One team advances, one team blows out the defending champs, and one game was an instant classic. Here are some key reasons behind how Tuesday’s trio of playoff games unfolded.
Brooklyn Nets 123, Boston Celtics 109
Nets win series 4-1
The result of this series felt inevitable, and now the deed is finally done. The Brooklyn Nets have closed out their first round matchup against the Boston Celtics in five games.
Boston definitely gave a valiant effort in their attempt to stave off elimination. Jayson Tatum dropped 32 points, nine rebounds, and five assists while four more Celtics joined him in double-figures. They were down by only seven points, 86-79, after three quarters. In the end, though, Brooklyn and their Big Three were just too much to keep up with. The Nets opened the fourth on a 34-19 run to make it 120-98 with 3:19 left in the game, essentially putting the game out of reach.
James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving combined for 83 points on 57.4 percent shooting on the evening. Harden, specifically, had a 34-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. There is no answer for the Nets when this trio is in rhythm on offense. Good luck to Milwaukee.
Denver Nuggets 147, Portland Trail Blazers 140 (2OT)
Nuggets lead series 3-2
This game was an instant classic. It was somewhat reminiscent of these teams’ matchup in Game 3 of the 2019 Western Conference Semifinals. However, that game went to four(!!) overtimes, and saw the Trail Blazers prevail 140-137 in Portland. This time, the Nuggets were the home side and the victor of this intense duel.
This game was highlighted by Damian Lillard’s elite shotmaking. He knocked down a NBA playoff-record 12 3-pointers en route to a 55-point game. Two of those treys were responsible for sending this game into each of its overtimes.
The result of this game came down to the fact that while Dame did a lot for the Blazers on Tuesday, his teammates failed to return the favor. Portland’s four other starters also finished in double-figures, but they were disturbingly quiet offensively in the extra sessions. Lillard had 17 points between both overtimes on 6-of-8 shooting from the field (4-of-6 from 3-point range) and 1-of-1 from the line. The rest of the Blazers over that span scored two points on 1-of-14 shooting (0-of-8 from beyond the arc). Enes Kanter was responsible for that single field goal.
That lack of reinforcements in this game has to be frustrating for Blazer fans. Especially considering that Portland pulverized Denver in Game 4 behind 29 points for Norman Powell, 21 from CJ McCollum, and 17 from Jusuf Nurkic while Lillard had an off-night.
Just a fraction of that Game 4 play from any of the starters could have turned the tables of this epic game in Portland’s favor. Instead, Lillard got several missed buckets on potential assists, including a botched dunk, and a foot-on-the-sideline turnover from his cavalry in the games final 10 minutes.
By contrast, the Denver Nuggets’ role players stepped up when needed. While Nikola Jokic finished with an impressive 38 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, and four blocks, he became more fatigued as the game went on. He logged seven points and four assists during both OTs on 3-of-8 shooting. The rest of the Nuggets came through with 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field (5-of-7 from beyond the arc) and 5-of-6 shooting from the free throw line.
In the playoffs, The Others are almost as important as the stars. That was vividly apparent in this game. Now the Nuggets are in position to close out this series on Thursday, and the Blazers have their backs against the wall.
Phoenix Suns 115, Los Angeles Lakers 85
Suns lead series 3-2
When it was announced that Anthony Davis would miss his second consecutive game with a strained groin injury, it’s certainly understood that the degree of difficulty was going to increase for the Lakers and their quest to regain the series lead. But it was quite a sight to see the Lakers play a game this ugly while their second star was sidelined. LA’s flat performance gave Phoenix the opportunity to throttle the defending champions and remind the NBA fandom why they are the second seed in the Western Conference.
Phoenix’s 32-10 second quarter was the deciding stanza of this game. They shot 54.2 percent from the field, beasting LA — a normally strong defensive team with a lot of size — 14-4 in the paint. The Suns also held the Lakers to 2-of-17 shooting (11.8 percent) from the field, 0-of-5 from 3-point range, forced six turnovers while only committing one, and scored 10 points off of those takeaways. LeBron went scoreless on 0-of-3 shooting in the period.
Phoenix did whatever they wanted on the court in the second, as most of the Suns’ scores came off of defensive breakdowns. The Lakers looked like a shell of themselves. Even with AD out, there was no reason for them to look this bad.
Devin Booker led the charge for Phoenix with 30 points on 13-of-23 shooting. He used this game as an exhibition for the art of the mid-range. His lethal pull-up shot allowed him to go 6-of-9 on 2-pointers outside the paint. Cameron Payne continued his ascendance in this series with 16 points on blistering 7-of-11 shooting.
LeBron James paced Los Angeles with 24 points. The remaining starters accounted for just 11 more points on 3-of-17 shooting. The starting backcourt of Dennis Schorder and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope went scoreless, missing all 10 of their attempts.
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