Raptors Look To Build Off Game 1 Win
By Dan Bruno
The Toronto Raptors play the Brooklyn Nets in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference first-round playoffs on Wednesday at Orlando.
The Raptors took Game 1 in convincing fashion, as they led by as many as 33 points before closing out the 24-point win. They led through the entire contest and even when the Nets made a push in the third quarter, the Raptors were able to stop the momentum and retain control.
Fred VanVleet led the Raptors in the Game 1 win with 30 points on 11-of-15 shooting, 11 assists, two steals and a block, in 39 minutes. Serge Ibaka came up big off the bench, with 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a block, while Kyle Lowry totaled 16 points, seven rebounds, six assists and a block. The Raptors' offense had no trouble getting going, as they shot 47 percent from the field, including 22-of-44 from deep. They also limited themselves to 11 turnovers and tallied 26 assists. The Raptors will look to build on their momentum and take command of the series with another win in Game 2.
Meanwhile, the Nets gave a strong effort despite missing so many key players from their lineup. On the plus side, the injuries in their lineup give other guys a chance to step up, as did Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot in Game 1, where he led the Nets with 26 points, seven rebounds and two assists, in 33 minutes. Caris LeVert added 15 points, 15 assists, seven rebounds and a steal, while Joe Harris chipped in 19 points, six rebounds and two assists, in the loss. The Nets did a great job sharing the ball, with 33 assists in game Game 1, but they gave up 14 turnovers, which amounted to 17 points for their opponent. They will certainly need to tighten up on the defensive end to have a better shot in Game 2, especially on the long range attempts, as they let the Raptors hit 22 three-pointers in Game 1.
The Raptors took Game 1 in convincing fashion, as they led by as many as 33 points before closing out the 24-point win. They led through the entire contest and even when the Nets made a push in the third quarter, the Raptors were able to stop the momentum and retain control.
Fred VanVleet led the Raptors in the Game 1 win with 30 points on 11-of-15 shooting, 11 assists, two steals and a block, in 39 minutes. Serge Ibaka came up big off the bench, with 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a block, while Kyle Lowry totaled 16 points, seven rebounds, six assists and a block. The Raptors' offense had no trouble getting going, as they shot 47 percent from the field, including 22-of-44 from deep. They also limited themselves to 11 turnovers and tallied 26 assists. The Raptors will look to build on their momentum and take command of the series with another win in Game 2.
Meanwhile, the Nets gave a strong effort despite missing so many key players from their lineup. On the plus side, the injuries in their lineup give other guys a chance to step up, as did Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot in Game 1, where he led the Nets with 26 points, seven rebounds and two assists, in 33 minutes. Caris LeVert added 15 points, 15 assists, seven rebounds and a steal, while Joe Harris chipped in 19 points, six rebounds and two assists, in the loss. The Nets did a great job sharing the ball, with 33 assists in game Game 1, but they gave up 14 turnovers, which amounted to 17 points for their opponent. They will certainly need to tighten up on the defensive end to have a better shot in Game 2, especially on the long range attempts, as they let the Raptors hit 22 three-pointers in Game 1.
Nuggets, Jazz Collide In Game 2 Of Thrilling Matchup
The Utah Jazz will play the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs on Wednesday.
The Nuggets found themselves at the winning end of a tight Game 1 and the main reason why they escaped with victory was the play of Jamal Murray, as the star point guard finished with a team-high 36 points while adding nine assists and five rebounds. Nikola Jokic contributed 29 points and 10 rebounds, while also adding three assists and two steals. Michael Porter Jr. had 13 points with eight assists, and Torrey Craig contributed 11 points. Jerami Grant (19 points) and Monte Morris (14 points, four assists) produced off the bench as well. Denver got off to a slow start in the second half, however, as they blew a 12-point lead and found themselves down by five in the fourth quarter. They can't allow committing the same mistakes once again, as the offense won't bail out the lackluster defense on a nightly basis.
Will Barton (knee), Gary Harris (hip) and Vlatko Cancar (foot) all missed Game 1 of the series. Barton and Harris should be treated as questionable -- at best -- for Game 2, while Cancar is out for the remainder of the season.
