The playoffs are here and it was a crazy and fun weekend of game 1’s to open the playoffs up. As a result, I decided to break down each game and look ahead for what’s to come.
76ers 121, Nets 101
The Sixers ran away with this game late, finishing the game on a 33-20 run. James Harden led the way for Philly with 23 points and 13 assists. Brooklyn’s box score numbers were good shooting 55.7% from the field and 44.8% from 3, that coupled with a Mikal Bridges 30 ball you would think Brooklyn was in the game, and for a lot of it they were. However, Philly absolutely blitzed Brooklyn in the 2nd half and a lot of that was due to Bridges’ struggles in the half where he only took 2 shots, making both of them. The Nets also turned the ball over too often with 19 of them. That coupled with Philly making 21 threes in the game, Brooklyn is going to have a tough time winning games. If the Nets do end up winning a game in the series they will need Spencer Dinwiddie and Nic Claxton to be better as the duo scored just 19 points in the game. Bad news for the Nets is that this was not a great Joel Embiid game, a good one as Embiid scored 26 points and handled the double teams they kept throwing at him well but it was not a mammoth game from the presumed MVP and those are hard to overcome for any team. This will likely be a quick series. Game 2 is Monday at 7:30PM/EST on TNT.
Celtics 112, Hawks 99
Boston absolutely blitzed the Hawks to start the game, building a 30 point lead at half time behind 21 points from Jayson Tatum. The Hawks responded well in the 2nd half, however, out scoring Boston 55-38 in the 2nd half. The Celtics have to take better care of the basketball if they want to go where they think they can, 16 turnovers is too many and Jaylen Brown, with 6 of them, has to be better in that regard. The Hawks have to make more shots, shooting 38.8% from the field and an abysmal 17.2% from 3. That cannot happen and is the reason Atlanta lost the game. The Hawks dominated the fastbreak points, 17-4, but they should have had more as Boston’s transition defense at the end of the game was really good as Al Horford and Derrick White made plays. Trae Young was really bad, 16 points (5-18 FG) and 8 assists. The assist number is good but the shooting has to be better and the defense was so bad and it won’t get better so making shots is a must for Young. The Hawks defense really clicked in the 2nd half and Dejounte Murray was really good throughout the game. Robert Williams looked really good for the Celtics though and if the Celtics can put together 48 minutes over the next couple of games, this series will also be quick. Game 2 is Tuesday at 7:00PM/EST on NBATV.
Knicks 101, Cavaliers 97
The Jalen Brunson-Donovan Mitchell duel was incredible. The second half was all about those two stars as Brunson had 21 points in the 2nd half while Mitchell had 20. Those two guys were amazing. Josh Hart had a monster game with 17 points (8-11 FG) and 10 rebounds, Hart really delivered for New York in his playoff debut. However, the big story, and the reason New York won the game, was rebounding. The Knicks outrebounded the Cavs 34-27 and the Knicks had 17 offensive rebounds, including 7 in the fourth quarter. The biggest one came from Julius Randle, when the Knicks were up 99-97 and Cleveland had gotten the stop they desperately needed, Randle skyed in for the rebound, passing it out to Quentin Grimes, who was fouled and made both free throws to seal the win for the Knicks. I thought Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley all had really bad games and they need to be better, especially since Cleveland is so thin. Allen and Mobley allowing 7 fourth quarter offensive rebounds was criminal and cannot happen again. RJ Barrett needs to be better for the Knicks though I have my worries about that happening. Overall, I think these two teams matchup well and think we are in for a long series. Game 2 is Tuesday at 7:30PM/EST on TNT.
Kings 126, Warriors 123
WHAT A GAME. This series is going to be awesome. Late in the third quarter Steph Curry hit a three to put Golden State up 86-76 and it was starting to look bleak for the Kings. Then a 15-4 run not only put the Kings right back in the game but gave Sacramento the lead entering the fourth quarter. Yet again, De’Aaron Fox was incredible in the fourth scoring 15 of his 38 points in the period. Steph was awesome as well scoring 30 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney had big games for the Warriors, as Looney held Domantas Sabonis to just 12 points and Wiggins looked good in his first game back, though he missed a shot that would have put Golden State up. With Sabonis, Keegan Murray, and Kevin Huerter struggling, Sacramento needed to find production from somewhere else. They got it from Malik Monk and Trey Lyles. The two combined for 48 points and 9 rebounds on 14-21 from the field and 6-10 from 3. Monk also was 14/14 from the line. Davion Mitchell and Harrison Barnes played really well too, as both made a bunch of plays for the Kings that don’t show up in the box score. Klay Thompson hit a few big threes but went 5/14 behind the arch in the game so he needs to be better. My pick before the series was Warriors in six, and while I am not changing it yet, this series probably goes 7. Game 2 is Monday at 10:00PM/EST on TNT.
