Golden State Warriors vs San Antonio Spurs May 8, 2013
SAN ANTONIO -- Manu Ginobili's 3-pointer from the wing with 1.2 seconds left in double overtime lifted the San Antonio Spurs to a thrilling 129-127 victory over the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry's 44 points in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals Monday night.
The Spurs trailed by 16 points with 4 minutes left in regulation before going on an 18-2 run to close the fourth quarter and force overtime.
They trailed 127-126 with 3.9 seconds left in the second overtime before Ginobili hit his 3-pointer off a cross-court inbounds pass from Kawhi Leonard.
Tim Duncan finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds in 35 minutes. Duncan, who is battling a stomach bug, left the game with 3 minutes left in regulation and played only the final seconds of each overtime.
Curry had 11 assists and was 18-for-35 from the field and 6-for-14 on 3-pointers for Golden State, which has lost 30 straight in San Antonio dating back to Feb. 14, 1997. Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes each added 19 points, Jack had 15 and Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds.
Golden State trailed by five with 1 minute left in the second overtime before the Warriors scored six straight points to take a one-point lead on Kent Bazemore's reverse layup that gave the Warriors a 127-126 advantage with 3.9 seconds left.
The Warriors missed eight of their final nine shots in regulation, including a desperation heave by Curry at the buzzer against several defenders.
The Spurs slowed Curry early in the fourth quarter by putting the 6-foot-7 Leonard on him in the fourth quarter. Curry scored only six points in the fourth quarter, helping fuel San Antonio's rally behind Parker and Leonard.
Curry had 22 points in the third quarter, including 14 straight late in the period. Curry's run gave Golden State a 90-72 lead with 37.5 seconds left in the third.
Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat May 8, 2013
The Chicago Bulls have put together two of the more improbable wins in recent postseason memory. After besting the Brooklyn Nets in Game 7 at Barclays Center, the Bulls went down to South Beach and stole Game 1 from the Miami Heat.
To make those road victories even more impressive, Chicago did it without the services of Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich. But beating the Nets and Heat are two very different animals.
Brooklyn played inconsistently all year, while Miami has been a well-oiled machine. After getting smacked in the mouth in Game 1, the Heat will be eager to come roaring back and swamp the short-handed Bulls.
Time: Wednesday, May 8, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami, Fla.
Series Record: 1-0 Bulls
Real Madrid vs Malaga May 8, 2013
Where: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu
When: 20:30 BST
Real Madrid take on Malaga CF in La Liga, and the two sides are amongst the most exciting to watch in Spain.
Still, there is rather less riding on the match than might initially appear.
Looking at the table, Malaga are in contention for the European places, with a slim chance of reaching the Champions League and highly realistic hopes of finishing within the Europa League qualification spots.
However, thanks to their financial issues of recent times, they will be banned from all UEFA competitions next season, and so are playing for position and pride for the remainder of the season.
Real Madrid have more to play for.
Los Meringues need to maintain their advantage over city rivals Atletico Madrid, as well as attempt to finish within a respectable distance from El Clasico adversaries FC Barcelona when the campaign is concluded.
With Jose Mourinho’s future very much up in the air at the end of the season – and strong links to both confirmed managerial vacancies at Manchester United and Chelsea this summer, Real Madrid’s motivation for their remaining fixtures will be high.
Cristiano Ronaldo will seek his 200th goal for the club in his 194th appearance – a frankly ludicrous scoring record – and will be aided by the likes of Mesut Ozil, Angel Di Maria and Xabi Alonso in his quest for the milestone.
Malaga’s danger men include Joaquin and Isco, and will hope to cause an upset.
Chelsea vs Tottenham May 8, 2013
Juan Mata's late winner at Old Trafford on Sunday put the Blues three points clear of fifth-placed Spurs, and another similar result would put Rafael Benitez's men within touching distance of a guaranteed top-four finish.
Chelsea's superior goal difference gives them a further edge in the battle for a Champions League spot, but a Tottenham win would throw the race wide open.
Chelsea v Tottenham
May 8, 2013 7:00pm
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However, Andre Villas-Boas takes his side to his former employers trying to break one of the longest-standing records in Premier League history.
In 20 visits to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League era, Spurs have never emerged victorious.
No other club has such a record in the top flight, and despite enjoying a successful debut season at White Hart Lane, Villas-Boas could end up missing out on Champions League if they do not pick up something in west London.
As ever, Gareth Bale is likely to be Tottenham's main threat on Wednesday night.
He has netted 11 in his last 11 matches, and has scored 13 goals away from home this season - more than any other player.
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