A valiant effort wasn’t enough for the Lakers to hold off the defending champions at The Crypt. Anthony Davis and LeBron James were dynamic. But the Nuggets’ fantastic four were overbearing and are now up 3-0 in a best-of-seven series.

Nikola Jokić chopped down interior protections. Jamal Murray’s jumper was on target in frames two and three. Aaron Gordon finished a dozen times in the restricted area. And Michael Porter Jr. closed the door on the hosts with 10 fourth-quarter points.

Unless the Purple and Mold transform into the ‘87 Lakers, and the Nuggets play with a tied hand behind their backs, what’s left of the matchup is a formality.

After the game, Jokić was asked about MPJ. He said his teammate is “one of the best shooters I’ve ever seen or played with… he’s capable of making big, tough shots.” Before leaving, Joker credited Porter’s mindset and his approach, too.

Porter’s glass clean up and marksmanship has been a security blanket for the outfit through three outings. He is the second-leading rebounder and his Effective Field Goal percentage is 12.3 points higher than the league average (54.7). Additionally, MPJ is putting up 20.3 points, nine rebounds, 1.3 assists and a steal per game against the Lakers in round one.

Yet, Porter is balling while going through an emotional time. His brother Jontay was expelled from the NBA for betting on games with someone else’s account. And his other brother, Coban, was sentenced to six years in prison for a drunken, fatal vehicular crash on April 19. MPJ was present in court that day, giving a character statement. He said Coban was the brother he looked up to while growing up.

Then Coban was cuffed and taken to prison at the hearing’s conclusion. As children, Michael and his brothers were best friends.

After Game 1, MPJ was asked about playing with heavy emotions in the locker room. He said, “[I] definitely tried to compartmentalize. Some bad stuff happened to my brothers, but I got 15, 16 more brothers in here. I knew I had to be here for them…”

On Friday, Porter’s nine-point flurry to close the first half helped the Nuggets reclaim its focus. In Game 2, he connected on a critical second-chance triple that tied the game with 75 seconds left. And late on Thursday, he buried the Lakers, swishing four jumpers and recording a layup off a backdoor cut.

As Lakers fans dispersed, Porter handled the on-court interview with Altitude TV. He said staying aggressive was the priority and that his jump shot was falling.

At the postgame presser, he was asked about his three assists that Gordon scored on. He said, “That’s my boy on and off the court. We definitely got a connection…you can throw the ball anywhere [and] he’s going to get it, he’s going to go up strong and dunk it.”

With Porter performing at this rate and the other pieces producing at a high level, knocking off the champs looks nearly impossible.

The hosting Celtics were up nine points within two minutes on the Heat, compelling coach Erik Spoelstra to call an emergency timeout. It didn’t get much prettier after the first frame as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown zoomed by Jaime Jaquez Jr. to the cup. Kristaps Porziņģis feasted at close and long range. And Derrick White plus Dan Houser poured in a glut of trays; while the Heat were stopped from getting into actions, misfired makable shots and failed to generate trips to the line.

The Heat was absent Jimmy Butler (knee) and Terry Rozier (neck).

But the 2-2-1 press, a stretch of stops in the 2-3 zone, and a stimulus from vintage Kevin Love cut the deficit to three points at the start of the second quarter. Yet, it was short-lived, and the Celtics converted its next 11 of 21 attempts. Gang Green’s leading man in the sequence was sharpshooter Sam Houser, who buried four jumpers.

Tatum successfully isolated Haywood Highsmith and JJJ for midrange buckets, scored on the break and made four freebies.

On the other side, Adebayo tried to drag the crew forward, logging seven of 19 field goals.

Jaquez nailed a fadeaway over White in the post, finished two layups and spun past Houser into the lane on the right side for two points.

But Tyler Herro didn’t produce. He was hounded by White and Payton Pritchard, scoring once in the first half while they were on him. And on defense, Herro was lost, giving up multiple 3-pointers.

At halftime, the Heat was below 45-60 and out-hustled on the glass by six. Additionally, the team had 24 paint points, four on the break, two via second chances, two after turnovers and 12 from the bench.

The Celtics had 16 interior points, four in the open court, eight on extra tries, 12 after turnovers and 22 from the reserves.

Later, Brown scored twice, racing by the Heatles in transition and swishing two outside jumpers. White downed two triples as well.

Yet the visitors came out of the half registering four of 12 ventures, credited to Nikola Jović, Jaquez and Adebayo. The group followed up with six straight misses as the Celtics contested perimeter shots cleanly and disrupted rim attacks.

