* The Miami Heat defeated the New York Knicks 108-101 on Sunday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Jimmy Butler had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Gabe Vincent scored 20 points for the Heat, who became the sixth No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 when they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.
The fifth-seeded Knicks started strong and led most of the first half, with RJ Barrett scoring 26 points and Jalen Brunson scoring 25, but the Heat eventually came back to eventually take the win. The Knicks are in the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2013.
Game 2 between the Knicks and Heat will take place Tuesday night in New York at 7:30 p.m.
* The Golden State Warriors defeated the Sacramento Kings 120-100 on Sunday in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series Sunday at Golden 1 Center.
Stephen Curry scored a game-high (and record-setting) 50 points, with eight rebounds and six assists for the sixth-seeded Warriors; he made 20 of 38 field-goal attempts and 7 of 18 from 3-point range. Andrew Wiggins had 17 points and seven rebounds for Golden State, with center Kevon Looney finishing with 11 points and 21 rebounds, his third 20-rebound game of the series. For the third-seeded Kings, Domantas Sabonis had 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and De’Aaron Fox had 16 points and six assists with five turnovers.
Curry became the first player in NBA history to score at 50 points in a Game 7, surpassing Kevin Durant’s 48 points against Milwaukee in 2021. The defending champion Warriors now advance to the semifinals to face the the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals. Game 1 will take place Tuesday in San Francisco at 10 p.m.
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