This thread will time out before the playoffs end, so here is thread #1. The playoff matchups are:






Predictions?

I have the Rockets vs. the Bucks in the Finals. I think the 76ers are the wild card in the East. Let's get it on!

Thanks for posting this Rodeo. Of course, I would love to see the Raptors and Rockets in the finals, although I will be very happy if the Raps make it to the final 4 and if GS is no where to be seen.

Empress said:

Thanks for posting this Rodeo. Of course, I would love to see the Raptors and Rockets in the finals, although I will be very happy if the Raps make it to the final 4 and if GS is no where to be seen.

The Raptors might make it to the Finals, you never know! I based my prediction solely on how the Rockets did against those teams. Since we did better against the Raptors than the Bucks, I figured the Bucks were the team to beat.

The Bucks won the Bucks/Raptors season series 3 - 1 but the margin of victories was 1, 3 and 2 points respectively. So I'd think the Raptors certainly have a shot!

Looking at the Rockets, we beat the Raptors both times, but only by 2 and 1 point respectively.

We lost to the Bucks both times but again, but 2 and 1 point respectively.

So this is more of a toss-up than I thought! I'm really looking forward to these playoffs.

RodeoSchro said:

Empress said:

Thanks for posting this Rodeo. Of course, I would love to see the Raptors and Rockets in the finals, although I will be very happy if the Raps make it to the final 4 and if GS is no where to be seen.

The Raptors might make it to the Finals, you never know! I based my prediction solely on how the Rockets did against those teams. Since we did better against the Raptors than the Bucks, I figured the Bucks were the team to beat.

The Bucks won the Bucks/Raptors season series 3 - 1 but the margin of victories was 1, 3 and 2 points respectively. So I'd think the Raptors certainly have a shot!

Looking at the Rockets, we beat the Raptors both times, but only by 2 and 1 point respectively.

We lost to the Bucks both times but again, but 2 and 1 point respectively.

So this is more of a toss-up than I thought! I'm really looking forward to these playoffs.

Me too, it's going to be a blast. I can always count on you to have all your stats in order too.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 1

Brooklyn Nets 111 Philadelphia 76ers 102

The Philadelphia 76ers came into this opening playoff series as the favorites despite the fact that Joel Embiid had only played in eight games for the Sixers since the NBA All-Star break. Nevertheless, they still have Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, and J.J. Redick to provide offensive firepower. It wasn't announced unitil seven minutes before tipoff that Joel Embiid would not only play in this game but start as well. Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets were making their first playoff appearance in five seasons, which was made the more remarkable considering they had the worst record in the NBA two seasons ago and were 10 games uner .500 back in December.

From the start, Philly looked out of sorts. Joel Embiid could not get into a steady rhythm, and Ben Simmons and J.J. Redick could not get any offense going. The Sixers were particularly atrocious from beyond the 3-point line, shooting just 3 for 25 for the entire game. The Nets, on the other hand, jumped out to a huge early lead thanks to D'Angelo Russell, who led Brooklyn with 26 points. The Sixers would make a couple of runs to pull within striking distance, but Brooklyn would make another huge run in the fourth quarter thanks to Russell and his supporting cast. Six Nets players scored in double digits, with Caris LeVert scoring 23 points, Spencer Dinwiddie scoring 18 points, Joe Harris scoring 13 points, Ed Davis scoring 12 points and grabbing 16 rebounds, and Demarre Carroll scoring 11 points and grabbing six rebounds.

Jimmy Butler led the Sixers with 36 points and nine rebounds, but he was the only Philly player with any consistency in this game. Joel Embiid did finish with 22 points and 15 rebounds but shot only 5 for 15 from the floor. Boban Marjanovic added 13 points off the bench, but Ben Simmons and J.J. Redick went AWOL from this game, with Simmons scoing just nine points and Redick scoring just five points and playing most of the game in foul trouble. But it seemed the biggest troubles for the Sixers happened on the bench, as Amir Johnson, who sat out of this game due to injury, reportedly brought a cell phone to the bench and was seen looking at it with Joel Embiid late in the game. Amir Johnson claimed he was checking on his daughter who was ill, but this did not it well with the coaches or the fams, who made their disapproval of their play on the court easily heard.

Brooklyn leads series 1-0.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1sat Round

Game 1

Orlando Magic 104 Toronto Raptors 101


The Toronto Raptors came into these playoffs after having been eliminated the past three seasons by Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. With Lebron being nowhere to be seen in these playoffs and the Cavs looking to win the NBA draft lottery to draft the next best thing since Lebron in Zion Willamson, the Raptors were hoping these playoffs would see smoother sailing. Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic were making their first playoff appearance since 2011.