Subsequently, the Heat supplied 14 of 19 baskets in the fourth quarter but never came closer than within 14 points. The Celtics were already in clock control, taking only six attempts in the first five minutes of the fourth.

The Heat was slaughtered 94-114 and allowed the Celtics 10 more rebounds. To boot, the squad had 44 paint points, 13 on the break, five via second chances, 17 after turnovers and 29 from the bench.

Adebayo totaled 24 points on 10 of 18 attempts, with six rebounds and three assists. Delon Wright put up 17 points on 85.7% accuracy, with one rebound, three assists and two steals. JJJ had 16 points on 16 tries and recovered four rebounds and four assists. And Herro logged 11 points, making four of 13 baskets, with four rebounds and four assists.

The Celtics had 24 interior points, six in the open court, 11 on extra tries, 18 after turnovers and 30 from the reserves.

Tatum (23), White (20), Porziņģis (18), Brown (17), Hauser (12), and Al Horford (10) were the six Celtics who scored in double digits.

At the postgame presser, Herro said the Celtics pressured the Heat on both sides. He also included that
the team didn’t “play with enough force and effort on the defensive end.”

Spoelstra said, “It’s clear, Boston controlled this game from the tip. The very first possession, offensive rebound and three. And from there, they controlled it.”

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Coban Porter was sentenced to six years in prison for the drunken automobile accident that killed Katharina Rothman, who was a mother and injured another. He will also serve two years for a related charge that will run concurrently, plus three years parole. He was also given one day of pre-sentence confinement credit.

Porter is the brother of Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr..

Porter arrived at the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse with a large party, and more came after. They took up the entire left side of the courtroom, all of the jury seats and a section of the back row on the right. Family members of the victim and representatives of the District Attorney’s office sat and filled out the remainder of the right side. Porter’s arresting officer, Aaron Botts, stood on the left side of the room.

Following a few cases, Porter’s was picked up from the docket at 9:12 AM MT, but Judge Ericka Englert summoned DA Austin Leighty and Porter’s attorney, Harvey Steinberg, to the bench for nine minutes for a quiet discussion.

Six family members plus Leighty spoke on behalf of Rothman. First was her mother, Connie Johnson.

“This pain and trauma have become my worst reality,” Johnson said. “I stand here before you today, but all at the same time, I am elsewhere. On Jan. 22, 2023, my life ended with my sweet, innocent daughter, Katharina Rothman.”

The DA’s office advocated for the maximum eight-year penalty.

Leighty said, “He was driving more than 50MPH in a 30MPH zone… From the videos that were submitted, the light that Ms. Rothman was going to be driving through and tried to drive through was green at the beginning of the video. The crash occurred 23 seconds into [the video]. For 23 seconds, [Porter’s] light was red.”

Then friends and family of Porter spoke for him, including his brother Michael, who wasn’t planning on talking but wanted to offer his perspective on character.

“Coban was the one who [while I was growing up], that pushed me to achieve… He was the one I looked up to, even though I’m the oldest brother. I truly don’t think I would be in the position I am [in] today as a professional basketball player if I didn’t have a brother like Coban push me every day.”

Michael continued, adding that he wished to take his brother’s place. He posted the $2,000 bond payment for his brother following the arrest.

Lisa Porter said her son is remorseful for the crash and prays for the Rothman/Johnson family. “He has pleaded with God, to help them, to do something, to bring honor to Katharina.”

Subsequently, Steinberg defended his client, saying no one had suffered more than him throughout the case. On top of that, he said, “I hate to even say this, but maybe some good can come out of this… maybe Judge, if you choose, you can fashion a sentence that allows him to try to make up for what he’s done by making this world a better place, and by deterring others for making the tragic mistake he made in his youth, instead of simply saying ‘sorry’ and having that cell slam behind him.”

Porter talked last. He said he could never make up for the wrong, but that he is sorry, wishing it was him who died instead of Rothman. He said he wants to make a difference for people who were like him, too.

Next, Porter was cuffed and taken away.

Englert approved Denver7 and 9News’ request for expanded media coverage for the sentencing hearing, despite the defense’s objection. Englert had previously denied the application of expanded media in her courtroom for the Oct. 17 arraignment date.

While the case was in the arraignment stage, Englert allowed Porter to live out of state and agreed to remove GPS tracking on him, in spite of the DA’s objections. Then, his permanent address was then listed in Denver, now Columbus, Missouri.

