LeBron James, Lakers beat Grizzlies, take 2-1 series lead

Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds, LeBron James finished with 25 points after Dillon Brooks was ejected for striking him in the groin, and the Los Angeles Lakers survived Ja Morant's 24-point fourth quarter to beat the visiting Memphis Grizzlies 111-101 Saturday night for a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series.

Rui Hachimura scored 16 points in another strong effort off the bench for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who came out impressively in their first home playoff game with a capacity crowd in 10 years. Los Angeles tied an NBA record by taking a 26-point lead into the second quarter, and Memphis couldn't get closer than 13 points until the final two minutes.

Game 4 is Monday night in Los Angeles.

Brooks was ejected 17 seconds into the second half after the Memphis agitator struck James in the groin while guarding him near midcourt. While the top scorer in NBA history rolled on the court in pain, officials tossed Brooks after a brief video review.

This rivalry stayed chippy in the third quarter, with Lakers forward Hachimura getting a technical foul for a furious reaction to a foul.

Aside from the physical play, the Lakers were in control of Game 3 until the Grizzlies made it mildly interesting late, never getting closer than nine points.

Morant wore a black brace and padding on his hand and appeared tentative with it at times, but Memphis' leading scorer started slowly before rounding into his usual unguardable form in the fourth quarter.

Desmond Bane scored 18 points for the Grizzlies.

Los Angeles rushed away to a double-digit lead and went up 35-9 after one quarter while the Grizzlies flailed offensively, going 3 for 25 with six turnovers. Brooks was particularly bad, missing 10 of his first 12 shots and making little impact on defence.

The Lakers led by 29 in the second quarter before Memphis finally shook off its road jitters and made a 10-0 run to close the first half, trimming its deficit to 16.

76ers complete sweep of Nets

Tobias Harris had 25 points and 12 rebounds, and the visiting Philadelphia 76ers overcame the absence of Joel Embiid to beat the Brooklyn Nets 96-88 on Saturday, completing a sweep that made them the first team to reach the second round of the playoffs.

It's the 76ers' first series sweep since 1991.

The 76ers hope Embiid will be recover from his sprained right knee in time for the start of the next series; the MVP finalist and two-time NBA scoring champion was ruled out Friday night and the 76ers struggled to score without him.

So they turned to their defence, and ended up outscoring the Nets 21-4 during a stretch of more than eight minutes in the third quarter.

Tyrese Maxey finished a strong series with 16 points and Paul Reed added 10 points and 15 rebounds after replacing Embiid in the starting lineup.

Spencer Dinwiddie scored 20 points and Nic Claxton had 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Nets, who were swept for the second straight year and have lost 10 straight post-season games. They went 0-8 this season against the 76ers.

Dorian Finney-Smith's three-pointer two minutes into the third quarter made it 53-42, matching the Nets' largest lead of the game. But Harden and P.J. Tucker hit consecutive threes to get the Sixers started on what became a 14-0 run that made it 56-53 on Reed's basket.

Maxey's three-pointer extended it to 63-57 with 1:49 remaining in the period, capping the Nets' lengthy drought that would have seemed unimaginable when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were in Brooklyn.

They were both dealt at midseason, and this team went down just as quickly as the one they led last season, when Brooklyn was also the first team eliminated after getting swept by Boston.

Embiid averaged only 20 points in the series, 13 below his NBA-leading average of 33.1, as the Nets heavily double-teamed him.

But those double-teams were leaving open looks for their guards that weren't available Saturday, and the Sixers were just 2 for 11 from three-point range in the first half as the Nets led 48-40.

But the 76ers limited them to 40 points in the second half and eventually pulled away to a 14-point lead as the cheers of the Sixers fans in the building grew louder.

Heat grab series lead with Antetokounmpo out for Bucks

Jimmy Butler scored 30 points before leaving with back soreness following a hard fall, and the eighth-seeded Miami Heat beat the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks 121-99 on Saturday night for a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

Duncan Robinson scored 20 points on his 29th birthday for Miami, while Kyle Lowry scored 15 for the Heat.

Game 4 is in Miami on Monday night.

With the win, the Heat are halfway to what would be a stunner — a No. 8 seed over a No. 1 seed, something that's happened only five times since the NBA went to the 16-team playoff format in 1984.

Those who pulled it off: Denver over Seattle 3-2 in 1994, New York over Miami 3-2 in 1999, Golden State over Dallas 4-2 in 2007, Memphis over San Antonio 4-2 in 2011 and Philadelphia over Chicago 4-2 in 2012.

Butler got hurt midway through the third quarter after trying a shot near the rim and landing on his back. He stayed in the game briefly, departed for a short stint in the locker room and returned with a large wrap on his back — with the Heat saying he would return.

Still, it was a sombre ending for Miami, first with Butler getting banged up and then with Victor Oladipo — who has spent years dealing with injury issues — leaving late in the fourth quarter after apparently hurting his left knee. Oladipo was expected to play a bigger role for Miami in the postseason after the injury to Tyler Herro.

The first half couldn't have gone better for Miami. Butler had 17 points in the opening quarter, the Heat had a 19-0 run at one point, they set a franchise record by making 12 3's in a half — and it was still only 66-53 at the break.

The reason, again: Milwaukee was getting 3's, again. The Bucks made 25 of them in their easy Game 1 win and were 10 for 18 from deep in the first half Saturday.

But the Bucks cooled after halftime, shooting only 5 for 21 from 3-point range, and the outcome was never in doubt.

Suns take stranglehold in series with Clippers

Kevin Durant scored 31 points, Devin Booker added 30 and the Phoenix Suns defeated the Los Angeles Clippers without Kawhi Leonard 112-100 on Saturday to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the first-round playoff series.

Russell Westbrook carried the Clippers in the fourth quarter. He had 14 points, including nine in a row when they twice pulled within two points.

Westbrook finished with a game-high 37 points. Norman Powell added 14 points and Terance Mann had 13 off the bench.

Game 5 is Tuesday in Phoenix.

As the fourth wound down, the Clippers ran out of gas.

Chris Paul, the 37-year-old former Clipper, had 12 points in the fourth, hitting big jumpers from all over the court each time Los Angeles threatened.

Paul finished with 19 points and nine assists. Booker had nine rebounds and seven assists. Deandre Ayton had 15 points and 13 rebounds.

The Clippers scored nine straight points to open the third and take an eight-point lead. But Durant scored 11 points in the period, capped by a 3-pointer that sent the Suns into the fourth leading 83-78.

The Suns trailed by 11 points early in the second, when they outscored the Clippers 25-17 and led 48-47 at the break.

Durant picked up his third foul in the period, while Westbrook, Powell and Marcus Morris already had two fouls apiece for the Clippers.