Sagar Trika: Woj: Six months ago, DeMarcus Cousins was a max contract candidate and now New Orleans is looking to bring him back on a short-term deal to evaluate post-Achilles injury performance.
Sagar Trika: Woj: Six months ago, DeMarcus Cousins was …
May 20, 2022 | 6:35 am EDT Update
PJ Tucker to undergo MRI
Chris Haynes: Miami Heat forward PJ Tucker will undergo an MRI on his left knee tomorrow morning, league sources tell @YahooSports.
Celtics crush Heat in Game 2 to even Eastern Finals
Boston absolutely scorched Miami over the final 17 minutes of the first half, going on a 57-27 run while Williams never left the floor en route to a 127-102 victory in front of a shell-shocked, sellout crowd at FTX Arena. The win evened the series at a game apiece. “He just [has come] a long way from his first year,” Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, who led the Celtics with 27 points, said of Williams. “He’s worked on his game, and he’s developed into somebody that we believe and trust in to catch it at half court. “He sees an opening, takes it to the hole, makes the right play. That’s what he did.”
They scrambled to Miami’s shooters, forcing them to go 2-for-8 over the final few minutes of the first and 3-for-15 over the final 20 minutes of the first half.By the time the damage was done, Boston led 70-45 at halftime and the final 24 minutes were nothing more than an elementary exercise needed to ensure this series headed back to Boston tied up. “Spaced the floor well,” Udoka said of why those lineups were so effective. “We got to attack some matchups that we wanted to and space out Adebayo and [P.J.] Tucker and some of those guys. Obviously with Rob in there, he has his things that he does well but he has some limitations as well as far as spacing the court.
Nick Friedell: Jimmy: “They tried to embarrass us. They did embarrass us … overall, we just have to be better.”
Brady Hawk: Jimmy Butler: “I’ll watch the film and, I promise you, I will figure it out.”
And while Butler had another strong game, finishing with 29 points on 11-for-18 shooting, he took just eight free throws compared to 18 in Game 1. “Jimmy is a warrior, man,” Smart said. “Jimmy has been doing this for a long time. He understands the game. He understands his strengths. He understands his team’s strengths. So when you have a guy who has an IQ like Jimmy, it’s always going to be a tough matchup. “For me my assignment was just to make everything tough for him. We knew he was going to hit some shots. If he did, he had to work for them. That’s just where I came in.”
Taylor Snow: Marcus Smart is just the 6th player in NBA playoff history to log at least 24 points, 12 assists, 9 rebounds, and 3 steals in a game. The others: Larry Bird LeBron James Rod Strickland Isiah Thomas Russell Westbrook