Toronto would jump out to an early lead thanks to Kawhi Leonard, who led the Raptors with 25 points and six rebounds. But Orlando would come storming back to lead by as much as 16 points in the second quarter thanks to a 15-0 run led by D.J. Augustin, who finished with 25 points and six assists. Toronto would storm back in the third quarter, and the fourth quarter would be a back and forth duel led by Kawhi Leonard and D.J. Augustin, with Augustin winning the ultimate battle by scoring five points in the final 41 seconds including the game-winning 3-pointer with 3.4 seconds left in the game. Leonard would attempt to tie the game in the final seconds, but his 3-point attempt would be airballed, and the Magic would earn a surprising game 1 victory. Evan Fournier finished with 16 points for Orlando while Johnathan Isaac and Nikola Vicevic each added 11 points and Aaron Gordon scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Michael Carter-Williams and Terrence Ross each added 10 points off the bench for the Magic.

Pascal Slakam scored 24 points for Toronto while Marc Gasol, Danny Green, and Fred VanVleet each added 13 points. However, Kyle Lowry was held scoreless in this game, though he did dish out eight assists and grabbed seven rebounds.

Orlando leads series 1-0.

Once again, Lowry shows he's not a prime-time player. I bet Dwayne Casey is smiling.

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 1

Los Angeles Clippers 104 Golden State Warriors 121

The Golden State Warriors came into this series as the leading team in the Western Conference for the fifth straight season and once again the prohibitive favorite to reach the NBA Finals. Of course, a lot of NBA fans eagerly anticipated a Golden State/Los Angeles matchup in the Western Conference Playoffs. However, most of them did not anticipate that team being the Los Anglese Clippers, who were supposed to be rebuilding; yet they happended to find themselves back in playoff contention.

Neverthless, Golden State would not repeat the folly of the two higher seeded teams before them today of losing in a huge upset. They took off where they left off from last years's NBA Finals, with Stephen Curry leading the way with 38 points while also grabbing a career high 15 rebounds and dishing out seven assists. Kevin Durant added 23 points but was ejected with a little over fur minutes remaining in the game after an altercation with Patrick Beverley, who was also ejected from the game. Draymond Green added 17 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists while Klay Thompson added 12 points.

Montreal Harrell led the Clippers with 26 points while Lou Williams scored 25 points and dished out nine assists. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 18 points whle Danilo Galinari added 15 points and eight rebounds.

Golden State leads series 1-0.

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 1

San Antonio Spurs 101 Denver Nuggets 96

The Denver Nuggets were making their first playoff appearance in six years, and while they found themselves just outside of the playoffs for the past couple of seasons, they surprisingly found themselves atop the Western Conference for most of this season thanks to their star player Nikola Jokic, and he would lead them to the best home court record in the NBA. Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs were in sort of rebuilding mode, as they transtioned from their quartet of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Kawhi Leonard to LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan.

Once the game began, it was the Spurs who showed their playoff experience, as they played some crushing defense to hold of Denver's usually energetic offensive play. The Nuggests would be held to 42% shooting from the floor in this game, and they would be even worse from behind the 3-point line, making just six shots on 28 attempts. The Spurs particularly played tough on Nikola Jokic, often double-teaming him on the floor and always having a hand in his face. He was limited to just nine shots in the game and scored just 10 points though he did grab 14 rebounds and dished out 14 assists.

LaMarcus Aldridge didn't fare much better for the Spurs, as Denver focused much of their defense on him, limiting him to just 15 points on 6 for 19 shooting from the floor, though he did grab eight rebounds. San Antonio had to rely on their supporting cast, as DeMar DeRozan led the way with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. Derrick White scored 16 points and grabbed five rebounds, Bryn Forbes added 15 points, and Rudy Gay added 14 points and six rebounds off the bench.

Gary Harris led the Nuggets with 20 points while Jamal Murray added 17 points an made six steals in this game. Will Barton added 15 points and 10 rebounds while Paul Milsap added 12 points. Though Denver trailed for most of this game, they did get close in the closing seconds. but their comeback was thwarted when Derrick White made a critical steal to seal the victory for San Antonio.

