NBA Playoff Recap: June 3, 2021

It was a doubleheader of elimination games, and the top seeds got the job done. Here’s a look at some of the keys to how these matchups unfolded.

Denver Nuggets 126, Portland Trail Blazers 115

Nuggets win series 4-2

FINAL BOX SCORE

It was going to be hard for this game to follow up the excitement of Game 5, but Game 6 was definitely a roller coaster unto itself.

The Trail Blazers led 93-79 with 4:53 remaining in the third quarter. It looked like Portland was well on their way to forcing a Game 7. The team was clicking offensively, having knocked down 15 3-pointers to Denver’s nine. Lillard (19 points, 11 assists) was finally getting the assistance that eluded him late in Game 5 from CJ McCollum (19 points), Norman Powell (17 points), and Robert Covington (11 points).

Their long distance onslaught allowed them to stave off a 22-point first quarter outburst from Michael Porter Jr. Porter went 6-of-7 from 3-point range in the opening period, including hitting his first five attempts.

Defensively, Portland wasn’t playing lockdown D, but was playing well enough to keep Denver at bay. Jusuf Nurkic was still minutes-matching Nikola Jokic, and he did extremely well in the first half. Nurkic held his former teammate to nine points without conceding any fouls. That’s a big deal for a player that had fouled out in three of the series’ first five games.

But once the third quarter started, the Nuggets raised their intensity on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Denver began to play more through Jokic, applying pressure to Nurkic’s defensive effort. As a result, Nurkic ended up with four fouls by the end of the third.

Defensively, the Nuggets started playing their assignments tighter off-ball and defending against the drive. They also looked to force the ball out of Lillard’s hands and make his teammates create.

Portland managed to trade baskets for awhile even under duress. However, from 4:53 in the third onward, they went into a total meltdown. Jokic and his crew continued to batter the Blazers with unrelenting defensive pressure and back-breaking buckets until the tables were completely turned.

Denver closed out the game outscoring Portland 47-22. They shot 15-of-29 (51.7 percent) from the field and 6-of-10 from 3 over that stretch. Conversely, the Blazers went 5-of-22 (22.7 percent) from the field and 0-of-9 from beyond the arc. The Nuggets out-rebounded them 16-9 and won the turnover battle 3-6.

Perhaps fatigue played a role in the loss, or a porous defensive team finally met their maker when they couldn’t rely on their star guard as much. Either way, the Nuggets, even with two starters out, played with intensity on both ends of the floor and managed to close out their division rivals in six games.

Phoenix Suns 113, Los Angeles Lakers 100

Suns win series 4-2

FINAL BOX SCORE

After their Game 5 drubbing, the prospect of the Lakers extending this series felt like a tall task to me. Anthony Davis attempted to tough out his groin injury and started the game. He only lasted five minutes before leaving the game. The pain he was visibly in made the team doctors’ decision to clear him in the first place look wildly irresponsible. Things looked bleaker for the Lakers without Davis, and by 7:43 in the second quarter Phoenix was ahead 48-19.

To LA’s credit, they went on to outscore the Suns 81-65 the rest of the way. They even got as close as 10 points (94-84) with 8:06 left in the fourth. However, Phoenix was able to up their intensity just enough down the stretch to preserve the double-digit win at the final buzzer.

Devin Booker was the Man of the Hour, unleashing 47 points and eight 3-pointers (making his first six) in a closeout game on the road against the defending champions. It’s one thing to have a strong outing in these games; 20, maybe 25 points. It’s another for Booker to have his fourth game with at least 30 points in just his sixth career playoff game. That’s superstar behavior. You could even say it’s pretty legendary.

LeBron James came away with 29 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and two blocks. Those were all team-highs. It’s a strong game for the average star player. For LeBron, it was clear he, like Davis, was also still dealing with some injury issues. It was evident in his lack of athletic burst on the court. This version just can’t carry the team on his back like he could in the past.

The starting backcourt of Dennis Schroder (20 points) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (19 points) overcame their scoreless Game 5 to deliver 39 points on 13-of-25 (52.0 percent) shooting. However, there was much scoring assistance beyond them. After all, the Lakers were a team built around their two stars. When those stars are neutralized by injuries, there isn’t much hope for LA to advance.

After their quick turnaround from The Bubble to the 2020-21 season, the Los Angeles Lakers can finally rest. The Phoenix Suns, meanwhile, move on to the next chapter in their remarkable campaign.