Aaron Finch is ready to get creative with his bowling tactics in an attempt to the counter the large totals which are expected to dominate the 2019 World Cup.

The second ODI between England and Pakistan in Southampton over the weekend gave another taste of what could be to come, with 734 runs plundered in 100 overs. England made hay with wickets in hand in the closing over as Jos Buttler smashed a 50-ball century before Pakistan threatened to chase it down until the home side's death bowling held its nerve.

While conditions won't always be as pristine for batting as they were on Saturday on the south coast, it is expected to be a heavily bat-dominated tournament with the use of two new balls negating the chances of reverse swing and the Kookaburra hardly moving for the quicks when it's new.

That poses a tough set of challenges for fielding captains as they try and conjure plans to keep batting line-ups in check. One of the key areas will be taking wickets in the middle overs - it is why most sides now have a legspinner in their ranks, as do Australia with Adam Zampa.

ALSO READ: Back-up quicks a worry for Australia ahead of World Cup?

However, it could be that Australia's two premier quicks - Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins - are left with plenty of overs available for the middle period of an innings instead of sharing the new ball or being given extended spells with it.

Australia used their matches against New Zealand in Brisbane to try various combinations with Jason Behrendorff sharing the new ball with Starc in the final match, and Cummins used as first change.

"All the trends and all the stats in one-day cricket show the last couple of years the teams that have taken the most wickets in the middle overs have been successful," Finch said. "That's something that we've identified as an area we really want to try and nail so there is talk about all those kind of things. Whether you have a burst with Starc or Cummins through those middle overs. That will come down to the day, if someone gets off to a flyer you have to keep rolling out your big guns and make sure you are looking to take wickets in the Powerplay."

Away from Starc and Cummins, who are certain starters, there remains jostling to support them among Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Kane Richardson. The trio all had two outings against New Zealand but only managed a combined 6 for 223 compared to Starc and Cummins taking 10 for 117.

"That will be dictated over the next couple of weeks, it's not something we've sat down and planned," Finch said on bowling combinations. "There are a lot of questions still to be answered but we are in a great place to do that."

However, Finch did confirm that Zampa was the No. 1 spinner, although did not rule out pairing him up with Nathan Lyon again, as they did successful during the series in India and the UAE.

"[Zampa's] performances in India and the UAE were outstanding on wickets that didn't turn a huge amount but also against world-class players of spin he played exceptionally well. The reputation of Bristol [where Australia start against Afghanistan] is that it spins, but all reports say it didn't spin a huge amount in the latest one-day competition in England, so it's just going to be wait and see what the wickets produce."

The training camp in Brisbane brought good and bad news as far as Australia's attack is concerned, with Jhye Richardson being ruled out. "It's a huge loss," Finch said. "The energy he brings, his raw pace, ability to swing the ball and get good players out on good wickets is something that will be missed. That's not to say the others don't, but we saw that real x-factor with the ball. I know he was really down, but he'll pick himself up, he's only 22. He has a long career ahead."

The form of Starc, though, provided plenty of encouragement on his return from the pectoral injury he picked up against Sri Lanka in early February. His pace did not go unnoticed by the New Zealand batsmen and, when any modicum of movement with the white ball will be priceless, he found some swing.

"He's proved it in big moments that he can get the job done, so really encouraging. He's been swinging the ball the last few days which is such a valuable assest," Finch said.

An error-strewn IPL final resulted in a chaotic finish, leaving Chennai Super Kings needing nine off the last over against Lasith Malinga. How did it even get to that point? That was Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming's immediate reaction after his side faltered at the final hurdle.

Shardul Thakur had let rip bouncers and ambushed Quinton de Kock and Krunal Pandya. A third Thakur bouncer could have had Hardik Pandya on 4 had Suresh Raina not misjudged a skier at cover. When asked if those three balls from Thakur were among the best in the final when looked at in isolation, Fleming nodded in approval. Thakur was so good that Imran Tahir - Super Kings' MVP and top wicket-taker of the season - got just three overs despite dismissing Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan, who had toppled Super Kings in the first qualifier at Chepauk.