San Antonio leads series 1-0.

uPtoWnNY said:

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 1

Indiana Pacers 74 Boston Celtics 84

The Boston Celtics came into these playoffs to at least get back to the Eastern Conference Finals but this time with a healthy Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, who both missed last year's playoffs with injuries. The Celtics' efforts to reintegrate Kyrie and Hayward into the starting lineup did not go as smooth as anticipated, and they struggled at times during the regular season. Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers played strong all season considering they lost their star Victor Oladipo with a season-ending leg injury midway through the season.

This game would be a physical defensive affair, with the teams going back and forth in the first quarter before Indiana jumped out to an 11 point lead in the second quarter. But the Celtics would play suffocating defense of their own, storming their way to a 10 point lead in the third quarter while holding the Pacers to just eight points. Indiana would try to make a run in the fourth quarter, but Boston would hold them off down the stretch to secure the victory. Kyrie Irving and Marcus Morris each led the Celtics with 20 points with Kyrie also dishing out seven assists and Morris grabbing seven rebounds. Jayson Tatum scored 15 points while Al Horford added 10 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists, and Gordon Hayward also added 10 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Cory Joseph led the Pacers with 14 points while Bojan Bogdanovic scored 12 points and Thaddeus Young added seven points, six assists, four rebounds, and five steals.

Boston leads series 1-0.

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 1

Oklahoma City Thunder 99 Portland Trail Blazers 104

The Portland Trail Blazers came into this playoff series with a bit of a chip on their shoulder, as the Oklahoma City Thunder won all of their meetings during the regular season. They were also playing without Jusuf Nurkic, who was lost for the rest of the season about a month ago with a broken leg. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder have made the playoffs ever since they moved from Seattle but have not been able to advance beyond the first round since Kevin Durant left for Golden State.

The Blazers came out like their namesake, jumping out to a 19 point lead in the second quarter. But OKC woudld keep crawling back into this game, trailing by just six at halftime. But Portland would go on a nukmber of runs to extend their lead only to have the Thunder come reoaring back. They would pull within three points with just under four minutes remaining in the game. After a couple of Blazers buckets OKC would pull within one with about two and a half minutes remaining in the game on a Paul George 3-pointer, but Damian Lillard would answer to keep Portland ahead. Paul George would hit another 3-pointer with 8.2 seconds remaining to pull OKC within three, but they would get no closer. Damian Lillard scored 30 points while C.J. McCollum scored 24 points and grabbed six rebounds. Enes Kanter had a monster game for Portland, scoring 20 points and grabbing 18 rebounds.

Paul George led OKC with 26 points and 10 rebounds while Russell Westbrook had a triple double, scoring 24 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out 10 assists. Steven Adams added 17 points and nine rebounds while Dennis Schroder added 11 points off the bench.

Portland leads series 1-0.

A Lebron-less playoffs, the networks/ sports media can't be happy

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 1

Detroit Pistons 86 Milwaukee Bucks 121

The Milwaukee Bucks came into this playoff series with the best record in the NBA this season, led by their superstar and likely league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Detroit Pistons were making their second playoff appearance in the last decade after hiring last year's NBA Coach of the Year Dwayne Casey. While the Bucks are the prohibitive favorites to win this series, coach Casey vowed that his team would compete valiantly against the NBA's best team. However, he would have to do this without Blake Griffin, who sat out of this game with a nagging knee injury.

This game. however, was no contest. The Bucks never trailed in this game, and after the first minute of the game, they would never even remotely be challenged. Milwaukee would lead by as much as 43 points in this game, and Andre Drummond would be ejected from this game after shoving Giannis Antetokounmpo to the floor in frustration as Giannis was going for a jumpshot. If there was anything negative that could be said for Milwaukee, it was that Giannis struggled from the free throw line and from behind the 3-point arc. Otherwise, he led all scorers with 24 points and 17 rebounds in just 23 minutes of action. Six other Bucks players finished in double digits in scoring, with George Hill scoring 16 points, Eric Bledsoe scoring 15 points, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez each scoring 14 points, Sterling Brown adding 11 points and seven assists, and Pat Connaughton adding 10 points and eight rebounds. Luke Kennard led the Pistons with 21 points off the bench in mostly garbage time while Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson each scored 12 points.

Milwaukee leads series 1-0.

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 1

Utah Jazz 90 Houston Rockets 122

The Houston Rockets came into these playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the NBA after getting off to a slow start thanks to the play of the reigning league MVP James Harden. Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz were trying to find a way to slow Harden down, and they planned to force him to use his right hand to make shots.

