Playoffs Day 11
Pre Game: On the 11th day of NBA Playoff action, we have 4 games on the schedule, including #2 Toronto vs #7 Orlando, #3 Philadelphia vs #6 Brooklyn, #2 Denver vs #7 San Antonio and #3 Portland vs #6 Oklahoma City. 3 of the 4 matchups are elimination games, #2 Denver vs #7 San Antonio is ties 2-2 and whoever wins Game 5 takes a 3-2 series lead.
Game 1: In the 1st game of the night, it’s Game 5 of #2 Toronto vs #7 Orlando. Toronto won Game 4 in a blowout, and look to finish the series on their home floor. They will face Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Raptors jumped on top of the Magic, leading 35-19. Kyle Lowry had 12 points, 4 points for Evan Fournier, Terrence Ross, Wesley Iwundu all had 4 points. Khem Birch picked up a technical foul for the Magic. At halftime, the Raptors continued to dominate, leading 67-47. Leonard, Pascal, and Lowry combined for 38 points, 9 for Terrence Ross and DJ Augustin. At the end of the 3rd quarter, the Raptors were up 99-70. Leonard and Siakam combined for 49 points, 27 combined for DJ Augustin and Terrence Ross. The Raptors eventually won 115-96. Kawhi had 27, 15 for DJ Augustin. The Raptors beat the Magic 4-1 and will play Philadelphia in the 2nd round.
Game 2: In the 2nd game of the night, the #3 Philadelphia looks to close out #6 Brooklyn. Philadelphia won a heated Game 4 in which Jimmy Butler and Jarden Dudley were both ejected. Now in Game 5, the 76ers look to win 4 straight games and play #2 Toronto in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Joel Embiid will play tonight for the 76ers. The 76ers jumped out to an early 8-0 lead with 9:13 left in the 1st. At the end of the 1st quarter, the 76ers led by 17, 32-15. Joel Embiid had 10 points, Caris Levert had 8 points for the Nets. Joel Embiid got a technical foul for the 76ers. With 9:40 left in the 2nd, the 76ers led 41-17 with 9:40 left in the 2nd. The 76ers continued to dominate and won 122-100. Embiid had 23 points, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 21 points. The 76ers win the series 4-1 and will play Toronto in the 2nd round.
Game 3: In the 3rd game of the night, #2 Denver faces #7 San Antonio. Denver and San Antonio is the only series to go 2-2. It is the most exciting series in the fact that it is the longest. Not that many people are watching the playoffs, 18% from last year. One factor is that Lebron James is not playing, and all of the series were either 4 or 5 games. If Denver wins Game 5, then they take a 3-2 series lead going back to San Antonio. If San Antonio wins Game 5, the young Denver team needs to win on the road. At the end of the 3rd, the Nuggets led 85-63. 23 for Jamal Murray, 17 for DeMar DeRozan. The Nuggets went on to cruise to a 108-90. Jamal Murray had 23 points, 17 for DeRozan and Aldridge. The Nuggets now take a 3-2 series lead over the Spurs going into Game 6. The Spurs now have to win back-to-back games to win the series.
Game 4: In the 4th and final game of the night, #3 Portland plays #6 Oklahoma City. The Blazers won a crucial Game 4 on the road and now take a 3-1 series lead. Portland looks to close out the Thunder at home, where they are 2-0 in the series. Oklahoma City is hoping to extend the series to a Game 6. The Blazers have controlled the series and look to continue to do the same in Game 5. Lillard had gotten the better of Russell Westbrook in the series and CJ McCollum has outplayed Paul George. If the Thunder go home, it will be the 3rd straight year since Kevin Durant left that Russell Westbrook has lost in the 1st round. At the end of the 1st, the Thunder led 37-29. At the half, the Blazers led by 1, 60-61. Lillard had 34 points, Paul George had 20 points. At the end of the 3rd, the Thunder led by 2, 90-88. With 6:31 left, the Thunder led 107-94. The referees were giving all the calls to the Thunder and no calls to Portland. Damian Lillard hit a 37-foot bomb at the buzzer to beat the Thunder 118-115. Lillard had 50 on the night, 36 for Paul George and 29 for Russell Westbrook. The Blazers win the series 4-1 and advance to the 2nd round. The Blazers will play the winner of the Denver/San Antonio series. That shot was from half-court and the whole stadium went nuts. Dame Lillard is a savage. The Blazers were on a 13-2 run to end the game, and after Jusuf Nurkic came onto the bench and fired up the Blazers and the crowd.
Thanks for reading today’s post and please leave a comment on what I should do next in future posts and if you have any questions, I will not answer “Next Question,” but I will try to answer your questions.