But Raina's drop allowed Mumbai Indians to regroup, and Hardik and Kieron Pollard plundered 39 together in 22 balls. Super Kings then regained some lost ground at the start of the chase with Faf du Plessis teeing off and Shane Watson settling down. But, Raina's painstaking 8 off 14 balls, and the tight run-out of captain MS Dhoni, tilted the balance back in favour of Mumbai.

Watson, though, tried to do a Dhoni. He sat back and targeted Malinga at the death, but with Super Kings needing five off three balls, Ravindra Jadeja pushed the 37-year old for a second run. Watson - his left hamstring strapped - was never going to make it. He had had three dropped chances and one missed run out, but fell with the target agonisingly close. Thakur couldn't get the job done either and was bested by Malinga.

ALSO READ: Malinga's final-ball ecstasy means agony for Thakur

"I think there were quite a few game-changing moments, which is fitting for a final," Fleming said at the post-match press conference. "They [Mumbai] got off to a good start but we came back very well. Our bowling, like it has been [throughout] this season, was very tough to handle and we thought we restricted them to what we thought was a very good score. We were confident at the halfway stage. But to be honest, batting has been the weak part of our game, there is still a lot of work to do. It was an aggressive start but then we lost our way. It took a pretty good performance from Shane Watson to keep us in the game. Look this is what you want from a final, you want it to be down to the last one or two balls and that's what happened today."

When asked if Watson could have just settled for a single off the fourth ball of the last over, or could have just taken it upon himself to take Super Kings home, Fleming said: "These are things that will going through the players' minds for days and months. Watson's was an innings that got us back into the game. We were stopped by some great bowling in the middle overs. [Jasprit] Bumrah bowled some great overs. To get back into the game was great. But we fell short. You've got to give it to Malinga. He just delivered under pressure. That's what it came down to. Yes, both teams can look back and think of doing certain things much better. There were dropped catches from both teams. It was a fitting end to the final, but unfortunately we are on the losing side."

However, Fleming was particularly pleased with the performance of his bowlers given that the attack was depleted by injuries. Fast bowler Lungi Ngidi missed the entire tournament because of a side strain while left-arm seam-bowling allrounder David Willey also pulled out, citing personal reasons. Later in the season, Dwayne Bravo sustained a hamstring injury and was sidelined for a couple of weeks. Fleming revealed that Mohit Sharma, who had been snapped up for INR 5 crore at the auction in December, wasn't "100%" as well.

In Bravo's absence, Deepak Chahar put on a stellar show, excelling at the death in addition to picking up vital wickets in the Powerplay, while New Zealand quick Scott Kuggeleijn won Super Kings the game against Kings XI Punjab in Chennai on his IPL debut. But it was Tahir who led the way, with a chart-topping 26 wickets in 17 matches at an economy rate of 6.69.

"We lost a couple of bowlers to injury. Lungi Ngidi was a big loss for us. There was also David Willey, [Sam] Billings. Mohit Sharma wasn't 100%. So we were short on options but what the players did with the opportunity was great. Deepak Chahar had a good season last year and had an excellent season this year. Imran Tahir, at the age of 40, was inspiring. Harbhajan [Singh] was very good. I am impressed with this department."

Super Kings' batting, on the other hand, was rickety throughout the season, but Fleming defended the top order, saying it was a tough challenge to bat upfront on a tricky track in the Chennai furnace. In the final, Super Kings swapped a safety-first approach for an attack-first approach, but although it seemed to have come off in the Powerplay, they came up short in the end.

"This year in Chennai was tough, the conditions were tough to read, hard to play," Fleming said. "If we look at the aggregate of numbers from our top order, we could have liked a bit more. But at the same time, how much more do you need? We got to the final, we went till the last ball. Of course, we didn't have a good season with the bat. But, there was never a lack of effort. Overall, certainly was a tough season for our batters."

The slow-moving legs will get slower in IPL 2020 and when asked at the post-match presentation if we would get to see Dhoni next IPL, the Super Kings captain replied: "Hopefully, yes". So, what's next for Super Kings? Should they invest in youth and aim to build a fresh core?