In the end, it made no difference. Houston led easily for most of the game, and while the Jazz did make a run to cut their deficit to five points midway through the third quarter, the Rockets took it to another gear and pulled away for the lopsided victory. Seven Rockets players scored in double digits, with Harden leading the way with 29 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds. Eric Gordon scored 17 points, Clint Capela added 16 points, Chris Paul added 14 points and seven assists, and P.J. Tucker, Kenneth Faried, and Danuel House Jr. each added 11 points. Rudy Gobert led the Jazz with 22 points and 12 rebounds while Donovan Mitchell scored 19 points, Ricky Rubio scored 15 points, and Derrick Favors added 13 points.

Houston leads series 1-0.

Utah's strategy of giving us the corner 3's looked like a good one until we started making them.

Also, they tried to force Harden to his right and Harden said, "Thank you very much" as he dished uncontested alley-oops to Clint Capela.

UH OH

I almost forgot - in sunday's blowout of the Jazz, when the game got to garbage time the Jazz put in their garbage players. That included the dirtiest player I ever saw in college, Grayson Allen.

He's got a long way to go to become the dirtiest player the Jazz ever had, who is this guy:

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 2

Brooklyn Nets 123 Philadelphia 76ers 145

The Philadelphia 76ers looked well out of sorts in Game 1, as they could not get their offense going, and Joel Embiid was still struggling to play with tendonitis in his knee. It also didn't help that Ben Simmons chastised the fans for booing them for their poor play. If the Sixers were going to get back into this series, they needed to step up offensively.

Philly would jump off to a solid start, but Brooklyn would come back in the second quarter to tie the game just before halftime and went into halftime just down by a point. But the Sixers would go on an offensive explosion to start the thrid quarter, scoring the first 14 points of the quarter and jumping out a 20 point lead on a Ben Simmons steal and fast break bucket. The Nets fell apart after that and never got close. Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Tobias Harris scored 19 points while Ben Simmons had a triple double, scoring 18 points, dishing out 12 assists and grabbing 10 rebounds. J.J. Redick bounced back from his awful game 1, scoring 17 points, and they got some scoring from their bench, as Boban Marjanovic scored 16 points and Mike Scott added 15 points.

Spencer Dinwiddie led Brooklyn with 19 points while D'Angelo Russell scored 16 points. Ronde Hollis-Jefferson added 15 points for the Nets while Shabazz Napier and Caris LeVert each added 13 points.

Series tied at 1-1.

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 2

Los Angeles Clippers 135 Golden State Warriors 131

There's a saying that's often said in pro basketball, that you have to play all four quarters of the game to win. In this case, either the Los Angeles Clippers made the most monumental comeback in the history of the NBA Playoffs, or the Golden State Warriors had the most epic fail of any NBA Playoff team.

This game started much like the Warriors left off, with Golden State jumping out to a sizable lead and taking a 23 point lead into the half. The Warriors led by 31 points midway through the third quarter and it appeared this would be another rout.

But then came the epic comeback (or collapse if you're a Warriors fan). Lou Williams carried the Clippers on his back as they stormed their way back into this game. It also didn't help that Golden State got sloppy and turned the ball over 22 times in this game, allowing the Clippers to chip away at the lead. By the time Golden State realized the Clippers weren't going away, it was almost too late to do anything. Kevin Durnt fouled out of the game, and Lou Williams would take advantage. He wold score 36 points in the game while also dishing out 11 assists. He would tie the game with 1:10 remaining in the game. Stephen Curry would answer with a 3-pointer, but he would make another basket with 46 seconds remaining in the game to pull within one. The Clippers would take the lead on a 3-pointer from Landry Shamet and iced the game with a couple of free throws after both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson missed on 3-point attempts. Montrezl Harrell scored 25 points for the Clippers while also grabbing 10 rebounds. Danilo Galinari scored 24 points and dished out six assists, and Jamychal Green added 13 points and seven rebounds.

Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 29 points and six assists while Kevin Durant scored 21 points. Kevon Looney scored 19 points after coming off the bench for a player injury while Klay Thompson added 17 points and Draymond Green added 14 points and nine assists. The epic collapse may have been humiliating for Golden State, but what may have been more disturbing was the injury to DeMarcus Cousins, who tore his quadriceps muscle after making a steal and going down the court for a fast break when his leg suddenly gave out on him without any contact. He is out for the remainder of the playoffs and will need several months of rehabilitation.

Series tied at 1-1.

