Celtics Look to Close Out Sixers
The Philadelphia 76ers play host to the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference first-round playoffs in Orlando on Sunday.
The Celtics (3-0) haven't gotten much talk in terms of being a championship contender but this first-round performance is surely opening up some eyes and mouths. This club looked absolutely dominant in the regular season and that form has carried over into the playoffs. The Celtics won four of their final five regular-season games, with the only loss being the finale in which they rested their starters. That means they essentially have seven-straight wins, with all of them coming against playoff-caliber teams. That says a lot about this club and it's scary to think that they've been doing this with Gordon Hayward currently sidelined. The former All-Star suffered a bad ankle sprain early on in this series but ending this one quick could give him more time to heal for the second or third round. In any case, Marcus Smart will continue to start for him while Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will continue to show their vast improvements on both ends of the floor.
The Sixers (0-3) don't look like the team that we saw at the beginning of the season. Losing Ben Simmons will do that but it's still not an excuse to be swept under the rug in the first-round of the playoffs. They still have guys like Joel Embiid, Josh Richardson, Tobias Harris and Al Horford. That's plenty of talent to compete but that competitiveness appears to be gone at this point. It's no fault of Embiid though, who's averaging 30 points and 13 rebounds per game in this series. Where they're really struggling is on the defensive end. It doesn't really appear that way in the scores but they haven't forced more than 10 turnovers in any of the three games and have struggled to produce steals or blocks with Simmons out. That has a lot of people wondering if they can avoid the sweep and one has to wonder if changes are on the horizon if that does end up happening.
If the Celtics do close things out here, they'll likely face the Toronto Raptors in the second round, who are well on their way to an easy first-round victory as well.
The Celtics (3-0) haven't gotten much talk in terms of being a championship contender but this first-round performance is surely opening up some eyes and mouths. This club looked absolutely dominant in the regular season and that form has carried over into the playoffs. The Celtics won four of their final five regular-season games, with the only loss being the finale in which they rested their starters. That means they essentially have seven-straight wins, with all of them coming against playoff-caliber teams. That says a lot about this club and it's scary to think that they've been doing this with Gordon Hayward currently sidelined. The former All-Star suffered a bad ankle sprain early on in this series but ending this one quick could give him more time to heal for the second or third round. In any case, Marcus Smart will continue to start for him while Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will continue to show their vast improvements on both ends of the floor.
The Sixers (0-3) don't look like the team that we saw at the beginning of the season. Losing Ben Simmons will do that but it's still not an excuse to be swept under the rug in the first-round of the playoffs. They still have guys like Joel Embiid, Josh Richardson, Tobias Harris and Al Horford. That's plenty of talent to compete but that competitiveness appears to be gone at this point. It's no fault of Embiid though, who's averaging 30 points and 13 rebounds per game in this series. Where they're really struggling is on the defensive end. It doesn't really appear that way in the scores but they haven't forced more than 10 turnovers in any of the three games and have struggled to produce steals or blocks with Simmons out. That has a lot of people wondering if they can avoid the sweep and one has to wonder if changes are on the horizon if that does end up happening.
If the Celtics do close things out here, they'll likely face the Toronto Raptors in the second round, who are well on their way to an easy first-round victory as well.
Clippers And Mavericks Tangle In Game 4
The Los Angeles Clippers take on the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of their Western Conference quarterfinal-round series in Orlando on Sunday afternoon. The Clippers lead the series, 2-1.
It wasn't easy, but the Clippers (2-1) managed to forge ahead in their series Friday with a hard-fought 130-122 victory. The game began as a defensive slugfest, with the two squads entering the second quarter knotted up at 23 points. However, the Clippers found their stroke at that point, outscoring the Mavericks (1-2) by a 79-62 margin over the middle periods to pick up some much-needed distance. Their efforts were aided by Luka Doncic's troublesome ankle, which forced him from the game for good in the latter portion of the third quarter. Dallas would continue battling until the closing minutes, when an Ivica Zubac alley-oop dunk off a Paul George assist pushed Los Angeles' lead back to double digits for good.
Kawhi Leonard led the way for the Clippers with 36 points, adding nine rebounds, eight assists, two steals and one block. Landry Shamet was a distant second with 18 points, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of the third quarter, along with three rebounds, one steal and one block. Zubac finished with 15 points, six boards and one block, while Marcus Morris delivered 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Montrezl Harrell furnished 13 points, and Paul George compiled 11 on 3-for-16 shooting. He also posted nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
The Clippers will list Patrick Beverley (calf) as doubtful for Sunday's game.