"We will give some time for dust to settle down," Fleming said. "I think if you win one title and reach the final next time, we have had good two years. We know we are an ageing team. So, at some point, we just have to look at recreating the side, obviously MS as well. He will be travelling to the World Cup. A lot of talent has been established in other teams. You need to do it carefully and get the balance right when you try to go for players who you think can deliver for us."

DENVER -- CJ McCollum stood on the Denver Nuggets logo at midcourt and stared directly at a deflated Pepsi Center crowd trying to process how Game 7 had slipped out of its team's hands.

In a back-and-forth Game 7 that mirrored this highly competitive second-round series, McCollum buried midrange jumpers from near the left side of the free throw line all game, chased down Jamal Murray for a LeBron James-like series-saving block and delivered the dagger that helped the Portland Trail Blazers break through a 19-year wall. For the first time since 2000, the Blazers are heading to the Western Conference finals, and they did so by completing the largest comeback in a Game 7 in the past 20 years.

McCollum orchestrated the comeback with 37 points, nine rebounds and the block on Murray to help Portland advance with a 100-96 victory over the Nuggets. The Blazers overcame a 39-22 deficit with 7:26 remaining in the second quarter, the largest deficit erased in a Game 7 since the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, came back from 16 down against Portland in the 2000 conference finals.

The Trail Blazers have been eliminated in the first or second round in their past 11 postseasons. But McCollum didn't need that for motivation to lift his team to a showdown with the Golden State Warriors.

"Honestly, I got enough motivation," he told ESPN's Doris Burke after the win. "I got it out the mud. I went to Lehigh University. You know what I'm saying? No one has ever been drafted there, so for me, it's about showing what I can do every night and keeping the door open for the next mid-major. I'm tired."

McCollum ended the Nuggets' best season in a decade by going 17-for-29 and doing almost all his damage from inside the 3-point line. On a day when Damian Lillard struggled through 3-for-17 shooting, McCollum was too much for the Nuggets to handle.

After Denver's cushion disappeared, the Nuggets were within four when Murray took an outlet pass and flew toward the basket. After avoiding Seth Curry, Murray appeared to have a layup, only to have McCollum erase it from behind with 4:44 to go, halting any momentum the Nuggets were creating.

"I just went and got it, Bron-style," said McCollum, who like James grew up outside of Cleveland. "Shout-out to my guy Bron from the 330. It was mini version of LeBron's block on [Andre Iguodala]. Definitely didn't get up as high, but it was a cool play. It's something I'll remember. I might have to get a picture of that one."

McCollum followed that by drilling three midrange jumpers in the final 2:57 to deny the Nuggets any chance to overcome the deficit. When Denver got within one, McCollum answered with a 16-foot pull-up with 1:25 remaining. After winding the clock down, McCollum was isolated on Torrey Craig before he got to his spot on the left side of the free throw line and buried a 16-foot jumper with 12.4 seconds left to give the Blazers a 98-95 lead.

"CJ was phenomenal tonight," said Denver coach Michael Malone, whose team won 54 games and finished second in the Western Conference in the regular season. "And all summer long, I'm going to be probably second-guessing myself. Out of a timeout, they just go 1-4 flat, and he hits a tough pull-up, and that's a shot he makes consistently. And Torrey played good defense, as good of defense you can ask somebody to play one-on-one.

"But right after, I'm saying, we should've sent somebody at him. He's having a great game, and make somebody else have to make a play or make a shot."

Afterward, the Blazers could be heard celebrating in the visitors locker room. They're one series away from their first NBA Finals trip since the Clyde Drexler-led Blazers faced the Chicago Bulls in 1991-92, and they did it without Jusuf Nurkic (out for the season with a leg injury) and after losing Rodney Hood (hyperextended knee) in the third quarter of this Game 7.

"Obviously, we had the roster turnover four years ago, and everybody was quick to shoot us down," Lillard said. "You know, count us out, and at that point, we didn't know for sure what direction we were going to go in. We definitely leaned on the culture we wanted to create -- doing things the right way, working hard, being about each other. You know, not being about one guy, two guys. You know, I think we really built that up from the jump."