Steinberg had no comment after the hearing.

The smoke has cleared: the Heat is facing the 76ers in Philadelphia for the Play-In Tournament. It’s not an ideal matchup for the guests, but a win reduces the arduous road in the East Playoffs by having the crew play the Knicks in round one. A loss would force them to duke it out with the winner of the 9 & 10 Game for a chance to go at the 64-win Celtics.

The last time the Heat saw the 76ers in the Postseason was two years ago, and PJ Tucker was around to box out and help defend Joel Embiid. Ascending sophomore Nikola Jović and Thomas Bryant will need to be stars of the dirty work if Kevin Love can’t play (left arm stinger).

But the 76ers won’t be handicapped by a slower James Harden, who plays scared in big moments. Instead, the reigning MVP’s running mate is Tyrese Maxey, a booming All-Star with jet engines in his sneakers who sometimes resembles The Answer.

And Doc Rivers’ predictable offense can’t foil the 76ers by bailing out the other team’s defense. All the movement in coach Nick Nurse’s attack makes the Philly outfit harder to guard.

Presently, the 76ers, victors of 25 of 41 home games, are 4.5-point favorites. When Embiid plays, the team’s win rate rises to 79.5% (31-8), and in those outings, Philadelphia scores 120.7 points per game on 48.4% shooting. Their opponents record 110.3 points with 45.8% accuracy.

On top of that, Philly is second-best behind the Celtics in taking care of the ball, losing it 12 times per contest. The league average for turnovers is 13.6, per Basketball Reference.

On Sunday, coach Nick Nurse didn’t want to say whether guard De’Anthony Melton would be available Wednesday, but he left the door open for the future. Melton has been a part of two of the seven most-used 76ers lineups this season, and both have the highest point differential on the team (33.3 & 25.7), per Cleaning the Glass.

On Wednesday, the starting lineup the Heat will likely see is Maxey, former Heatle Kyle Lowry, Kelly Oubre, Tobias Harris and Embiid. Their top reserves will be Nicolas Batum, an older but versatile switchblade, and Paul Reed, a dependable rebounder and roller.

The Heat’s two largest problems in this game are Philadelphia’s frontline size and Maxey’s speed. Adebayo will guard Embiid to start, but keeping him on the assignment too long could waste his energy for offense. The last time both groups faced off on April 5 in Miami, the visitors out-executed the Heat late. Adebayo also checked Embiid for almost five minutes, giving up six of 12 field goals, including three of four from deep.

On offense, Miami’s center converted six of 15 attempts in the last encounter.

And in that game, Maxey was 1A. His primary defenders were Caleb Martin, Butler and Rozier. He scored four of five baskets against Martin, none in front of Butler and four of five over Rozier. The zone didn’t slow him down much, either, as he dribbled into its heart for jumpers and floaters.

Don’t forget that Oubre thrashed the Heatles on the same night for 18 points, downing 57.1% of his tries, but notably, seven of those came in the fourth quarter. Over the last seven matches, Oubre is recording 22.3 points, making 48.9% of his shots, with 6.6 rebounds nightly.

There is no doubt, now that Don Embiid has returned, his squad is much stronger than Butler’s.

But the Heat has a chance.

It starts with Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra striking a deal with Lucifer so Duncan Robinson, Love and Rozier regain perfect health, followed by the return of thermonuclear Butler, Adebayo channeling Alonzo Mourning, and Tyler Herro devouring drop coverage and blitzes.

The Heat is slightly sharper on the road and plays well when expectations are low. But Butler hasn’t been the same beast this season. While taking 14.4 drives per game, which is good enough for 16th in the NBA, he attempts 5.1% fewer buckets at close range.

At 0-3 feet, he is registering 67.5% of his ventures. It’s the second-lowest mark since he got to Miami in 2019-20, but in his first year, he took 7.7% more shots in the restricted area.

With Butler, the drops in production have caused a surplus of observers to question his hunger to compete. But he is 34.6 years old now. It shouldn’t stagger anyone, considering the juice he spent in three of the Heat’s last four Playoff runs, including two trips to the NBA Finals. And he’s been going through it personally after losing a family member earlier in the year.

His Miami tenure has been the NBA’s equivalent of turning water into wine. He’s made doubters into believers, and he can add to his folklore with a vintage performance- one with at least 14 free throw attempts and 10 rebounds.