Kristaps Porzingis paced the Mavericks with 34 points, complementing them with 13 rebounds, one assist and one block. Tim Hardaway and Seth Curry managed matching 22-point tallies, with Hardaway also totaling six boards. Doncic provided a 13-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double over 29 minutes before departing. Dorian Finney-Smith supplied 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists and one steal.
The Mavericks will list Porzingis (heel) and Trey Burke (ankle) as probable for Sunday's contest. Doncic will be a game-time decision.
The 2019-20 series between the teams is now 5-1 in favor of the Clippers, including their two victories in the current series.
It wasn't easy, but the Clippers (2-1) managed to forge ahead in their series Friday with a hard-fought 130-122 victory. The game began as a defensive slugfest, with the two squads entering the second quarter knotted up at 23 points. However, the Clippers found their stroke at that point, outscoring the Mavericks (1-2) by a 79-62 margin over the middle periods to pick up some much-needed distance. Their efforts were aided by Luka Doncic's troublesome ankle, which forced him from the game for good in the latter portion of the third quarter. Dallas would continue battling until the closing minutes, when an Ivica Zubac alley-oop dunk off a Paul George assist pushed Los Angeles' lead back to double digits for good.
Kawhi Leonard led the way for the Clippers with 36 points, adding nine rebounds, eight assists, two steals and one block. Landry Shamet was a distant second with 18 points, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of the third quarter, along with three rebounds, one steal and one block. Zubac finished with 15 points, six boards and one block, while Marcus Morris delivered 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Montrezl Harrell furnished 13 points, and Paul George compiled 11 on 3-for-16 shooting. He also posted nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
The Clippers will list Patrick Beverley (calf) as doubtful for Sunday's game.
Kristaps Porzingis paced the Mavericks with 34 points, complementing them with 13 rebounds, one assist and one block. Tim Hardaway and Seth Curry managed matching 22-point tallies, with Hardaway also totaling six boards. Doncic provided a 13-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double over 29 minutes before departing. Dorian Finney-Smith supplied 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists and one steal.
The Mavericks will list Porzingis (heel) and Trey Burke (ankle) as probable for Sunday's contest. Doncic will be a game-time decision.
The 2019-20 series between the teams is now 5-1 in favor of the Clippers, including their two victories in the current series.
Raptors Look To Complete First-Round Sweep
By Dan Bruno
The Toronto Raptors play the Brooklyn Nets in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference first-round playoffs on Sunday at Orlando.
The Raptors come into Game 4 looking to complete the series sweep, while the shorthanded Nets have their backs against the wall and will definitely come out with everything they have to offer. The Raptors have not had much trouble so far, as they took Games 1 and 3 with relative ease, and while the Nets put up a better fight in Game 2, the Raptors used a strong fourth quarter to establish control and close with confidence.
The Raptors are coming off an impressive outing in Game 3, as they took control right from the start and held it the entire way, sure to avoid a situation like Game 2, where they ended up playing catch-up. Pascal Siakam had his best game of the series in Game 3, as he led the team with 26 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a steal. On the other hand, Fred VanVleet has been on fire through the entire series, where he is averaging 25.3 points per game. Kyle Lowry has also been very reliable through the first three games, filling the stat sheet each time. Game 3 marked the Raptors' most efficient game of the series so far, as they shot 50 percent from the field, including 18-of-38 from deep.
Meanwhile, the Nets face a nearly impossible challenge, as they are down 0-3 against the defending champs and find themselves with a very shorthanded roster. Caris LeVert has been the go-to guy for the Nets, averaging 15.3 points and 10.7 assists over the three games. Jarrett Allen has also been a consistent force, averaging 11.0 points and 14.7 rebounds per game. Tyler Johnson got the start in Game 3 and led the Nets with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting, in 24 minutes. The Nets only shot better than 40 percent from the field in one game of the series and will definitely need to do much better to avoid the sweep.
The Raptors come into Game 4 looking to complete the series sweep, while the shorthanded Nets have their backs against the wall and will definitely come out with everything they have to offer. The Raptors have not had much trouble so far, as they took Games 1 and 3 with relative ease, and while the Nets put up a better fight in Game 2, the Raptors used a strong fourth quarter to establish control and close with confidence.
