After losing game 1 unexpectedly, the Toronto Raptors took control of this series in games 2 and 3, and they had no intention of letting up and allowing the Orlando Magic back into this series. That was evident from the start, as the Raptors overcame an early 7-0 run from Orlando and stormed out to establish a huge early lead midway through the second quarter. The Magic could never get any closer than 10 points behind afterward, and Toronto would cruise to an easy victory. Kawhi Leonard had a monster game, scoring 34 points and grabbing six rebounds. Pascal Slakam and Norman Powell each scored 16 points for the Raptors while Serge Ibaka added 13 points.
Aaron Gordon led Orlando with 25 points, seven rebounds, and five assists while Evan Fournier added 19 points and Nikola Vucevic added 11 points. Toronto can close out this series at home on Tuesday night.
First of all, big shout-out to Huey728 for his recaps. They are awesome!
HOW' BOUT THOSE ROCKETS?
Game 3 was incredible. Incredibly ugly, true. But incredible nonetheless. I still can't believe Mitchell missed that wide-open 3 to tie it. Heck, I can't believe Mitchell got that wide-open. That was some good blocking and tackling by the Jazz, I guess.
Hairdo Of The Year - Fan Division belongs to this fine Utah Jazz fan:
As you can see, she did NOT wear her yellow shirt. Pin the blame on her! BTW - what was up with the Jazz t-shirt give-away?
At Games 1-2 in Houston, everyone got the same red shirt. I don't know WHAT the Jazz were trying to do in Game 3. About half the lower level got yellow shirts. Behind the basket, they got Rockets Red shirts. I don't think the upper deck fans got anything. It was lame.
Game 4 starts at 9:30 PM local time tonight. Give me a Red Bull, I'm in it all the way!
Game 4 Portland Trail Blazers 111 Oklahoma City Thunder 98
The Portland Trail Blazers easily handled the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first two games of this series, but OKC would bounce back in Game 3. If the Thunder were going to even up this series, they needed a strong performance from Russell Westbrook plus they needed some way to contain the backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, or else they would find their backs against the wall.
The game would go back and forth in the first half, with the Blazers beginnning the game with a lead but OKC would come back and take a small lead themselves. The Blazers would go into halftime with a four point lead. But they exploded in the third quarter thanks to Damian Lillard, who scored 15 of his 24 points in the quarter including three 3-pointers. He would also finish with eight assists in the game and helped the Blazers extend their lead to 17 points. Paul George would valiantly try to keep OKC in this game, but they would get no closer than nine points down. C.J. McCollum led the Blazers with 27 points while Al-Farouq Aminu scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Maurice Harkless added 15 points and 10 rebounds while Enes Kanter added eight points and 10 rebounds.
Paul George led OKC with a game-high 32 points while also grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out six assists. Dennis Schroder added 17 points off the bench for the Thunder. However, Russell Westbrook had a disappointing game, scoring just 14 points, grabbing nine rebounds, and dishing out seven assists.
The Milwaukee Bucks dominated this playoff series, yet Detroit was determined not to go down quietly, with Blake Griffin promising to win one game at home for their loyal fans.
The Pistons came out strong thanks to Blake Griifin, who propelled them to an 11 point lead in the first quarter, and they would go into halftime with a six point lead. It appeared that Detroit would at least win a game a home and extend theis series.
But then things fell apart in the third quarter. Four of the Pistons got into serious foul trouble, including Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond, and this left an opening for Giannis Antetokounmpo to take over the game. Giannis exploded in the third quarter, pushing the Bucks into a double-digit lead which they would never relinquish. He finished with 41 points and nine rebounds. Khris Middleton scored 18 points while Eric Bledsoe added 16 points and five assists and Nikola Mirotic added 12 points off the bench including three 3-pointers that extended Milwaukee's lead past 20.
Reggie Jackson led the Pistons with 26 points and seven assists. Blake Griffin scored 22 points, dished out six assists, and grabbed five rebounds before fouling out of the game in the fourth quarter. Andre Drummond scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds but was hampered by foul trouble in the second half. Luke Kennard added 11 points off the bench, but it was not enough to stop the Bucks' stampede in this series.
The Milwaukee Bucks now await the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The Houston Rockets came into this game looking to close out this series with a sweep while the Utah Jazz just simply wanted not be eliminated from the playoffs on their home floor.
