In the East, the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Celtics 92:83 at home, tying the score at 2:2.
The 76ers did a pretty good job on the defensive end in this game. Garnett, who played well in the last game, was completely restricted. He made 3 of 12 shots and only scored 9 points.
Three members of the Celtics team scored in double figures, and Rondo was the best performer. He made 7 of 14 shots and scored 15 points and 15 assists.
Five players on the 76ers team scored in double figures. The starting trio of Iguodala, Turner, and Holiday, as well as substitutes Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young, all performed well.
The biggest key to the 76ers' victory was that they grabbed more rebounds. After the whole game, the rebound ratio between the two teams was 52:38. As a result, the 76ers had 11 more shot opportunities!
In addition, the 76ers also got more free throws. They made 25 of 36 free throws, while the Celtics only made 16 of 19 free throws. The 76ers also scored 9 more points on free throws.
After winning this game, the series score became 2:2, and the two teams were back on the same starting line.
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In another game in the Eastern Conference, the Heat relied on their tenacious defense to win 101:93 against the Pacers.
Bosh's injury in the first game was great news for the Pacers. They took full advantage of this and won two games in a row.
But in terms of hard power, there is no doubt that the Heat are better than the Pacers even without Bosh.
Before this game, Bosh's injury was cured by Deng Fang, and a healthy Bosh came back, which was a huge blow to the Pacers.
However, Bosh's return did not help the Heat much.
Although there are no physical problems anymore, Bosh, who had rested for a few days, was completely out of touch and was unsatisfactory on both offense and defense.
The Heat can win this game mainly because of James and Wade.
James showed his strength in this game. He made 14 of 27 shots and 12 of 16 free throws. He scored a game-high 40 points, 18 rebounds, and 9 assists.
It can be seen that James is willing to go all out and knows the importance of this game.
Wade also performed very well here. He made 13 of 23 shots and scored 30 points, 6 assists, and 9 rebounds.
Under the leadership of James and Wade, the Heat also performed very well from the outside. The team made 5 of 12 three-pointers, with a shooting percentage of 41.7%.
Of course, the main reason for the Heat's win was their good defense. They grabbed 47 rebounds in the game, 9 more than the Pacers. They also did a good job in defending three-pointers, beating the Pacers.
The three-point shooting percentage dropped to 31.8%.
Relying on the tenacious defense and the strong performance of James and Wade, the Heat won an away game and tied the series at 2:2. The two teams also returned to the same starting line.
There are a total of 4 matchups in the East and West. Except for the Warriors sweeping the Grizzlies 4:0, the other three sets of matchups all ended in a 2:2 draw!
The Warriors also have enough time to rest and study their opponents' situation.
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Two days later, the fifth game of the three-group matchup was completed.
Game 5 of the series has a title, called the Battle of Tianwang Mountain, which shows the importance of this game.
In the West, the Thunder relied on their tenacious defense to win the Spurs 108 1:103 on the road.
After being stunned by the Spurs in the first two games, the young Thunder team showed their strong learning ability. They responded quickly and won two games in a row to equalize the score.
Game 5 was played at the Spurs' home court, but the Thunder performed better in this game.
The Thunder's most outstanding performers were Durant, Westbrook and Harden. Durant was extremely efficient. He scored 27 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds on 10 of 19 shots.
Westbrook also played well, but his efficiency was a bit low. He made 9 of 24 shots from the field and scored 23 points and 12 assists.
Harden was very efficient on the bench. He made 6 of 11 shots, 5 of 6 free throws, and 3 of 4 3-pointers. He scored 20 points, 3 assists, and 4 rebounds.
The best performer for the Spurs was Ginobili. He made 11 of 21 shots and 5 of 10 three-pointers. He scored a game-high 34 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds.
In addition, the Spurs' Parker, Duncan and Stephen Jackson also scored in double figures.
The Spurs also took full advantage of their home court advantage in this game. They made 26 of 31 free throws in the game, while the Thunder made 20 of 23 free throws. The Spurs had a considerable advantage in free throws.
The Thunder's win was due to their incredible physical fitness.
With faster speed and better physical fitness, the Thunder caused 21 turnovers from the Spurs and also sent out 12 steals and 5 blocks.
In the end, despite being at a disadvantage in rebounding, the Thunder took 6 more shots than the Spurs.
On the offensive end, the Thunder also learned to share the ball. They sent out 22 assists in the game, only one less than the Spurs.
I can do what you know, and you don’t have my physical fitness, but I do!
As a result, the Thunder's shooting percentage was as high as 50%, while the Spurs only shot 45.9%.
By winning the battle at Tianwang Mountain, the Thunder gained match point in advance and took the initiative in the series.
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In the East, the Boston Celtics, who returned home, did not give the 76ers a chance. They easily won the game 101:85.
In this game, five players from both teams scored in double figures. The difference was that the 76ers scored the most with only 19 points, while the Celtics scored the most with 27 points.
In addition to doing better on the defensive end, the Celtics were able to win mainly due to their home court advantage and a large number of free throws.
On free throws, the Celtics made 26 of 33 free throws, while the 76ers only made 10 of 16 free throws. In this category alone, the Celtics scored 16 more points.
After winning this game, the Celtics also took the initiative in the series.
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Similarly, the Heat, who returned home, did not give the Pacers a chance. They easily won 115:83.
James and Wade still played great in this game. Both of them were very efficient. James made 12 of 19 shots and Wade made 10 of 17 shots. James scored 30 points and Wade scored 28 points.
Bosh also slowly found the feeling of the game. He didn't take many shots, but he was very efficient. He made 3 of 5 3-pointers and scored 15 points and 7 rebounds.
Thanks to the strong scoring ability of James and Wade, the Heat performed very well from the outside. They made 9 of 16 three-pointers and a shooting percentage of 56.3%.
Under the Heat's airtight defense, the Pacers, who were all-powerful, also showed their weakness of not having a star. They shot only 33.7% from the field.
By winning this game, the Heat also got the match point.
