NBA PLAYOFFS

Allen’s 3s pace Heat to 3-0 lead

MILWAUKEE - Every game, someone different steps up for the Miami Heat.

Actually, someone different and that guy named LeBron.

Ageless Ray Allen scored 23, setting the NBA career playoff record for three-pointers in the process, and LeBron James had seven of his 22 points during a decisive run that closed out the third quarter - and maybe the Milwaukee Bucks. The Heat’s victory Thursday night gave the defending champions a 3-0 lead, with a chance to complete the sweep Sunday afternoon at the Bradley Center.

“That’s been our calling card all year, the depth that we have,” said Allen, whose five three-pointers gave him 322 for his career, two more than Reggie Miller. “As a team, you’ve got to find way to plug in the holes, and every night we find somebody different.”

Chris Bosh added 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Heat, who have won 11 consecutive games dating to the regular season and 40 of their past 42. Chris Andersen had another big game, scoring 11 on 5-of-5 shooting and grabbing 6 rebounds in less than 14 minutes.

Dwyane Wade had just four points, and his 1-of-12 shooting was his worst in a postseason game. But he contributed 11 assists, 9 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocks.

“I shot the ball terrible,” Wade, who is still nursing a bruised right knee, said with a laugh. “But we played a good game. Game 3 is a tough game. I thought, as a team, we showed a lot of guts, a lot of grit. When those guys came out hot, we stayed with it, we stayed with our game plan and were able to get a great win.There’s nothing as satisfying as winning a Game 3 on the road. But it’s over now. Now we have to focus on closing the series out.”

Milwaukee, meanwhile, will simply try and avoid being swept.

Larry Sanders and Brandon Jennings had 16 each to lead the Bucks, and Sanders added 11 rebounds while Jennings contributed eight assists. But the Bucks couldn’t maintain the 10-point lead they took in the first quarter, when they shot 57 percent (12 of 21) and were 5 of 10 from three-point range. Milwaukee was just 12 of 21 over the final three quarters (41 percent), and made only two more threes.

“I hope we’re still confident,” Jennings said. “As a team, we need to stay together.”

The defending champions still haven’t played their best game. But it hardly matters with their ability to pull off one of their patented runs.

After leading for much of the game, Milwaukee was trying to pull away early in the third. Jennings was fouled on a three-point attempt and made all three free throws, then followed with a one-hand slam after Ersan Ilyasova’s steal. Luc Mbah a Moute made two sets of free throws, and the Bucks were back up 61-55 with 7:14 left in the third.

Udonis Haslem made a layup and two free throws, Mario Chalmers followed with a layup and the Heat were off on what would be a 23-7 run to close out the quarter. The Bucks got to 67-66 on a layup by Mbah a Moute, but James answered with a three. After two free throws by Mbah a Moute, Chalmers stripped Monta Ellis and fed James, who sprinted to the other end for the layup as the Bucks watched helplessly. Chris Andersen scored on a reverse, James made a layup and then fed Andersen for another layup that gave Miami a 78-68 lead going into the fourth quarter.

The Bucks never got within nine points again.

“A three-, four-minute stretch just like in the first two games, where they kind of blitzed us,” Bucks Coach Jim Boylan said. “We dug ourselves a big hole that we could not come back from.”

Allen made sure of that, making a three from the right corner with 8:38 to play to give Miami a 90-73 lead. That broke Miller’s record of 320, and Allen added one more two minutes later.

“I think about when I first stepped on this floor for the very first time, I thought about what I was going to be able to contribute to this game,” said Allen, who spent his first six plus seasons in Milwaukee. “It’s ironic that I’m on this floor right now, because this is where it all started.”

And this could be where the playoffs end for the Bucks.

With no team ever rallying from a 3-0 deficit, Thursday night’s game was a must-win for the Bucks. Miami Coach Erik Spoelstra said his team expected a “desperate, competitive response” from the Bucks, and the Milwaukee players were hoping for a boost by being back home - the first playoff game at the Bradley Center in three years.

Milwaukee certainly looked sharper early on. After struggling to get their entire offense going at the same time in the first two games, the Bucks finally had everything clicking in the first quarter. Sanders set the tone from the first possession, scoring on a layup and converting the three-point play after he drew a foul.

The Bucks shot 57 percent in the first quarter, getting field goals from six players - including Jennings, whose struggles in Game 2 contributed to Milwaukee’s demise. Jennings’ reverse layup sparked a 9-2 run that gave Milwaukee an early 18-11 lead. He then made a three, the first of four straight for the Bucks, and Milwaukee found itself with a 10-point lead, double its largest margin in either of the first two games.

BULLS 79, NETS 76

CHICAGO - Carlos Boozer had 22 points and 16 rebounds, Luol Deng added 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Chicago held off Brooklyn on Thursday in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series.

The Bulls had no field goals and two foul shots in the final 5:46 of the game, but still managed to beat the Nets for the second time in the postseason. They will try to grab a 3-1 lead when the series resumes in a quick turnaround Saturday afternoon.

Brook Lopez had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Deron Williams finished with 18 points on 5-for-14 shooting.

GRIZZLIES 94, CLIPPERS 82

MEMPHIS - Zach Randolph had 27 points and 11 rebounds, and Memphis beat Los Angeles to pull to 2-1 in the series.

Memphis snapped the Clippers’ nine game winning streak by out rebounding and dominating on second-chance points.

Marc Gasol accepted his trophy as the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year before tip off, then scored 16 points

Blake Griffin scored 16 points for the Clippers. Chris Paul had eight points on 4-of-11 shooting and added six assists.

Game 4 is Saturday in Memphis.

NBA playoffs

THURSDAY’S GAMES

Miami 104, Milwaukee 91, Miami leads series 3-0

Chicago 79, Brooklyn 76, Chicago leads series 2-1

Memphis 94, LA Clippers 82, LA Clippers lead series 2-1

TODAY’S GAMES All times Central

New York at Boston, 7 p.m., New York leads series 2-0

San Antonio at LA Lakers, 9:30 p.m., San Antonio leads series 2-0

Denver at Golden State, 9:30 p.m., series tied 1-1

Sports, Pages 17 on 04/26/2013

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