Utah would start out strong, jumping out to a 12 point lead late in the first quarter and leading by six points at the half. It was apparent that The Rockets wanted to close this series out badly, as the starters played nearly the entire game, with only two bench players playing any significant minutes. Houston would regain the lead in the third quarter, and it went back and forth after that until the fourth quarter, when Donovan Mitchell took Utah on his back and scored 19 of his 31 points to pull away and give the Jazz the victory and stave off elimination. Jae Crowder scored 23 points for Utah while Ricky Rubio scored 18 points and dished out 11 assists. Derrick Favors added 12 points and 11 assists.
James Harden led the Rockets with 30 points while Chris Paul scored 23 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out seven assists, and made five steals. Eric Gordon added 16 oints while P.J. Tucker added 13 points.
After losing unexpectedly to the Orlando Magic in Game 1, the Toronto Raptors took care of business in games 2 through 4 to take a commanding series lead into this game, and they were looking to close out this series in front of their home fans.
Toronto didn't waste any time taking control of this game. They led wire to wire and jumped out to a 20 point lead, and they more or less cruised to an easy series-clinching victory, playing crushing defense along the way. Kawhi Leonard led the Raptors with 27 points and seven rebounds. Pascal Slakam scored 24 points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out four assists while Kyle Lowry scored 14 points and dished out nine assists. D.J. Augustin led Orlando with just 15 points while Terrence Ross and Wes Iwundu scored 12 points apiece. Aaron FGordon added 11 points while Evan Fournier added 10 points. But the Magic simply didn't have enough firepower to overcome the Raptors.
Toronto now awaits the Philddelphia 76ers for the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Brooklyn Nets 100Philadelphia 76ers 122 The Philadelphia 76ers dominated what has been a very testy and physical series up to this point, with plenty of trash talking and bad blood being spewed along the way. They looked to close out this series in front of their home crowd, who booed them mercilessly in Game 1.
The Philly crowd would have nothing but wildly enthusiastic cheering to do in this game, as the Sixers stormed out to a 20-2 lead to start the game and never looked back. Joel Embiid scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Ben Simmons scored 13 points, dished out six assists and grabbed five rebounds. Tobias Harris scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds while J.J. Redick and James Ennis III each added 11 points. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led Brooklyn with 21 points while Caris LeVert scored 18 points and Rodions Kurics added 14 points. However, D'Angelo Russell was held to just eight points and 3 for 16 shooting from the floor.
The Philadelphia 76ers now go on to face the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Brooklyn Nets 100Philadelphia 76ers 122 The Philadelphia 76ers dominated what has been a very testy and physical series up to this point, with plenty of trash talking and bad blood being spewed along the way. They looked to close out this series in front of their home crowd, who booed them mercilessly in Game 1.
The Philly crowd would have nothing but wildly enthusiastic cheering to do in this game, as the Sixers stormed out to a 20-2 lead to start the game and never looked back. Joel Embiid scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Ben Simmons scored 13 points, dished out six assists and grabbed five rebounds. Tobias Harris scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds while J.J. Redick and James Ennis III each added 11 points. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led Brooklyn with 21 points while Caris LeVert scored 18 points and Rodions Kurics added 14 points. However, D'Angelo Russell was held to just eight points and 3 for 16 shooting from the floor.
The Philadelphia 76ers now go on to face the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Philadelphia wins series 4-1.
Don't laugh at my funk
This funk is a serious joint
The Denver Nuggets dominated the Western Conference for most of the regular season, but in this playoff series they found themselves being tested by the playoff-experienced San Antonio Spurs. But in this game, they began to resemble the team that was toast of the Western Conference.
The Spurs began the game with a 7-2 run, but the Nuggets would take over the game from then on and made it look easy in the process. Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 23 points and seven assists while Nikola Jokic scored 16 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out eight assists. Will Barton added 17 points, Gary Harris added 15 points, Paul Milsap added 14 points, and Malik Beasley added 11 points.
LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan each led the Spurs with 17 points apiece while Jakob Poetl and Derrick White each scored 12 points.
Oklahoma City Thunder 115 Portland Trail Blazers 118
It was the shot that reverberated throughout the Pacific northwest and through the annals of playoff history.
Damian Lillard hist a 37 foot jumper at the buzzer that put the Portland Trail Blazers into the Western Conference Semifinals. It was a monster finish to what was already a monster game for Lillard, though for much of this game it appeared OKC had the upper hand.
