NBA: Heat Eliminate Bucks; Lakers Win

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) – The top seed is out after just two rounds and 10 games of the NBA playoffs.  The Heat are in the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in six years following a 103-94 win over the Bucks.  Playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo because of a sprained ankle, the Bucks raced out to a 28-15 lead but couldn’t sustain the momentum. Miami answered with a 30-9 spurt that put the Heat ahead, 45-37.  Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic each scored 17 points for the Heat, who overcame 22 turnovers and clinched their seventh trip to the conference finals since 2005. The Bucks are just the sixth No. 1 seed to fail to advance to the conference finals since the playoffs expanded to 16 teams in 1984.  Khris Middleton scored a game-high 23 points for the Bucks.
Next up for Miami is the winner of the East semifinal series between the Celtics and Raptors, which Boston leads, three games to two. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers enjoy a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference finals after beating the Houston Rockets for the second straight game. LeBron James scored 36 points and Rajon Rondo sparked a fourth-quarter rally in the Lakers’ 112-102 win over the Rockets.  Rondo scored eight straight points during a 10-0 run early in the fourth quarter that put the Lakers ahead for good. He finished with 21 points and nine assists to help James set an NBA record with his 162nd career playoff win, surpassing Derek Fisher.  Anthony Davis had 26 points and Kyle Kuzma added 14. James Harden scored 33 points and Russell Westbrook had 30 for the Rockets.