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Warriors blaze playoff trail1:37
NBA: Golden State have defeated Portland in game one of their playoff series.
- April 17th 2017
- a day ago
- /video/video.news.com.au/News/
Isaiah Thomas played one day after his sister died.
CHICAGO took a one-nil lead in its playoff series against the Boston Celtics when a late burst spurred it to a 106-102 win.
Jimmy Butler racked up 30 points to go with nine rebounds for the Bulls.
However, the biggest talking point of the match involved Isaiah Thomas, who played despite his 22-year-old sister Chyna dying tragically in a car crash the day before.
Remarkably, he scored 33 points — more than anyone else in the game.
Man, tough L for #Celtics.
— Emerson Lotzia, Jr. (@EmersonLotzia) April 17, 2017
But so much respect for Isaiah Thomas. The strength it took for him to play this game is unthinkable.
Incredible performance by Isaiah Thomas though. Can't even fathom how he did what he did today.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 17, 2017
The look in Isaiah Thomas's eyes is beyond sad. Amazing how the mind and body can be in two different places at once!
— David Nail (@davidnail) April 17, 2017
There was a moment of silence for Thomas’ sister before the game and during the warm-ups he was seen crying on the bench while being consoled by teammate Avery Bradley in a gut-wrenching scene.
Isaiah Thomas during pregame warmups just one day after his sister's tragic death 😢 pic.twitter.com/ujPgmvYVG4
— NO CHILL SPORTS (@NoChiIlSports) April 16, 2017
Isaiah Thomas was crying as they held a moment of silence for his sister, Chyna. So heartbreaking.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) April 16, 2017
TNT just showed #Celtics Isaiah Thomas crying on the bench. So heartbreaking and tough to watch. How is he going to play?
— Jill Martin (@ByJillMartin) April 16, 2017
NBA legend Charles Barkley said the sight made him “uncomfortable”.
“I’m not sure what to say — I’m not feeling comfortable with him sitting on the sideline crying __like that,” Barkley said on the pre-game show. “That makes me uncomfortable. So that tells me he’s not in shape to play. I mean, I don’t know how this night is going to turn out, but to be sitting on the sideline a few minutes before the game, crying, that just makes me uncomfortable for him.
“That’s just not a good look, in my personal opinion. I mean, he is clearly devastated, __like we all would be if we lost a sibling, but sitting on the sideline right before the game, that makes me uncomfortable.”
"Basketball is our sanctuary... It is our safe place." @SHAQ & Charles on the passing of Isaiah Thomas' sister. pic.twitter.com/NhJvqmPf9m
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 16, 2017
Barkley has always been outspoken and has courted the headlines more than once during his time both as a player and an analyst. His strong views have helped him become successful in carving out a TV career for himself.
However, while some thought Barkley was just being honest and may have got his words tangled up discussing the delicate matter, many in the American sports media couldn’t believe his commentary.
This might be all time low Charles Barkley commentary...unbelievable. https://t.co/02ul8p80j5
— Nick Filipowski (@NICK_WKBW) April 17, 2017
And he's finally done it. Charles Barkley has gone too far...
— Greg Esposito 🤔 (@Espo) April 16, 2017
The only "bad look" is the one you just gave yourself. https://t.co/Koxe6yxgt7
Isaiah Thomas crying makes Barkley feel uncomfortable, so he shouldn't play. Might be the dumbest thin I ever heard a commentator say.
— Kelly Scaletta (@KellyScaletta) April 16, 2017
Charles Barkley has been sliding into embarrassment territory for a while https://t.co/PJrEn9Womc
— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) April 17, 2017
Genuinely shocked that Barkley said this. I find he usually has a good sense of sensitivity. Truly tone-deaf in Thomas' case #Celtics https://t.co/MUY4u1WB1o
— Lucas Meyer (@meyer_lucas) April 17, 2017
GREEN STARS IN BLOCK PARTY
The Golden State Warriors clamped down in the fourth quarter to pull away to a 121-109 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday in game one of their NBA playoff series.
