Heat continue domination of collapsing Celtics, plus Brooks Koepka joins the greats

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Good morning to everybody however particularly to…

THE MIAMI HEAT

A bit over a month in the past, the Miami Heat wanted an NBA Play-In Tournament victory over the Chicago Bulls to simply make the playoffs. Now, they are a win clear of the NBA Finals.

Miami annihilated the Boston Celtics, 128-102, in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals with a balanced assault that noticed six gamers rating in double figures on Sunday. Jimmy — ahem, Himmy — Butler led the means for Miami with 16 issues, 8 rebounds, six assists and two steals.

The second-team All-NBA variety has exceeded all expectancies since becoming a member of the Heat in 2019, however the run he is authoring this yr is arguably his biggest paintings but. 

• Butler has Miami on the verge of its moment Finals look in the closing 4 years (had his past due 3-point leave out in Game 7 of closing yr’s convention finals towards Boston went the wrong way, it would most likely be 3 appearances).
• Miami close down Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown once more, as Tatum scored 14 on 6-for-18 from the box whilst Brown went 6-for-17 for 12 issues. Tatum and Brown have been a mixed 1-14 from 3-point vary with Tatum accounting for the lone make. 
• Gabe Vincent was once the sizzling shooter for Miami, as the UC Santa Barbara product scored a team-high 29 issues on 11-for-14 from the box and 6-for-9 from 3-point vary. 

While many have knocked the Heat for having “shooting luck” this postseason, our Brad Botkin believes the good fortune of function gamers comparable to Vincent is via design.

• Botkin: “This is not shooting luck. Miami is generating great drive-and-kick looks. They are relocating and beating the Celtics down the floor in transition. Gabe Vincent scoring 29 points on 11-of-14 shooting, including 6 of 9 from deep, feels like an outlier, and it is. But Miami’s process created those good looks, and the rhythm they’ve been steadily gaining throughout these playoffs is contagious. Give them the credit for that.” 

Miami will now purpose to get rid of Boston in Game 4 on Tuesday.

Honorable mentions

Brooks Koepka triumphs at PGA Championship for first primary win since 2019 ⛳

It took 4 years, however Brooks Koepka has after all gained any other primary. Koepka (-9) captured victory in the PGA Championship for his 5th profession primary win and primary since 2019, edging out Scottie Sheffler and Viktor Hovland via two strokes to take action. 

Koepka’s win indicates he is again to his previous self after suffering via knee accidents the previous few years. It additionally put him in nice ancient corporate:

• With 3 Wanamaker Trophies now beneath his belt, Koepka joins Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the handiest gamers to win the PGA Championship a minimum of thrice. Only Koepka, Woods, Nicklaus, Gene Sarazen and Walter Hagen have 3 PGA wins and a minimum of two U.S. Open victories. 
• Koepka is one of handiest 20 golfers to win 5 majors, as his PGA victory tied him with Seve Ballesteros, James Braid, Phil Mickelson, Byron Nelson, John H. Taylor and Peter Thomson. 
• After completing -8 for a second-place end at The Masters in April, Koepka has now positioned in the most sensible two in each and every of the first two majors this season. 

After the giant win, Koepka mirrored on his hard adventure again to the winner’s circle and what it manner for him to be in the identical dialog as legends like Woods and Nicklaus. 

• Koepka: “I look back on where we were two years ago, everything that’s gone on, I’m just so happy right now that I’m kind of at a loss for words. To be with those group of names is absolutely incredible, something, I’ll be honest, I’m not even sure if I dreamed of it as a kid winning this many.” 

Koepka will now vie for his 6th primary win, a consequence that might have him tied for twelfth all-time, at the U.S. Open in June. Lastly, Koepka isn’t the just one who had a perfect weekend in Rochester. So did Michael Block.

Golden Knights scouse borrow OT victory to take 2-0 collection lead over Stars ?

The Dallas Stars have been neatly on their option to a series-evening victory in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final, main the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 with 3 mins left in law and a dominant Jake Oettinger in the internet.

But Vegas fought to the ultimate horn and compelled extra time the place they in the end gained, 3-2, extra time win. They’ll head to Dallas with a 2-0 collection lead because of this. Jonathan Marchessault scored the equalizing purpose at 17:38 of the 3rd duration, and Chandler Stephenson gained it for Vegas with a rating of his personal simply over a minute into OT. 

• The Golden Knights have now gained two consecutive extra time video games over the Stars, making them 3-0 in OT this postseason whilst Dallas is 0-4 in such video games.  Both of Vegas’ extra time wins this collection got here by way of objectives in the first two mins, as Brett Howden scored his at 1:35 of OT in Game 1. 
• Dating again to closing spherical towards the Oilers, Vegas has 4 consecutive comeback victories, tying the Stanley Cup Playoffs file. 
• All 4 convention ultimate video games have long gone to extra time, the first such example in Stanley Cup Playoffs historical past. 

The Western Conference Final will now shift to Dallas, the place the Stars are 5-2 this postseason, for Games 3 and four. 

WNBA returns: Defending champ Aces glance even higher, plus Brittney Griner is again ?

The 2023 WNBA season has after all tipped off, and the Las Vegas Aces proved they are nonetheless the workforce to overcome of their first recreation as protecting champions. Las Vegas — enjoying with out trainer Becky Hammon, who is serving a two-game suspension for allegedly bullying former Aces participant Dearica Hamby over her being pregnant — throttled the Seattle Storm 105-64 in the maximum lopsided season-opener in WNBA historical past. 

But the Aces’ brilliance was once a long way from the handiest storyline to come back out of opening weekend. Here’s a refresher on what went down:

• Mercury celebrity Brittney Griner — who neglected the whole 2022 season whilst detained in Russia on drug fees — performed her first recreation in 579 days. She shook off the rust relatively simply via recording 18 issues, six rebounds and 4 blocks in a loss to the Los Angeles Sparks. Vice President Kamala Harris paid Griner and the Mercury a consult with earlier than the season-opener, and Griner gained a status ovation in her first house recreation since 2021 on Sunday.   
• Two-time MVP Candace Parker made her Aces debut and handed Sylvia Fowles for 9th on the WNBA’s all-time scoring checklist, recording 12 issues to move together with 4 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks. 
• Aliyah Boston, the former South Carolina celebrity and No. 1 total select of the Indiana Fever, tallied 15 issues and 9 rebounds in her first WNBA recreation, however she fouled out in a 70-61 loss to the Connecticut Sun. 
• The New York Liberty’s newly shaped superteam confirmed they nonetheless want time to coalesce in the season-opener, as they fell to the Mystics 80-64 with prized offseason additions Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones combing for a trifling 17 issues on 5-for-16 from the box. 

Stewart greater than made up for her struggles in Game 1 via placing in combination a outstanding efficiency towards the Fever on Sunday. The former MVP scored 45 issues, precisely part of her workforce’s recreation general, and neglected handiest six of her 21 pictures in a 17-point victory. 

What we are gazing Monday ?

⚽ Leicester City at Newcastle United, 3 p.m. on USA Network
? Hurricanes at Panthers, 8 p.m. on TNT
? Nuggets at Lakers, 8:30 p.m. on ESPN