Injuries have dominated the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs so far.
The Suns take on the Pelicans in Game 4 in New Orleans without star Devin Booker, who is out with a hamstring injury. The Bucks are in the same boat with Khris Middleton, who’s out for Game 4 against the Bulls in Chicago with a sprained MCL. Both teams, who competed in the 2021 Finals, will likely miss their stars for the remainder of their first-round series.
Phoenix leads New Orleans 2-1, and Milwaukee leads Chicago 2-1.
The Golden State Warriors are moving full steam ahead after Steph Curry returned to the lineup, even if he’s coming off the bench. The Warriors are on the verge of sweeping Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets. They head into Game 4 in Denver with a 3-0 series lead.
No team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit to win an NBA playoff series.
Sunday’s action is rounded out by Game 4 in Atlanta between the Hawks and Heat, who are likely to be without Kyle Lowry following a hamstring injury. Miami leads 2-1.
SATURDAY RECAP: T’wolves pull even with Grizzlies; Celtics go up 3-0 on Nets
‘Third Splash Brother’ Jordan Poole has long history as a playoff breakout star
This isn’t the first time Poole has decided the postseason would be his breakout party.
There’s the shot everyone remembers – his buzzer-beater 3-pointer that pushed the Michigan Wolverines past the Houston Cougars in the second round of the 2018 men’s NCAA Tournament. Poole, then a freshman, came off the bench with Duncan Robinson for a team that reached the championship game.
But Poole’s playoff poise actually traces its origin story to his freshman year of high school, long before his performances through three games of the 2022 NBA playoffs have helped the Golden State Warriors take a 3-0 series lead over the Denver Nuggets.
As a teenager at Rufus King — a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, public school powerhouse — Poole buried a shot from just inside the logo, sending the game to overtime. Rufus King won and advanced to the state tournament.
“He’s a winner,” then-coach Jim Gosz told USA TODAY Sports from Denver, hours before Gosz watched the Warriors punish the Nuggets for the third straight game. Poole had 27 points to complement Games 1 and 2 of 30 and 29, respectively. “Everywhere he’s gone, he’s won.”
— Chris Bumbaca
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA playoffs 2022 Sunday live updates: Can Warriors sweep Nuggets?