"You know, everybody's excited because we all play a part in it," he added. "You know, you just don't create this type of thing with just the players. It takes everybody to be all-in. That's what it was tonight."

DENVER -- Dell Curry and Sonya Curry emerged from a restaurant inside the Pepsi Center and shouted with joy as they hugged Seth Curry.

The Curry family celebrated the Portland Trail Blazers' 100-96 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 7, setting up a Western Conference finals that will be a Curry family affair.

Seth Curry will face Stephen Curry for the right to get to the NBA Finals when the Trail Blazers play the Golden State Warriors starting Tuesday in Oakland, California. It's the first time in NBA history that two brothers will play against each other in a conference finals or NBA Finals, according to Elias Sports Bureau research.

"It's a dream come true for both of us," Seth Curry said. "Obviously, it's the first time it's been done. It's going to be a lot of fun for our families to be in the building. I'm looking forward to it."

Seth says he has played against his brother only in the NBA. Steph is 7-2 in the nine meetings, but his two losses have come this season.

"It's going to be so much fun," Sonya Curry told ESPN. "It is. From our end, to see both of our sons to compete at this level and for the goal to be a championship is such a blessing. We never could imagine this.

"One of them might go home. But we're going to the championship!"

No matter what happens, the Curry family wins. Either Steph will be going for his third straight championship or Seth will be playing for his first title. Seth says the experience could be stressful for their mom, however.

"I know my mom is a little stressed out," he said of what usually happens when the brothers face each other. "My dad, he's always calm. But my mom is stressed out, and you might be able to hear her. She's probably happy right now, enjoying the moment for both of us. She can look at the bright side: One of us is going to the Finals at the end of the day, so there's no losers."

Dell and Sonya Curry have been traveling all over to keep up with their two sons this postseason. This is Seth's first time playing in the playoffs in his five seasons, and his parents have traveled to Oakland, Portland, Los Angeles, Houston and Denver. Dell Curry says the only games they missed were road games at Oklahoma City and Game 1 between the Blazers and Nuggets in Denver.

"It's going to be fun," he told ESPN. "It's going to lessen our travel schedule. That's the biggest thing. We've been traveling quite a bit. It's been fun, it's been tiresome, but it's about ready to get real now."

"It's a first experience for all of us," he added. "Biggest thing is we are trying to decide who represents who."

Sonya Curry has a solution for which parent will wear Blazers colors and which will wear Warriors gear.

"We are flipping a coin every game," she said.

She also said she will try not to stress out watching both of her sons play with a Western Conference championship on the line. She wants to see both of her sons have their moments, especially Seth in his first postseason.

"It's fun," she said, repeatedly calling this a blessing. "It is really. I actually look forward to watching Seth and doing that. I want him to steal the ball and want him to shoot over Stephen and all that good stuff. I want him to have his moments too.

"It's cool. It's such a blessing to just be able to watch this and experience all this."

Dallas Mavericks power forward Kristaps Porzingis was involved in a bloody altercation over the weekend at a club in his hometown of Liepaja, Latvia.

"It is our understanding that Kristaps was jumped and assaulted outside of a club in Latvia. We will provide an update when one is available," the team said in a statement.

A source told ESPN that the Mavericks' understanding was that several Russians attacked Porzingis, who fought back before the club security broke up the scuffle.

Video of the aftermath of the incident went viral, showing Porzingis with a bloody gash on his head and a torn shirt. The source said that Porzingis was hit with an object, believed to be a chair, but he did not suffer any significant injuries.

T-shirt déchiré, visage ouvert et embrouille entre hommes en sortie de bar/boîte : les débuts de vacances de Kristaps Porziņģis ne se passe pas exactement pour le mieux. pic.twitter.com/AjbKy3XKyd

— Dallas Mavs France (@DallasMavsFr) May 12, 2019

TMZ reported that the men who attacked Porzingis were upset that he left the New York Knicks, who traded him to the Mavericks on Jan. 31 due in part to the All-Star being disgruntled with the franchise.

The 7-foot-3 Porzingis spent all of last season rehabilitating from a torn ACL in his left knee suffered on Feb. 6, 2018. He practiced with the Mavericks late in the season, but Porzingis, his advisers and the team agreed on a plan to prioritize working on his body over playing last season, even after he was medically cleared.