Just like it happened in Game 1, the Jazz will be without Mike Conley (personal) for Game 2 so Donovan Mitchell will be in charge of carrying the team offensively. The star guard delivered a career-high 57 points (on 19-of-33 shooting) while adding nine rebounds and seven assists Monday, but he is not going to score at that rate on a nightly basis, so the rest of the team needs to step it up, particularly on the defensive end of the court after giving up 135 points in the first game of the series. Other notable performers in Game 1 were Joe Ingles (19 points, six assists and five rebounds), Rudy Gobert (17 points, seven boards and four blocks) and Jordan Clarkson (18 points and four boards off the bench).
Aside from Conley, the Jazz will be without Ed Davis (knee) and Bojan Bodganovic (wrist). Davis will miss the first round of the playoffs -- at least -- and Bogdanovic is out for the season.
The Nuggets found themselves at the winning end of a tight Game 1 and the main reason why they escaped with victory was the play of Jamal Murray, as the star point guard finished with a team-high 36 points while adding nine assists and five rebounds. Nikola Jokic contributed 29 points and 10 rebounds, while also adding three assists and two steals. Michael Porter Jr. had 13 points with eight assists, and Torrey Craig contributed 11 points. Jerami Grant (19 points) and Monte Morris (14 points, four assists) produced off the bench as well. Denver got off to a slow start in the second half, however, as they blew a 12-point lead and found themselves down by five in the fourth quarter. They can't allow committing the same mistakes once again, as the offense won't bail out the lackluster defense on a nightly basis.
Will Barton (knee), Gary Harris (hip) and Vlatko Cancar (foot) all missed Game 1 of the series. Barton and Harris should be treated as questionable -- at best -- for Game 2, while Cancar is out for the remainder of the season.
Just like it happened in Game 1, the Jazz will be without Mike Conley (personal) for Game 2 so Donovan Mitchell will be in charge of carrying the team offensively. The star guard delivered a career-high 57 points (on 19-of-33 shooting) while adding nine rebounds and seven assists Monday, but he is not going to score at that rate on a nightly basis, so the rest of the team needs to step it up, particularly on the defensive end of the court after giving up 135 points in the first game of the series. Other notable performers in Game 1 were Joe Ingles (19 points, six assists and five rebounds), Rudy Gobert (17 points, seven boards and four blocks) and Jordan Clarkson (18 points and four boards off the bench).
Aside from Conley, the Jazz will be without Ed Davis (knee) and Bojan Bodganovic (wrist). Davis will miss the first round of the playoffs -- at least -- and Bogdanovic is out for the season.
Celtics Host Sixers in Game 2
The Boston Celtics play host to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference first-round playoffs in Orlando on Wednesday.
The Sixers (0-1) fell all the way to the six-seed entering into this postseason and there's not a whole lot going right for them at this moment. Not having Ben Simmons is definitely the biggest issue, mainly for what he brings on the defensive end. He was the one who guarded Jayson Tatum in the regular season and the Celtic absolutely torched this team in Game 1 without him. The good news is that Game 1 stayed competitive throughout. Neither club ever led by more than 11 points in that game, with Boston prevailing, 109-101. Losing the turnover battle, 18-7, was the ultimate difference in the game and there's yet another issue when your primary point guard is injured too.
The Celtics (1-0) looked poised at the end of the regular season and carried that into Game 1. While it wasn't a dominating win, they rode a 34-22 fourth quarter to a comeback win. That's a victory they were supposed to have and they did it behind 32 points and 13 rebounds from Jayson Tatum. Jaylen Brown wasn't too shabby either, tallying 29 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. The one disappointing factor is that Gordon Hayward departed in the fourth quarter because of a foot injury. He was actually spotted on crutches after the game and that's not good news for the rest of the series. In any case, they still have Kemba Walker at point guard and will likely just slide Marcus Smart into the starting five. What a luxury that is to put a guy like Smart into your lineup after losing Hayward.
While Philly won the regular-season series over Boston, 3-1, these are much different teams now and the Celtics are a heavy favorite to prevail in the seven-game series.
The Sixers (0-1) fell all the way to the six-seed entering into this postseason and there's not a whole lot going right for them at this moment. Not having Ben Simmons is definitely the biggest issue, mainly for what he brings on the defensive end. He was the one who guarded Jayson Tatum in the regular season and the Celtic absolutely torched this team in Game 1 without him. The good news is that Game 1 stayed competitive throughout. Neither club ever led by more than 11 points in that game, with Boston prevailing, 109-101. Losing the turnover battle, 18-7, was the ultimate difference in the game and there's yet another issue when your primary point guard is injured too.
