Friday featured a trio of tide-turning Game 3’s. What were the key reasons behind the evening’s results?
Atlanta Hawks 105, New York Knicks 94
Hawks lead series 2-1
Atlanta proved in this game that they simply have the stronger offense, and Trae Young is their engine. After back-to-back 30-point performances at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks made an effort to apply more defensive pressure on him. However, that only gave Young’s teammates the opportunity to shine.
Trae Young finished the game with 21 points, 14 assists, and just two turnovers. With those numbers he helped orchestrate a Hawks offense that shot 51.9 percent from the field and 59.3 percent from 3-point range. Seven Hawks, including Young, scored in double-figures. Notably, Danilo Gallinari went 4-of-4 from beyond the arc.
Atlanta put together a strong defensive effort as well. They held the Knicks to 35.8 percent shooting from the field and 30.8 percent from beyond the arc. The Hawks hassled Julius Randle into another tough game (2-of-15 shooting from the field, 0-of-8 on 2-pointers) and made it difficult for the Knicks to score in the paint.
With New York being a downhill team, locking down the paint sapped them of their main source of offense. The Hawks outscored the Knicks in the key 44-30. Derrick Rose and his 30 points were the only upside for NY in their brutal defeat.
The free throw line kept the Knicks afloat for most of the first half. In fact, they went a perfect 13-of-13 in the first quarter. Despite Atlanta’s success defending the paint, New York was still aggressive enough to draw plenty of fouls. At 7:46 in the second quarter, with the game tied 36-all, the Knicks were 10-of-31 from the field but 14-of-16 from the line.
Unfortunately for NYK, the Hawks then reeled off a 22-8 run to close out the half. That surge basically decided the game, rendering the Knicks’ charity stripe advantage moot.
Boston Celtics 125, Brooklyn Nets 119
Nets lead series 2-1
The Celtics produced some outstanding offensive output en route to a victory in front of their home crowd. After two lethargic performances in Brooklyn, this was a completely different Celtics team. This new identity finally got them on the board in this series.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with a phenomenal 50-point night. His isolation game was on point and on full display. It allowed him to get to wherever he wanted on the court to score, be it on a lethal pull-up or to clear a lane to the basket to draw a foul. Tatum amassed his point total off of 11 2-pointers, 5 3’s, and 13 free throws. A well-balanced scoring effort.
Boston, in general, managed to match Brooklyn’s energy from distance, as both teams made 16 3-pointers. The key advantage in this game, however, was on the glass. Tristan Thompson pulled down nine offensive rebounds, which was crucial to the Celtics outscoring the Nets 13-5 in second chance points.
James Harden (41 points, 10 assists) and Kevin Durant (39 points, nine rebounds, four steals) paced Brooklyn with strong performances. However, Kyrie Irving struggled mightily. Perhaps the weight of returning to Boston for a playoff game was too much. Either way, he ended up with 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting.
Even with Irving’s issues, the Nets still could have won this game if just a few more shots fell for him. Alas, they didn’t, and the Celtics did just the right stuff to push past Brooklyn for the win.
Los Angeles Clippers 118, Dallas Mavericks 108
Mavericks lead series 2-1
The Los Angeles Clippers avoid falling into the dreaded 0-3 series hole with this very important road win. Their performance in this game reminded me why they were considered during the regular season to be one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
I think the biggest key to this game was the Clippers’ paint protection. While Dallas scorched the nets from long distance to the tune of 51.3 percent (20-of-39), Los Angeles made it difficult for the Mavericks to score whenever they stepped inside the arc. Dallas produced just 24 points on 12-of-34 (35.2 percent) shooting within the key. Meanwhile, the Clippers offense was humming, as they ended the evening with a .579/.419/.944 shooting split.
Luka Doncic paced Dallas with a monster 44-point performance. It’s impressive, but not surprising. Instead, my spotlight is on the lack of reinforcement from fellow star player Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis had just nine points on 3-of-10 shooting from the field, his worst performance in a series where he already went 4-of-13 in Game 1.
Without him, the Mavs are fighting an uphill battle against the dynamic Clippers duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Doncic is elite, but he can’t do it alone. Rather it’s injury or nerves, Porzingis has not been his best in this series. He’ll need to improve fast if Dallas wants a chance at advancing to the next round.
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