[Edited 4/25/19 19:57pm]

So far this first round has been meh (only series that's caught my attention is Blazers/Thunder). We'll see better matchups in round 2.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 4

Philadelphia 76ers 112 Brooklyn Nets 108

The Philadelphia 76ers managed to win Games 2 and 3 without Joel Embiid, who was still suffering with tendonitis in his knee. But he also knew he had to return if the Sixers were going to take control of this series.

However, Brooklyn would come out dominating for much of this game with some physical play. In fact, it got so physical that Embiid was called for a flagrant foul on the Nets' Jarrett Allen, which led to a scuffle on the floor that resulted in the ejection of Jimmy Butler from the game in the third quarter. The Nets led for most of this game, led by Caris LeVert who scored 25 points, dished out six assists, and grabbed five rebounds. D'Angelo Russell and Jarrett Allen each scored 21 points while Spencer Dinwiddie added 18 points off the bench.

But the Sixers came storming back in the fourth quarter, led by Embiid who scored 31 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, dished out seven assists, and made six blocks. He also got help from Tobias Harris, who scored 24 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished out six assists. Ben Simmons nearly had another triple double, scoring 15 points, dishing out eight assists and grabbing eight rebounds. But the biggest contribution came from Mike Scott, who raced to the corner of the court after Joel Embiid mishandled a pass made to himself under the basket but was able to slap a pass to Scott where he made what would be the game-winning 3-pointer. The Sixers sealed the victory by surrounding the Nets' Jarret Allen with three players around him and eventually stealing the ball out of his hands as he was unable to pass the ball and not able to call a timeout as they had already used up all their timeouts in the game, and then nailing two free throws to give the Sixers a commanding lead in the series. Philly can wrap up this series at home on Tuesday night.

Philadelphia leads series 3-1.

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 4

Denver Nuggets 117 San Antonio Spurs 103

The Denver Nuggets came off a disappointing appearance in Game 3, where the Spurs dominated on both sides of the floor and the Nuggets loked passive and out of sorts. If they had any chance of getting back into this series, they had to come out with more passion and more energy.

Early on, however, San Anotnio came out with more drive, and it appeared that this game would be a repeat of Game 3. But Denver would respond in the second quarter, tying the game by halftime, and then putting the pedal to the medal in the third quarter to take the lead and control of this game. In fact, it was the Spurs who looked flat in the second half, and their frustrations came to a boil as DeMar DeRozan was ejected from the game with five minutes remaining in the game as he threw a basketball past a referee and into the stands. Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. Jamal Murray scored 24 points and dished out six assists. Torrey Craig added 18 points and eight rebounds while Will Barton added 12 points and Monte Morris added 11 points.

LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 24 points and nine rebounds while DeMar DeRozan scored 19 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out five assists before his ejection. Patty Mills added 12 points off the bench while Bryn Forbes added 10 points.

This victory marked the first time the Nuggets had won a game in San Antonio since 2012. Denver lost 13 straight regular-season games on the road to San Antonio and their previous three playoff games to the Spurs going back to 2007.

Series tied at 2-2.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 3

Milwaukee Bucks 119 Detroit Pistons 103

The Milwaukee Bucks dominated the first two games of this playoff series with Blake Griffin sitting out those games with a knee injury. Hopwever, he wouold make his return in Game 3, and the Pistons hoped he would spark them to a home victory.

Blake Griifin would make an impact early on, and playing defense against Giannis Antetokounmpo, he limited Giannis to just 14 points and 10 rebounds. But in the end, it didn't make much difference, as the supporting cast picked up where the Bucks left off. Khris Middleton led Milwaukee with 20 points and eight rebounds while Brook Lopez and Eric Bledsoe each scored 19 points, with Lopex adding seven rebounds and Bledsoe adding six rebounds and five assists. Ersan Ilysova added 15 points off the bench while Nikola Mirotic added 12 points and George Hill added 11 points.

Blake Griffin led the Pistons with 27 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals while Reggie Jackson scored 15 points, dished out eight assists, and grabbed six rebounds. Andre Drummond scored 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Wayne Ellington added 13 points and five rebounds in a losing effort. THe Milwaukee Bucks can close out this series with a sweeep on Monday night.

Milwaukee leads series 3-0.

Empress said:

It's going to be a good game tonight with the Raptors and Orlando. Looking forward to round 2 as well.

If Siakam doesn't win the Most Improved Player award, there should be an investigation. Dude looked like Kevin McHale in the paint last night. He really worked on his game....he was already solid on defense, now he has the offense to go with it.

uPtoWnNY said:

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 3

Houston Rockets 104 Utah Jazz 101

The Houston Rockets came into this game with a 2-0 lead, and the Utah Jazz knew their backs were against the wall, knowing that if they planned to get back into this series, they had shut down James Harden and contain his supporting cast.

