NBA Playoff Recap: June 8, 2021

Philadelphia 76ers 118, Atlanta Hawks 102

Series tied 1-1

FINAL BOX SCORE

This game was quite the roller coaster. The Hawks staved off three separate 76er runs that saw Atlanta down 18 points in the first, 11 points late in the second, and 10 points midway through the third. However, Philadelphia finally put the Hawks away with a 31-9 run that spanned the late third through middle of the fourth quarter.

Philadelphia was most successful in this game on the defensive end when they were disrupting Atlanta’s flow on offense, forcing them into quick shots instead of allowing them to move the ball and probe the paint via the drive.

The play off the bench from Danilo Gallinari and Kevin Huerter were key to Atlanta’s numerous comebacks. The starting lineup of Trae Young, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Solomon Hill, John Collins, and Clint Capela were a team-low minus-15 on the evening. Meanwhile, the lineup of Young, Bogdanovic, Huerter, Gallinari, and Collins was a team-high plus-12.

Utah Jazz 112, Los Angeles Clippers 109

Jazz lead series 1-0

FINAL BOX SCORE

This highly-anticipated series opens up with an exciting win for the home team. Utah opened the game going for broke from 3-point range. They shot 5-of-20 from beyond the arc in the first quarter while 0-of-8 on their 2-pointers. This put them behind 25-18 after the first 12 minutes.

The Jazz settled down from there, and ended up turning the tables in the second half. Utah outscored the Clippers 32-19 in the third quarter, tying the game at 79 after three quarters.

Utah managed to close out Los Angeles by outscoring them from the line 11-6. They also successful locked down on defense when they needed to most, as Defensive Player of the Year candidate Rudy Gobert made the game-winning block on the Marcus Morris 3-point attempt.

Despite the ebbs and flows of this game, it ended up being a very even match. Any adjustments the Clippers will need to make for Game 2 will be solely on the margins. This is shaping up to be a series where a win is determined by which side makes those extra baskets down the stretch.