The Celtics (1-0) looked poised at the end of the regular season and carried that into Game 1. While it wasn't a dominating win, they rode a 34-22 fourth quarter to a comeback win. That's a victory they were supposed to have and they did it behind 32 points and 13 rebounds from Jayson Tatum. Jaylen Brown wasn't too shabby either, tallying 29 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. The one disappointing factor is that Gordon Hayward departed in the fourth quarter because of a foot injury. He was actually spotted on crutches after the game and that's not good news for the rest of the series. In any case, they still have Kemba Walker at point guard and will likely just slide Marcus Smart into the starting five. What a luxury that is to put a guy like Smart into your lineup after losing Hayward.
While Philly won the regular-season series over Boston, 3-1, these are much different teams now and the Celtics are a heavy favorite to prevail in the seven-game series.
Mavericks and Clippers Face Off in Game 2
The Dallas Mavericks take on the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 2 of their Western Conference quarterfinal-round series in Orlando on Wednesday night.
The two squads squared off in an exciting and rollercoaster Game 1 of the series, one in which the Clippers prevailed by a 118-110 margin in a game that saw several wild first-half swings and a questionable ejection of Kristaps Porzingis in the third quarter. Porzingis is also questionable for Wednesday's Game 2 with knee soreness that has plagued him at different points in the Orlando bubble. Monday, Luka Doncic overcame an early ankle injury that saw him go to the locker room in the first quarter to lead the Mavericks with 42 points, a figure he complemented with nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals and that serves as a record for a player in his first playoff game. Tim Hardaway, Jr. furnished 18 points, six boards, one assist and one steal. Porzingis supplied 14 points, six rebounds, one assist and one block over 20 minutes before getting tossed. Seth Curry poured in 14 points to lead the bench.
In addition to Porzingis' questionable status, the Mavericks will also list Trey Burke (ankle) as probable for Wednesday's contest.
Kawhi Leonard paced the Clippers with 29 points, adding 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals. Paul George finished with 27 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals. Both superstars delivered several crucial baskets down the stretch to ensure the victory. Marcus Morris registered 19 points, six boards, one assist and four steals. Lou Williams totaled 14 points, five assists, three rebounds and one steal. Ivica Zubac contributed a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double that included one assist and two blocks.
The Clippers will come into Wednesday's game without any injuries to report.
Wednesday's game marks the fifth overall meeting between the teams this season and postseason. The Clippers won the season series by a 3-0 margin, notching 114-99, 110-107 and 126-111 victories on Nov. 26, Jan. 21 and Aug. 6, respectively, and as mentioned earlier, they also prevailed in Game 1.
The two squads squared off in an exciting and rollercoaster Game 1 of the series, one in which the Clippers prevailed by a 118-110 margin in a game that saw several wild first-half swings and a questionable ejection of Kristaps Porzingis in the third quarter. Porzingis is also questionable for Wednesday's Game 2 with knee soreness that has plagued him at different points in the Orlando bubble. Monday, Luka Doncic overcame an early ankle injury that saw him go to the locker room in the first quarter to lead the Mavericks with 42 points, a figure he complemented with nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals and that serves as a record for a player in his first playoff game. Tim Hardaway, Jr. furnished 18 points, six boards, one assist and one steal. Porzingis supplied 14 points, six rebounds, one assist and one block over 20 minutes before getting tossed. Seth Curry poured in 14 points to lead the bench.
In addition to Porzingis' questionable status, the Mavericks will also list Trey Burke (ankle) as probable for Wednesday's contest.
Kawhi Leonard paced the Clippers with 29 points, adding 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals. Paul George finished with 27 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals. Both superstars delivered several crucial baskets down the stretch to ensure the victory. Marcus Morris registered 19 points, six boards, one assist and four steals. Lou Williams totaled 14 points, five assists, three rebounds and one steal. Ivica Zubac contributed a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double that included one assist and two blocks.
The Clippers will come into Wednesday's game without any injuries to report.
Wednesday's game marks the fifth overall meeting between the teams this season and postseason. The Clippers won the season series by a 3-0 margin, notching 114-99, 110-107 and 126-111 victories on Nov. 26, Jan. 21 and Aug. 6, respectively, and as mentioned earlier, they also prevailed in Game 1.