DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic has once again taken his time in leading the Denver Nuggets to their second Western Conference finals in the past three seasons. Yes, everything continues to move at Jokic’s methodical pace. Next up will be LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Not that will phase the player nicknamed “Joker.” He averaged a triple-double in a six-game series against Kevin Durant Suns. Jokic may not have earned his third straight NBA MVP, with Philadelphia center Joel Embiid snapping his streak. But the center from Serbia is a basketball virtuoso on the floor, directing the offense like a conductor harmonizing a symphony while earning the respect of coaches and players around the league.
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BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers will meet in Game 7 of their second-round playoff series on Sunday. Neither team needed seven games in the first round, though both have some experience in winner-take-all games. The Celtics won two of them on their way to the NBA Finals last year. Coach Joe Mazzulla says they learned how to win easily and also “how to battle to the death.” The Sixers haven’t won a Game 7 since 2001. The winner of the game at Boston’s TD Garden will advance to the Eastern Conference finals to face the Miami Heat.
The Phoenix Suns fired Monty Williams on Saturday, two years after reaching the NBA Finals and a year after he was the overwhelming choice as the coach of the year. Williams had great success in his four regular seasons in Phoenix, winning 63% of his games. But three consecutive years of playoff frustration was likely too much for the Suns to overlook — especially after two straight years of Phoenix trailing by 30 points at halftime of elimination games at home.
