Thunder advances to the semifinals

AFP

La Jornada Newspaper, Sunday, April 27, 2025, p. a11

Miami. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points to help the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Memphis Grizzlies 117-115 yesterday, securing a 4-0 sweep and becoming the first team to advance to the NBA Western Conference semifinals.

The Grizzlies, who were without Ja Morant due to a hip injury last game, faced a nearly impossible task against the powerful Oklahoma team, as no team has ever recovered from a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs .

In the next round, the Thunder will face the winner of the series between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers. The former tied the series at 2-2 with a 101-99 victory.

Memphis trailed by 12 points with three and a half minutes remaining when they made one last push with a 10-0 run, before Oklahoma City sealed the victory from the free throw line.

For the Grizzlies, Scotty Pippen Jr. again filled in for Morant with 30 points and 11 rebounds, while Desmond Bane and Santi Aldama each added 23 points. However, Gilgeous-Alexander, a finalist for the MVP award, finished with a fabulous 38 points, shooting 54 percent from the field, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. Forward Jalen Williams followed with 23 points.

Jáquez played only 5 minutes

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers, the top team in the East, defeated the Miami Heat 124-87 in Game 3 of the series, with Mexican Jaime Jázque playing only five minutes. With this result, Cleveland will have its first chance to advance in Game 4 of the series next Monday.

Jáquez played in the final minutes of the match, but couldn't do much, and now his team has the difficult task of winning, even if it's just their fourth match.

Ty Jerome (Cleveland) scored 13 points and also dished out 11 assists, a record for a Cavaliers reserve in the playoffs .

▲ After suffering his third straight defeat, world number five Novak Djokovic admitted he was facing a new reality after two decades as a professional tennis player. His public admission of his unusual slump came after falling 3-6, 4-6 to Italy's Matteo Arnaldi in his Madrid Masters debut. "I'm looking to win a match or two, without thinking about going far in tournaments. It's a completely different feeling than I've had for more than 20 years on tour. I guess it's just the cycle of life. It was bound to happen at some point ," reflected the 37-year-old Serb, who is chasing his 100th title. Photo by AFP with information from AP

La Jornada Newspaper, Sunday, April 27, 2025, p. a11