The first-round action of the NBA playoffs continued on Saturday with a thriller between the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers. A third-quarter scuffle saw Jared Dudley and Jimmy Butler both get ejected, and the two teams traded big shot after big shot down the stretch. Eventually, the Sixers held on for the victory, thanks to a late 3-pointer by Mike Scott, and took a 3-1 lead in the series.
One of the bigger surprises of the opening round has been the success of the seventh-seeded San Antonio Spurs. They held a 2-1 series lead heading into Saturday night's Game 4, and took a double-digit lead early in this game. But Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets came storming back and pulled away in the second half for a vital victory to tie the series 2-2. It was the Nuggets' first win in San Antonio since 2012.
Meanwhile, the NBA's top-ranked Milwaukee Bucks are looking to take a stranglehold on their series against the No. 8 Detroit Pistons. It was already going to be an uphill battle for the Pistons, but to make matters worse, Blake Griffin has missed the first two games with a knee injury and might remain sidelined for Game 3. The Bucks have won each game by double digits while Giannis Antetokounmpo has scored at least 24 points in each victory.
Finally, the fourth-seeded Houston Rockets have looked like an absolute buzzsaw in their series against the No. 5 Utah Jazz, and will look to continue their dominance as they look to take a commanding 3-0 lead.
NBA playoffs schedule for Saturday, April 20
*All times Eastern
Denver Nuggets 117, San Antonio Spurs 103 (Box Score) Milwaukee Bucks at Detroit Pistons, 8 p.m. (GameTracker) TV: ESPNHouston Rockets at Utah Jazz, 10:30 p.m. (GameTracker) TV: ESPN
Murray, DeRozan trade huge slams
Jamal Murray and DeMar DeRozan each took a turn throwing down a huge slam in the second half. First, Murray took the pass from Nikola Jokic and hammered home a slam over the defense. Later on, DeRozan saw an open lane to the rim and took advantage.
Aldridge rocks the rim on the putback
Late in the first quarter, LaMarcus Aldridge took a break from his mid-range game to throw down a powerful putback slam after the miss by Marco Belinelli.
Embiid puts together incredible game
Joel Embiid was a game-time decision for Game 4 on Saturday, but he didn't appear to be feeling too many ill effects from his sore knee. The big man was everywhere for the Sixers, putting up 31 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and six blocks to help his squad get a crucial win.
Scott wins it for the Sixers
The Sixers secured a thrilling victory on Saturday afternoon in Brooklyn to take a 3-1 series lead over the Nets, and did so thanks to a huge shot from Mike Scott. The role player drained a 3-pointer in the corner to give the Sixers the lead for good in the closing seconds.
Simmons slams over Allen
Ben Simmons has been one of the focal points of the series thus far and continues to show why. In the third quarter, Simmons was able to blow by Jarrett Allen and throw down an easy slam dunk.
Butler, Dudley ejected after scuffle
In the third quarter, Joel Embiid dished out a hard foul on Jarrett Allen. Jared Dudley ended up shoving Embiid, which led to Jimmy Butler shoving Dudley into the stands. Both Butler and Dudley received double technical fouls and were ejected.
LeVert dunks on Embiid
Caris LeVert was inserted into the Brooklyn starting lineup after averaging 20.7 points off the bench in the first three games of the series. LeVert got involved in the offense early on as he threw down this huge two-handed slam dunk on Joel Embiid in the opening quarter.
