for a 127-11 win.
As a team, the Sixers shot 57.7% from the field and 47.6% from 3-point range.
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