Lakers 128, Grizzlies 112
This game was closer than the score indicates as it was a fun game to watch throughout. For the Lakers, the day was won by Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves. Hachimura had the game of his life, scoring 29 points on 11/14 from the floor, 5/6 from 3 and grabbing 6 rebounds as well. Reaves closed this one out for the Lakers, he had 14 points in the fourth quarter on shooting splits of 100/100/100 (he was perfect in the period). Even with the injury scare at the end of the first half, Anthony Davis delivered for the Lakers on Sunday afternoon. He scored 22 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and blocked 7 shots, and, to me, looked like the best player on the court. LeBron also had 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists, just LeBron James doing LeBron James things even in year 20. Jaren Jackson Jr. had a huge game for the Grizzlies, with 31 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks for the likely defensive player of the year, he delivered for the Grizzlies. However, it feels like a mute point for Memphis as all their worries are about Ja Morant’s wrist, as he fell on it late in the game and it did not look good. If Morant cannot play, the rest of it doesn’t matter and this series will probably be quick… and I am worried about Morant’s availability for the rest of the series. Game 2 is Wednesday at 7:30PM/EST on TNT.
Heat 130, Bucks 117
This was a Jimmy Butler masterclass. 35 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists for Butler in game 1, as he picked on every single defender Milwaukee tried to guard him with, Grayson Allen and Jae Crowder being the main culprits. Bam Adebayo also played a great game with 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists while also making a big impact on the defensive end. The big concern for the Bucks is the injury to Giannis, who left Sunday’s game with a back injury. Shams Charania is reporting that the Bucks are optimistic that he could return for game 2. Especially now since Tyler Herro broke his hand and with the way Khris Middleton looked last night, even with the Heat game 1 win, I still have the Bucks in 5. Game 2 is Wednesday at 9:00PM/EST on NBATV.
Clippers 115, Suns 110
What a game and what a win for the Clippers. As the game went on this felt like a ‘gotta have it game’ for the Clippers and they grabbed it. Kawhi Leonard was incredible with 38 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in the game, just a dominant performance from a player who always seems to deliver in the playoffs. Russell Westbrook had probably the greatest game from a player who shot 3 for 19 in the game, he had 5 offensive rebounds, including 2 huge ones in the fourth quarter, along with the game sealing block and then throwing the ball off of Devin Booker. Westbrook made big play after big play to ensure the Clippers a huge game one win. The Clippers play from their centers was a huge key too as Mason Plumlee and Ivica Zubac both had really good games, allowing the Clippers to have a center on the court at all times which is a good thing. The Suns depth is a huge concern, they only had 6 players play over 10 minutes in the game. Monty Willians does not have enough players he trusts to play major minutes in a playoff series and that is a problem. Torrey Craig had a great game scoring 22 points while only missing 3 shots in the game. Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton both need to be better if Phoenix is going to make a run to help lighten the load on Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. I think this series is going to be juicier than people anticipated going into it and the Suns running out of gas is a huge concern, the Clippers have to make sure Kawhi remains awesome throughout the series. Game 2 is Tuesday at 10:00PM/EST on TNT.
Nuggets 109, Timberwolves 80
80 points in a playoff game is so bad, so ridiculously bad. Nikola Jokic spent the night throwing sick passes as Rudy Gobert was just trying to figure out how to be productive, he finished as a -28 in 26 minutes. It was a really bad night for the Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns was bad, 11 points on 5/15 from the field and 1/7 from 3. Anthony Edwards was not much better as he scored 18 points on 6/15 from the field and 1/4 from 3. The Wolves should probably burn the tape of this game and move on to game 2. Bruce Brown was great for Denver off of the bench but I remain worried about the Nuggets as Jamal Murray and Micheal Porter Jr. have not been the players they were pre-injury and their championship chances rely on those guys looking closer to their pre-injury forms than they do now. My main takeaway from this game was that 10:30PM/EST was a ridiculous start time for a playoff game and the NBA should not do it again (Suns-Clippers game 3 is at 10:30 on Thursday night). Game 2 is Wednesday at 10:00PM/EST on TNT.
The playoffs have begun and we are starting to see what each first round series will look like. The next 9 or so weeks should be a lot of fun for NBA fans everywhere so strap in and enjoy because the playoffs are here.
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