The Thunder came out and took control of this game early on, with Paul George hitting his first six shots and giving OKC a 10 point lead. But it went back and forth in the first half, with Damian Lillard almost singlehandedly keeping the Blazers in the game, as he scored 34 of his 50 points in the first half. Portland would go into halftime with a one point lead.
But OKC kept up the pressure, eventually regaining the lead and building it up to 15 with about seven minutes remaining in the game. But Lillard and C.J. McCaollum would bring the Blazers all the way back, with McCollum tying the game with a jumper with just under a minute remaining in the game. Paul George would hit a jumper to give OKC the lead with 39 seconds remaining, but Damian Lillard would respond with a jumper of his own with 32 seconds remaining. After Russell Westbrook missed a driving layup, the Blazers would get the rebound, and Lillard would make the game winning shot from near halfcourt to win the game and the series for Portland. C.J. McCollum and Maurice Harkless each scored 17 points for the Blazers while Enes Kanter scored 13 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
Paul George led OKC with 36 points and nine rebounds while Russell Westbrook had another triple double, scoring 29 points, dishing out 14 assists, and grabbing 11 rebounds. Dennis Schroder added 17 points off the bench while Jerami Grant added 16 points. But it was another disappointing first round exit for the Thunder, their third early exit from the playoffs since Kevin Durant left for Golden State.
Portland now awaits the winner of the San Antonio-Denver series.
The Houston Rockets looked to close out this game after failing to do so in Game 4, as the Utah Jazz came out with more enrgy and managed to stave off elimination.
The Jazz, however, would not go down quietly, as the game went back and forth early on, with James Harden once again getting off to a slow start. Utah led by seven before the Rockets went on a 14-3 run to eventually go into halftime with a four point lead. It remained a back and forth affair, with the Jazz taking a two point lead with about nine minutes remaining in the game.
But Houston would find its rhythm and take over. James Harden recovered from his slow start to score 26 points while also dishing out six assists and grabbing six rebounds. But Utah would not go away, as Ricky Rubio hit a huge jumper to pull within one point of the Rockets with about a minute remaining. But in the end the Jazz ran out of gas. Houston would seal the game and the series with free throws as they outlasted Utah. Clint Capela scored 16 points for Houston while also grabbing 10 rebounds. Eric Gordon and Chris Paul each added 15 points while Paul also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists.
Royce O'Neale led the Jazz with 18 points. Ricky Rubio scored 17 points and dished out 11 assists while Jae Crodwer scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. However, Donovan Mitchell struggled mightily in this game, scoring just 12 points on 4 for 22 shooting from the floor.
The Houston Rockets now await the winner of the LA Clippers-Golden State series.
The Golden State Warriors had a golden opportunity to close out this series on their home court, but once again the Los Angeles Clippers would not be denied.
The Warriors would once again jump out to an early lead, but as he did in game 2, Lou Williams would lead the Clippers past the Warriors. However, this time they would take the lead in the second quarter and would hold off a Golden State rally to win the game and take this series back to Tinseltown. Lou Williams finished with 33 points and 10 assists. Danilo Galinari scored 26 points and grabbed while Montrezl Harrell scored 24 points. Patrick Beverley scored 17 piints and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Clippers while Jamychal Green added 15 points.
Kevin Durant led the Warriors with a game-high 45 points while Stephen Curry scored 24 points and Klay Thompson added 22 points. However, Golden State uncharacteristically missed open shots in the second half, which allowed the Clippers to maintain their lead.
The Denver Nuggets had a great performance in game 5 and looked to close out this series on the road. And Nikola Jokic was determined to close out this series himself, having a monster game where he nearly had a triple double, scoring a game high 43 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and dishing out nine assists.
However, San Antonio would withstand Nikola Jokic's monster game, and they took over in the fourth quarter, looking much like the experienced playoff team that has been in the postseason since the 1990's. The Spurs were led by LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan, with Aldridge scoring 26 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishng out five assists while DeRozan scored 25 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out seven assists. Rudy Gay had a huge game off the bench, scoring 19 points while Derrick White added 13 points and Bryn Forbes added 12 points. The Spurs cruised to victory at the end and extended this series to a decisive seventh game.
Jamal Murray scored 16 points and dished out six assists for Denver while Gary Harris added 14 points and Paul Milsap added 12 points.
