Portland Trail Blazers won the series with Oklahoma City Thunder in five games thanks to fantastic Damian Lillard who scored 50 points and hit a game-winning triple, while Toronto and Philadelphia also advanced to Round 2.
NBA roundup: Lillard’s 50 points, buzzer-beater bounce Thunder | Reuters
Damian Lillard singlehandedly destroyed Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 as he scored 50 points and added seven boards, six dimes, and three thefts but his game-winning three-pointer from long range was simply coldblooded.
Portland now awaits Denver Nuggets or San Antonio Spurs in Round 2 and the Nuggets took a 3-2 lead following last night’s win. In the Eastern Conference, Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors advanced to the next round after eliminating Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic, respectively.
Dame's game-winner in slo-mo 👀👀👀
(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/DoyRXpVTrB
— ESPN (@espn) April 24, 2019
Lillard on a 37-foot buzzer shot: ‘The last word’ | ESPN
Damian Lillard’s game-winning dagger from nearly 40 feet will be certainly replayed for years to come and he explained how he felt when he released the ball and that he knew it is going in.
“It was a great feeling when it left my hands,” Lillard said. “It felt good. I didn’t want to put it into the referee hands. Where if there was contact or maybe they get away with contact or I end up having to take a tougher shot because there was contact and they don’t want to decide the game. So I was standing there looking at the rim and I was like this is a comfortable range.”
Raptors’ Lowry injures finger, hopeful it’s ‘fine’ | ESPN
Toronto Raptors beat Orlando Magic to win the series in five games but their star guard Kyle Lowry suffered the ring finger injury on his right hand after deflecting a ball in the second quarter. Still, Lowry doesn’t think it’s serious.
“It popped out, but it’s fine,” Lowry said. “I popped it back in. Got a couple of days to get it back and recover, and hopefully, it will be better by Game 1. Well, it will be better by Game 1.”
Who can read lips?
Re: Lowry’s hand injury pic.twitter.com/Iq1jsbhYtA— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) April 24, 2019
Bradley Beal named a finalist for seasonlong NBA Cares Community Assist Award | NBA.com
Washington Wizards’ shooting guard Bradley Beal is named as a finalist for the 2018-19 Seasonlong NBA Cares Community Assist Award which is presented by Kaiser Permanente. Winner will be announced at the 2019 NBA Awards on TNT on June 24 and here is what Beal thinks about his nomination.
“I’m honored to be named as one of the finalists for the Seasonlong NBA Community Assist Award,” said Beal. “Coming into this season, I made it a priority to make an impact on the youth in the Washington, D.C. community. The connection I have made with the students at Ron Brown College Preparatory High School means the world to me, and I look forward to expanding on our relationship for many years to come.”
Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards is nominated for the 2018-19 Seasonlong NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by @kpthrive! To vote for Bradley, retweet this, or post on Twitter with #NBACommunityAssist + #BradleyBeal! pic.twitter.com/pujqJSG9qV
— NBA (@NBA) April 24, 2019
Kanter plays through the separated shoulder in win | ESPN
Portland Trail Blazers’ center Enes Kanter played through a separated shoulder injury in a 118-115 win over Oklahoma City Thunder and managed to post a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds. “I just tried to play through it,” Kanter said afterward. “We’ll see what happens in the future.”
Video: Enes Kanter injury update #RipCity pic.twitter.com/dGfdAwlDqt
— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) April 24, 2019
