NBA playoffs: Cavaliers blow out Heat to take 3-0 series lead
The NBA playoffs continue on Saturday with four first-round matchups, three in the Western Conference. In the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers can take a dominating 3-0 series lead over the Miami Heat.
In Saturday’s two Game 4s, the Oklahoma City Thunder can close out a sweep over the Memphis Grizzlies with a win, while the Los Angeles Clippers could take a decisive 3-1 series lead over the Denver Nuggets.
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The day’s playoff slate closes out with the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets looking to take a 2-1 series lead in their matchup.
Check out Yahoo Sports’ predictions for each first-round series, in addition to Kevin O’Connor’s ranking of the top 40 players in the NBA postseason.
Here are the results and key takeaways from Saturday’s games:
The Heat needed a win on Saturday to avoid falling behind 0-3 in this series. They also arguably had their best opportunity to get a victory with the Cavaliers missing second-leading scorer Darius Garland.
However, Miami didn’t play anything like a team whose season was at stake, getting blown out at home, 124-87. Cleveland had a 20-point lead and boosted the margin to 22 points after three quarters.
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De’Andre Hunter made up for Garland’s absence
Sam Merrill took Garland’s place in Cleveland’s starting lineup and didn’t provide much. But De’Andre Hunter filled the missing point production with his best scoring performance of the playoffs thus far. The six-year veteran tallied 21 points off the bench, shooting 3-of-5 on 3-pointers.
Plenty of the postseason remains to be played, but Hunter provided exactly the kind of boost the Cavaliers were hoping for when they acquired him at the trade deadline from the Atlanta Hawks. Cleveland now has the kind of depth that can help in a long playoff series against teams like the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics.