Golden State, aiming to get back to the NBA finals for a third straight year and regain the crown they surrendered last season to the Cleveland Cavaliers, had 32 points from Kevin Durant in his first playoff game as a Warrior. Stephen Curry added 29.
But the player of the game was Draymond Green. The big man was everywhere, finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists, five blocked shots and three steals for the Warriors.
Two of those blocks were highlight reel efforts — and had Twitter blowing up.
Not on Draymond's watch. pic.twitter.com/igO0vp3Lse
— ESPN (@espn) April 16, 2017
Draymond is EVERYWHERE. pic.twitter.com/5WWvYvGVeD
— ESPN (@espn) April 16, 2017
Draymond was hooooopington!!!
— Brandon Jennings (@brandonjennings) April 16, 2017
Draymond Green is just absurd. It’s just insane how good he is. He just disrupts everything. He throws wrenches into every sequence.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) April 16, 2017
Draymond Green is playing fantastic defense. He has single-handedly given the Warriors control of this game.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) April 16, 2017
Please keep trying to dunk on Draymond. This is tremendous viewing.
— Zach Harper (@talkhoops) April 16, 2017
You flatly cannot play defense better than Draymond has played it in the 2nd half today. My word.
— nick wright (@getnickwright) April 16, 2017
Draymond proved why he is #DPOY. Really insane game right there.
— Chris Manning 2K17 (@LD2K) April 16, 2017
Golden State withstood 75 combined points from the Trail Blazers duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum to triumph in a game that saw 22 lead changes.
They were tied at halftime and knotted at 88-88 after three quarters. But the Warriors opened the fourth frame with a 15-2 scoring run to seize control.
Backup point guard Ian Clark contributed seven points in the flurry, but it was increased defensive pressure that really turned the tide.
“We let them get to their spots in the first half,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “They still made some tough shots, which they’re going to do. I thought we did a better job in the second half of being a little more physical.”
The Trail Blazers pulled within 105-99 with 5:16 to play. But Green tipped in a Curry miss and Durant produced three straight baskets to stretch Golden State’s lead to 113-99 with 3:36 remaining.
Durant, acquired as a free agent after the Warriors’ loss to the Cavs in last year’s finals, connected on 12 of his 20 shots and also pulled down 10 rebounds.
Game two of the series, a rematch of a Western Conference semi-final last season, is on Wednesday.
It’s not clear if the Blazers could have centre Jusuf Nurkic back by then from a broken leg that saw him miss the last seven games of the regular season as well as Sunday’s game.
“Hopefully he’ll be back at some point during the series,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said.
HOUSTON DOMINATES THUNDER
Patrick Beverley carried the load until James Harden rebounded from a poor shooting start, and Houston claimed Game One of its Western Conference first-round series in a 118-87 romp over Oklahoma City Thunder.
Beverley scored a playoff career-high 21 points and added 10 rebounds, steering the ship until Harden got untracked. Harden missed all six of his three-point attempts in the first half but finished with 37 points, nine assists and seven boards.
Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, a co-favourite with Harden for league MVP honours, tallied 22 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and nine turnovers. He missed 17 of 23 shot attempts and was largely rendered ineffective in the second half, scoring seven points as Houston extended its five-point half-time lead to break away late in the game.
WALL LEADS WIZARDS
John Wall had his own version of Michael Jordan’s shrug game.Source:AFP
Sunday’s Eastern Conference action got underway in Washington, where John Wall scored 15 of his 32 points in a dominant third quarter to lead the Wizards to a 114-107 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in their series opener.
Wall also handed out 14 assists while teammate Bradley Beal scored 22 points and Markieff Morris added 21.
German guard Dennis Schroder led the Hawks with 25 points and Paul Millsap had 19. Atlanta made 32 of 39 free throws, but connected on just 43.6 per cent of their shots from the floor and turned the ball over 21 times.
In a back and forth battle, the Hawks led 48-45 at halftime. But the Wizards, seeded fourth in the East after missing the playoffs last year, outscored Atlanta 38-28 in the third and led by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter.
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