Adebayo can’t go soft on the team, settling for outside jumpers. The 76ers will pack the lane against him, and he should take open looks, but he must assist Butler in putting Philadelphia’s backline in foul trouble. On defense, he must do his best to avoid needing the double team when defending Embiid because the 76ers splash 38.3% of hoisted trays when the MVP plays.

And Herro , who is excellent pick-and-roll option with Adebayo, will need to capitalize against defensive breakdowns to give him and Butler a boost. Furthermore, he can’t let Maxey outwork him badly.

An upset won’t come easy, but Spoelstra said he is looking forward to Wednesday’s bout after the Heat’s tune-up win over the Raptors in the regular season finale. “It’ll be a great environment. Philly’s been playing fantastic recently, so we know what to expect there. It’s for competitors only. It should be a lot of fun.”

When asked about an advantage to playing on Wednesday instead of Tuesday, Spoelstra said, “Could have been Tuesday and we would have been ready to rock.”

In the locker room, Butler addressed the press. He said, “It will be a show.”

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The first half was unsightly for the Raptors as the Heat inflated its lead to 19 points and then coasted the last two quarters for a win in its penultimate game of the regular season.

The Heat was absent Terry Rozier (neck) and Duncan Robinson (back). The Raptors were missing Scottie Barnes (recovering from left hand surgery, Jakob Poetl (finger). 

Early, Nikola Jović disrupted the visiting attack as help in the backline and finished at the rim three times off a cut, putback, and drive from the top. Bam Adebayo successfully attacked the lane twice. And Jimmy Butler poured in five points.

On the other side, the guests were a two-raptor horde. Immanuel Quickley nailed a right-wing 3-pointer with Adebayo in front and made two freebies. And RJ Barrett mauled the hosts in transition, sliced the baseline to score plus dribbled past Butler into the paint for a layup. The latter followed up the second frame with an encore, and Bruce Brown downed a pair of threes.

In response, Adebayo detonated. He jammed a fastbreak lob from Jaime Jaquez Jr., rim rolled for a layup, swished a tray and punished the cup from the dunker spot. And JJJ produced seven points and four dimes.

On top of that, the Heat’s advantage swelled to 19 points as Adebayo set up Jović at the post with Quickley on his back for a basket.

At halftime, the Heat was ahead 66-50 and ahead on the glass by one with nine less turnovers. Additionally, the crew had 32 paint points, two on the break, four via second chances, 12 after turnovers and 19 from the bench.

The Raptors had 22 interior points, four in the open court, six on extra tries, three after turnovers and 14 from the reserves.

By the halfway mark of the third quarter, the Raptors chewed down the Heat’s lead to a dozen, getting to the restricted area on five occasions and making a transition 3-pointer.

To counter, Adebayo rolled after a handoff to Herro and punched in a two-handed dunk, and Heat closed the interval, logging five of 10 attempts.

The fourth quarter started with the hosts up 92-75.

Despite Barrett draining a corner triple, scoring against the zone and getting by JJJ and Haywood Highsmith, the Heat was never in danger of an upset. Aside from him, the only other Raptor to record multiple field goals late was Garrett Temple.

For the hosts, only three starters played in the fourth- Butler, Jović and Martin- but the Raps never got closer than below 16 points with over 10 minutes to go.

Late, Jaquez made a 3-pointer, canned four freebies, dunked on the break, hit a baseline layup and set up four plays. And Kevin Love supplied seven points and four rebounds.

The Heat won 125-103. The team picked up 54 paint points, seven on the break, eight via second chances, 17 after turnovers and 50 from the bench.

Jović scored 22 points on nine of 18 looks, with five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Jaquez recorded 20 on his ledger on 46.7% accuracy, with four rebounds and nine assists. And Adebayo put up 19 points on 10 attempts, with six boards and three dimes.

The Raptors had 48 interior points, 10 in the open court, 12 on extra tries, eight after turnovers and 30 from the reserves.

Barrett tallied 35 marks on 13 of 18 tries and picked up 11 rebounds and three helpings. Quickley had 15 points, making 36.4% of his shots, with four rebounds and five assists. And Brown had 14 points on six attempts.

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra said, “We have a lot to work on…This was a step for sure.”

Jović came next. He was asked about the team’s ball movement and said, “It feels great to get a win where [we] had so many assists. Thirty-seven? That’s what it was all about in the morning practice… That’s how we got to play if we want to score and that’s what we did tonight.”

The Heat will not practice on Saturday.

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