Porzingis is entering restricted free agency, but the Mavs made the trade with the intention of signing him to a five-year maximum contract this summer.

TORONTO -- Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard made the first Game 7 buzzer-beater in NBA history after his fadeaway jumper bounced four times on the rim before falling through the net as time expired in Toronto's 92-90 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

"It was great," Leonard said. "That's something I never experienced before -- Game 7, winning shot. It's a blessing to get to that point and make that shot and feel that moment, and it's something I can look back on in my career."

With the game tied 90-90 and 4.2 seconds remaining, the ball was inbounded to Leonard, who was guarded by 76ers guard Ben Simmons. As Leonard dribbled along the right side of the perimeter, Sixers center Joel Embiid pursued him along the right sideline. With less than a second remaining in regulation, Leonard elevated in the right corner over Embiid's outstretched arm and launched the shot.

"We ran a similar play in the [Orlando] Magic [first-round] series, and I ended up just catching and shooting the ball," Leonard said. "Embiid was guarding me. He's taller and longer than me, so I ended up finding a spot that I work on, and I just knew that I had to shoot it high."

The final horn sounded as the ball reached its apex before caroming off the rim several times. As it did, Leonard squatted in the right corner, tongue between pursed lips, awaiting the shot's fate. After the ball bounced through the iron, Leonard rose with his arms in the air and let out a scream before being rushed by teammates.

"It was crazy," Raptors guard Kyle Lowry said. "It was one of those moments where it's just like a real-life game winner, Game 7, like, count it down when you're back home, and everyone was celebrating like that. It was a pretty awesome moment."

The decisive shot was the final basket of a historic night for Leonard, who scored a game-high 41 points, and only the second buzzer-beater in a winner-take-all game in the postseason, after Michael Jordan's iconic shot to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the 1989 Eastern Conference playoffs. Leonard's 39 shot attempts on Sunday are second to only Elgin Baylor's 40 in 1962 as the most in an NBA Game 7.

The Raptors next travel to Milwaukee for the Eastern Conference finals. They face the top-seeded Bucks in Game 1 on Wednesday.

TORONTO -- Joel Embiid walked off the court in tears following the Philadelphia 76ers' 92-90 Game 7 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, as Philadelphia's playoff run ended in the final seconds of the final game of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

He had played 45 minutes, more than he ever had in regulation, and outstretched every bit of his 7-foot-6 wingspan to contest Kawhi Leonard's buzzer-beating shot, the first of its kind to win a Game 7 in NBA history.

"Losing the game that way," Embiid said when asked about his show of emotion. "Last shot. After a hard-fought game, I feel like we had a chance. A lot of things go through your mind. And it sucks. I don't know. I can't explain it. It just sucks."

Before making his way to the locker room, Embiid shared an embrace with Raptors center Marc Gasol, who offered a few words of encouragement between hearty sobs by the 25-year-old center, who has become the face of the Sixers franchise.

"He was just telling me ... tried to let me know that I'll be right there at this moment and even further in my career," Embiid said, praising the class that Gasol displayed.

Of course, Embiid's future success will be tied to many decisions that need to be made by the Sixers, starting this summer.

Three of Philadelphia's five starters -- Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris and JJ Redick -- are headed toward free agency. The Sixers' coach, Brett Brown, while under contract, will have to answer to the expectations laid out by Sixers co-owner Josh Harris in March.

"We want to make sure at a minimum to advance deeper in the playoffs than we did last year," Harris said at the MIT/Sloan Analytics Conference in March, adding that he would be "unhappy" if that weren't the case.

Technically, the Sixers advanced further -- making it to Game 7 of the second round, rather than Game 5, as they did in their loss to the Boston Celtics in 2018 -- but Harris' statement obviously begs the question as to what changes could occur because his goal was not met.

"I think the group incrementally, as I said in the beginning before we played, has slowly come together," Brown said. "I think our starting group is as talented as any in the NBA. ... I think moving forward, you try to hold on to as much of it as you can. And it's not my area. [General manager] Elton [Brand] will be great at this, and I'm sure a large portion of the challenge and the planning will be how do you grow the bench and hold on to as much of the starters as you can."