Early on, it appeared Utah was going to succeed, as James Harden had probably his worst shooting performance of the season. He didn't make a single free throw in the first half, and he ended up making just three field goals on 20 attempts for the entire game. Utah took advantage, and they would lead for much of this game thanks to Donovan Mitchell, who scored a game-high 34 points while also grabbing six rebounds and dishing out five assists.

But James Harden refused to give up, and neither did the Houston Rockets. Harden would grind on despite his awful shooting from the floor, and the Jazz would get physical and fouled him repeatedly, daring him to beat them from the free throw line. He would do just that, making 14 of his 22 points from the charity stripe. He also got help from his supporting cast, as Chris Paul scored 18 points, Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker each scored 12 points with Tucker adding 10 rebounds, Clint Capela added 11 points, and Austin Rivers added 11 points off the bench. The game would turn when Harden made a 3-pointer and added two free throws with 42.4 seconds left in the game to give the Rockets a 101-97 lead. After a couple of free throws from Donovan Mitchell, Harden missed another 3-point attempt, but P.J. Tucker grabbed the rebound and was fouled, where he made one of two free throws. Donovan Mitchell had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer, but his 3-point attempt missed the mark, thus giving Houston the victory and a commanding lead in this series.

Though Donovan Mitchell had a monster game, he didn't get much help from his supporting cast. Derrick Favors scored just 13 points while Rudy Gobert and Ricky Rubio were held to 10 points apiece. The Rockets have a chance to close out this series with a sweep on Monday night.

Houston leads series 3-0.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 4

Boston Celtics 110 Indiana Pacers 106

The Boston Celtics came into this game with the opportunity to do something they had done only once since the glory days of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parrish in the 1980's; sweep a playoff series. The Indiana Pacers played competitively agianst the Celtics in the last two games but let it slip away from them towards the end. If they had any plan to stay alive in this series, they needed to finish this game strong.

The Pacers would come out strong and even held the lead at halftime. But once again the game would slip away from them, but unlike the last games where the Celtics played some suffocating defense, they would be carried by their supporting cast. Gordon Heyward would spark the Celtics comeback with 20 points while Marcus Morris and Jayson Tatum each scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Kyrie Irving and Al Horford each added 14 points with Kyrie adding seven assists and Horford adding 12 rebounds and five assists. The game would be sealed for good when Gordon Hayward and Marcus Morris made a series of 3-pointers to give Boston a 12 point lead with a little over a minute to go. Indiana would make a furious run at the end, but time ran out for them in this game and the season. Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pacers with 22 points and eight rebounds and Tyreke Evans scored 21 points. Darren Collison scored 19 points, grabbed six rebunds, and dished out five assists while Domantas Sabonis added 14 points and eight rebounds and Myles Turner added 13 points and seven rebounds.

The Boston Celtics now await the winner of the Milwaukee Bucks-Detroit Pistons series.

Boston wins series 4-0.

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 4

Golden State Warriors 113 Los Angeles Clippers 105

The Golden State Warriors responded to their monumental collapse in game 2 by throttling the Los Angeles Clippers in game 3, and they intended to keep pushing the pedal to the medal. However, the Clippers would not go down quietly, and Stephen Curry would have an uncharacteristically poor game from the field. But he would get help from his fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson and from Kevin Durant.

The Warriors started out strong, but the Clippers would go on a 13-3 run in the second quarter to tie the game at 35. However, Golden State went on a run to take an eight point halftime lead. The Clippers would rally to take a five point lead in the third quarter, but Stephen Curry would help close out the quarter with a 10 point run to give the Warriors the lead again. The Clippers would pull within one point midway through the fourth quarter, but Klay Thompson would hit a 3-pomter that sparked another run that put the Warriors up for good. Klay Thompson finished with 32 points whiie Kevin Durant scored 33 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out six assists. Stephen Curry was held to just 12 points though he did grab seven rebounds, dished out seven assists, and made three steals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Clippers with a career-high 25 points. Danilo Galinari scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds but was held to 5 for 20 shooting from the floor. Meanwhile, Lou Williams and Patrick Beverley were each held to just 12 points, though Beverley did grab 10 rebounds and dished out five assists. Golden State can close out this series at home on Wednesday night.

Golden State leads series 3-1.