I heard that Kevin Durant loves Los Angeles, and that some were saying the Lakers were in the running for him.
But seeing what the Clippers have first-hand, I wonder if he would think that the Clippers are far closer to an NBA title than the Lakers, and that going to the Clippers would get him more titles faster?
Golden State Warriors 129 Los Angeles Clippers 110
After the Los Angeles Clippers had another surprise victory against the Golden State Warriors in game 5, Kevin Durant was absolutely determined to end this series once and for all. And he would waste no time making a statement on the court.
The Clippers began the game on fire, building an eight point lead midway through the first quarter. But Kevin Durant went into beast mode afterward, scoring 38 points in the first half en route to a career-high 50 points and throttling the Clippers before they even knew what hit them. Stephen Curry scored 24 points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out six assists while Draymond Green had a triple double, scoring 16 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists. Andre Iguodala added 15 points off the bench.
Danilo Galinari led the Clippers with 29 points while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 22 points, dished out six assists, and grabbed five rebounds. However, Lou Williams and Patrick Beverley struggled in this game, with Beverley held to just 11 points while Lou Williams scored just seven points. It was a disappointing end to an otherwise surprising season performance for the Clippers.
Golden State now awaits the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Semifinals.
The Denver Nuggets came into this game trying to advance beyond the first round in a playofff seroes for the first time in a decade. They also wanted to avoid an embarrassing first round exit having led the Western Conference for most of the regular season.
The Nuggets would lead wire to wire in this game, and it looked to be an easy and decisive victory early on as they led by 17 points in the third quarter thanks to Nikola Jokic, who had a triple double with 21 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists.
But the San Antonio Spurs would not go away. they would claw their way back into this game. Rudy Gay led the charge back, finishing with 21 points and eight rebounds. DeMar DeRozan and Bryn Forbes also contributed, each scoring 19 points while LaMarcus Aldridge added 16 points and 11 rebounds as the Spurs cut Denver's lead to just two points with 52 seconds remianing in the game.
But Jamal Murray would be the hero, as he made a floating jumper with 36.8 seconds remaining in the game that turned out to seal the victory for the Nuggets. Murray finished with 23 points, none more important than the final field goal. Gary Harris added 11 points.
The Denver Nuggets now go on to face the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Philadelphia 76ers 95 Toronto Raptors 108 The Toronto Raptors came into this series with a history of losing the opening game of a playoff series, including the last series against the Brooklyn Nets. However, Kawhi Leonard was going to have none of that in this game.
The Raptors did not waste any time making a statement, as Kawhi Leonard had a career-high 45 points in this game while also grabbing 11 rebounds. By the third quarter Toronto was well in control of this gane due to Leonard but also due to Pascal Siakam, who scored 29 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
J.J. Redick led the Sixers with 17 points while Joel Embiid was held to just 16 points on 5 for 18 shooting from the floor thoough he did grab eight rebounds. Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris each added 14 points while James Ennis III added 11 points. However, Jimmy Butler was held to just 10 points on 4 for 12 shooting from the floor.
The Milwaukee Bucks came into this series after sweeping the Detroit Pistons while the Boston Celtics came in after sweeping the Indiana Pacers. The Bucks also wanted to avenge their seven game series loss from last year against mostly the same Celtics team.
But Boston had other ideas; particularly slowing down Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Cetics played suffocating defense against Giannis. hoiding him scoreless in the first quarter and holding him to 22 points on 7 for 21 shooting from the floor. They also would spread their suffocating defense to the supporting cast, which allowed the Celtics to jump to a huge double-digit lead midway through the second quarter. But Milwaukee would rally back to take the lead in the third quarter. only to have the Celtics clamp down afterward and pull away with the lead and the victory. Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 26 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds while Al Horford scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Jaylen Brown added 19 points while Gordon Hayward added 13 points.
Khris Middelton scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Milwaukee while Nikola Mirotic scored 13 points off the bench. However, no other Bucks player managed to score in double digits.
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Toronto Raptors 107 
Orlando Magic 85
Portland Trail Blazers 111 
Oklahoma City Thunder 98
Milwaukee Bucks 127 
Detroit Pistons 104
Houston Rockets 91 
Utah Jazz 107 
Brooklyn Nets 100 
Philadelphia 76ers 122
San Antonio Spurs 90 
Denver Nuggets 108
Los Angeles Clippers 129 
Golden State Warriors 121
Boston Celtics 112