Brown was asked directly about his job security.

"Stuff like that, we've talked internally a lot," Brown said. "The club can respond to that."

Philadelphia's starting five, heralded as one of the best collections of talent in the sport, has still played only 21 games together in the regular season and playoffs combined. In that time, the 76ers found themselves one possession away from a berth in the Eastern Conference finals.

"We haven't been together for a while with this group," Ben Simmons said. "There is a lot of potential. The guys that we have, everyone we have now, we grew a lot in the last few months of being together. I'm proud of my guys."

When asked what the Sixers learned from the Raptors, Simmons didn't mince words. "It's simple," he said. "You just got to get better."

Butler, like Brown, was asked about his future.

"I'm not worried about none of that right now," Butler said when free agency came up during the postgame news conference. "I just got done losing. I don't want to talk about nothing else except for basketball."

Embiid, who pushed himself to play through left knee tendinitis, a bout of gastroenteritis and an upper respiratory infection during the postseason, was an injured first-year player in 2015-16, when Philadelphia went 10-72 as it played out its controversial rebuild known as "The Process" that was introduced by former general manager Sam Hinkie.

Embiid embodied the turnaround, even adopting "The Process" as his self-appointed nickname.

Addressing the media postgame, with an offseason rife with uncertainty ahead of him and years of bad basketball behind him, he was asked where "The Process" stands now and how exhausted he felt after playing all but 2 minutes, 48 seconds of the 48 minutes played Sunday.

"I don't give a damn about 'The Process,'" he said. "And no, I'm not tired."

The last time the Toronto Raptors played a Game 7, it was a 27-point blowout over the Miami Heat in 2016 that sent the Raptors to their first conference finals berth in franchise history.

After a disheartening loss in Game 6 against the Philadelphia 76ers, the two teams engaged in a seesaw battle that included 10 lead changes and six ties leading up to the final seconds of the series.

To recount the biggest shot in the second round of the 2019 playoffs -- and Toronto Raptors history -- we turn to those present for the occasion:

Kawhi Leonard missed the second of two free throws with 10.8 seconds remaining. The Raptors led 90-88.

Leonard: I was disappointed missing that free throw. I was very mad.

Tobias Harris collected the rebound and pushed the ball to Jimmy Butler, who streaked up the court and got a fast-break layup to fall with 4.2 seconds remaining over the outstretched arm of Serge Ibaka.

Leonard: I tried to race down and get the rebound. Probably should have sprinted back to give some help on that layup that Jimmy made. But after that, I was just like, whatever play he drew up, I'm gonna have to get to my spot and shoot it with confidence.

Raptors head coach Nick Nurse called a timeout and a final play was drawn up.

Nurse: We run Kyle [Lowry] off there first as the first option. Then, Kawhi loops under there and gets it at the top and it's his call from there what to do. We've seen that one a few times this year.

Leonard: We ran a similar play during the Magic series and I ended up just catch-and-shooting the ball. It was probably about three seconds so, I just remembered that moment, knowing I had time at least to pump fake and take a dribble.

So, he drew up that play again tonight and there was four seconds left and, remembering that moment, I knew I had some time to get some space rather than just catch and shoot the ball.

Leonard took the inbounds pass from Marc Gasol near the top of the key. Ben Simmons pushed him out near half court and Leonard started a drive toward the right corner. Joel Embiid left Pascal Siakam to pick up Leonard across the hash mark.

Leonard took one more dribble toward the baseline and rose for a 21-footer over Embiid in the corner.

Raptors general manager Bobby Webster: I always walk down to the first row so I know I can get out before. I'm standing next to Nick's wife, and [Kawhi] is coming toward us. You're worried about -- is he going to get the shot off in time? He comes deeper, deeper, deeper. Embiid's on him. Then he's just got to get it up high enough to get over Embiid.

Leonard: I ended up catching it and just trying to get to a space so I could get the shot off. Embiid was guarding me. But he's taller and longer than me, so I ended up finding a spot that I like ... that I work on. I knew I had to shoot it high. A couple of possessions before that I had the same kind of shot from 3 and it ended up coming short. I had to put it up even higher than that.