The Raptors are coming off an impressive outing in Game 3, as they took control right from the start and held it the entire way, sure to avoid a situation like Game 2, where they ended up playing catch-up. Pascal Siakam had his best game of the series in Game 3, as he led the team with 26 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a steal. On the other hand, Fred VanVleet has been on fire through the entire series, where he is averaging 25.3 points per game. Kyle Lowry has also been very reliable through the first three games, filling the stat sheet each time. Game 3 marked the Raptors' most efficient game of the series so far, as they shot 50 percent from the field, including 18-of-38 from deep.
Meanwhile, the Nets face a nearly impossible challenge, as they are down 0-3 against the defending champs and find themselves with a very shorthanded roster. Caris LeVert has been the go-to guy for the Nets, averaging 15.3 points and 10.7 assists over the three games. Jarrett Allen has also been a consistent force, averaging 11.0 points and 14.7 rebounds per game. Tyler Johnson got the start in Game 3 and led the Nets with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting, in 24 minutes. The Nets only shot better than 40 percent from the field in one game of the series and will definitely need to do much better to avoid the sweep.
Jazz, Nuggets Tangle In Game 4
The Denver Nuggets will play the Utah Jazz on Sunday in Game 4 of the Western Conference First Round in the 2019-20 NBA Playoffs. The Jazz currently lead the series by a 2-1 advantage.
The first-round series between the Jazz and the Nuggets should have been one of the most contested matchups in the first round of the Western Conference, but Utah has done enough to erase that notion three games into the season. The Jazz are coming off back-to-back dominant wins to earn a 2-1 advantage in the series and, hasn't it been for a dominant performance from Jamal Murray during Game 1's overtime, then the Jazz could easily be up 3-0 in the series. The return of Mike Conley was huge for the Jazz in Game 3, as the veteran point guard scored 27 points in 25 minutes in his playoff debut Friday. If Conley and Mitchell are in sync, then the Jazz is a very hard team to beat.
There are no new injury concerns for the Jazz, as Ed Davis (knee) will miss the remainder of the series while Bojan Bogdanovic (wrist) is out for the rest of the playoffs. Justin Wright-Foreman was removed from the roster and will only be eligible to come back for an eventual Western Conference semifinals.
The Nuggets are learning exactly that, as they have looked overmatched during most of the series despite ending with a higher seed compared to Utah in the regular season. Denver was the third-best team in the Western Conference, but they have not looked as such during the Orlando play -- not in the seeding games, and certainly not in the current series against the Jazz. Nikola Jokic, who paced Denver with 15 points, six assists and five rebounds in Game 3, has been one of the most reliable scoring threats for Denver throughout the series, but the team is certainly feeling the loss of key contributors such as Gary Harris and Will Barton, while Jamal Murray has basically disappeared after a stellar Game 1 performance. If the Nuggets don't turn things around soon, then they might be headed for an early playoff exit.
Harris (hip) should be treated as questionable -- at best -- for Sunday's game, while Vlatko Cancar (foot) and Barton (knee) are out of the remainder of the playoffs.
The first-round series between the Jazz and the Nuggets should have been one of the most contested matchups in the first round of the Western Conference, but Utah has done enough to erase that notion three games into the season. The Jazz are coming off back-to-back dominant wins to earn a 2-1 advantage in the series and, hasn't it been for a dominant performance from Jamal Murray during Game 1's overtime, then the Jazz could easily be up 3-0 in the series. The return of Mike Conley was huge for the Jazz in Game 3, as the veteran point guard scored 27 points in 25 minutes in his playoff debut Friday. If Conley and Mitchell are in sync, then the Jazz is a very hard team to beat.
There are no new injury concerns for the Jazz, as Ed Davis (knee) will miss the remainder of the series while Bojan Bogdanovic (wrist) is out for the rest of the playoffs. Justin Wright-Foreman was removed from the roster and will only be eligible to come back for an eventual Western Conference semifinals.
The Nuggets are learning exactly that, as they have looked overmatched during most of the series despite ending with a higher seed compared to Utah in the regular season. Denver was the third-best team in the Western Conference, but they have not looked as such during the Orlando play -- not in the seeding games, and certainly not in the current series against the Jazz. Nikola Jokic, who paced Denver with 15 points, six assists and five rebounds in Game 3, has been one of the most reliable scoring threats for Denver throughout the series, but the team is certainly feeling the loss of key contributors such as Gary Harris and Will Barton, while Jamal Murray has basically disappeared after a stellar Game 1 performance. If the Nuggets don't turn things around soon, then they might be headed for an early playoff exit.
Harris (hip) should be treated as questionable -- at best -- for Sunday's game, while Vlatko Cancar (foot) and Barton (knee) are out of the remainder of the playoffs.