Scotiabank Arena security guard Bader Beituni: I was standing with one of my friends here and I called it. I told him, "Kawhi's gonna take this. It's gonna be a game winner right here."

Leonard: I just went into my shot, and just shot it as high as I could and I got some loft on it. It felt great.

JJ Redick: It looked short. It looked short. And there's a lot of emotion that happens as the ball starts rolling around the rim.

Four bounces.

Webster: Front of the rim -- I will say when it hit front of the rim I said, "Ah, it looks a little different than normal." You know? It looked a little different than normal, right?

Butler: He hit a tough one. You tip your hat to that. He's an incredible player. We know it. Y'all know it. And there's not much more you can say about that.

76ers head coach Brett Brown: I really felt when it hit the rim that it was going to end up going in. It didn't surprise me that it went in. When it hits at that angle and it goes kinda straight up, you feel like there is a chance that it is actually going to go in. Not to pretend like you can forecast anything, it didn't surprise me that it ended up falling in.

It did seem like it was up there for a while, but with the way he missed and the bounce on the ball and the fact that it did go straight up and not go to the right or the left. It's a tough way to lose. That's a hell of a shot and what a tremendous series.

Simmons: Jo obviously got out there and was able to put a hand up, but he's a great player who made a great shot.

Scotiabank Arena security guard Nicholas Prasad: I saw the ball hit the basket, hit the rim the first time. The first thing I thought about was, "We're going to overtime." Second time it hit the rim, I thought we had a chance. And the third time it went in. And I'm like, "Damn, with this referee system they're definitely going to review it."

And when that ball went in I ran up three stairs -- I almost tripped twice -- and all I saw was Masai [Ujiri] crying. I saw everybody in the stands crying. We were just in shock. But it was like a really good shock. And that was just joy.

Nurse: Looks like it's going in. Looks like it's going in to me. I thought it was obviously a nice lucky bounce, right? I thought we were very unlucky for a lot of that game, so it came back to us a little bit.

I think he missed a couple of those along the way this season. That exact same play. Similar shot. So, it's good the balancing scales were there tonight.

Embiid: Game 7 -- losing the game that way. Last shot. After a hard-fought game. I feel like we had a chance. A lot of things go through your mind. It sucks. I can't explain it. It just sucks.

Lowry: Superstar. In 2001, it didn't fall for Vince [Carter]. In 2019, it fell for Kawhi.

ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz contributed to this story.

Atlanta Braves right-hander Kevin Gausman on Sunday dropped the appeal of his five-game suspension for intentionally throwing at the Miami Marlins' Jose Urena on May 3.

He began serving the suspension on Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks and will miss the Braves' three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals and Friday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Gausman got the win on Saturday night against Arizona, giving up one run and five hits in six innings to improve to 2-3 on the season. He has a 4.50 ERA in eight starts.

He was ejected in the second inning the Braves' 7-2 victory over the Marlins on May 3 for throwing a 97 mph fastball behind Urena, who was at the center of a melee last season with the Braves.

Urena was suspended six games last season for intentionally hitting the Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr., who had homered in five straight games at the time, including three straight against the Marlins.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays were interrupted by a power outage at Tropicana Field that caused a 43-minute delay on Sunday.

The lights at the domed stadium went out after Austin Pruitt's first pitch to Thairo Estrada leading off the ninth inning. Both teams' television broadcasts also lost power.

The Rays said in a statement that "a failure of a main switch into the building caused the outage."

A statement from us on the delay at Tropicana Field during today's Rays-Yankees game. pic.twitter.com/XeTwKjxfCN

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 12, 2019

New York led 3-1 at the time of the delay. Estrada homered on the second pitch from Pruitt after play resumed.

"I've never been through something like that,'' Estrada said through an interpreter. "You've just got to keep your mind in a positive state.''

The Yankees added three more runs after that on a two-run double by Gio Urshela and a sacrifice fly from Brett Gardner. They went on to win 7-1.

With the victory, New York closed within a half-game of the first-place Rays in the AL East.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.