Middleton Wins Game 1 For the Bucks!; Portland Steals Game 1 From Denver! 5.22.21
The official NBA playoffs are here. After 6 play-in games to determine the #7 and #8 seeds in both conferences, we have arrived at playoff basketball and we have 4 games all throughout today to get us started.
(6) Miami Heat vs (3) Milwaukee Bucks
Miami Heat (0-1)
It was there for the taking but the Heat didn’t get enough from their star players. This game would have been a easy win for Miami if they had Jimmy and Bam playing somewhat better but they just couldn’t pull through in the end. This game had a lot in it, so let’s get into it (bars).
In the first quarter both teams were just shooting a lot of 3’s. Duncan Robinson hit 3 3’s in a row off of simple handoffs but after that it was a struggle. The Heat’s defense against Giannis was superb again, Jimmy, Ariza, and Bam doing a great job being physical and making the 2x MVP uncomfortable. The Heat led by two even after not playing that well.
But the 2nd quarter was ugly. The Heat offense went cold as Bam and Jimmy could not get anything going. Dragic was solid off the bench but the Heat, the league’s best paint defense, were getting dominated down low. Khris Middleton was hitting shots and their wall defense broke down a couple of times. The Bucks took the lead as Bam and Jimmy shot a combined 3/16 from the floor. Miami had 10 turnovers and allowed 32 points in the paint. But they were only down three after all of that. If they played better in the 2nd half, the game was there for the taking.
The 3rd quarter was where Miami’s offense picked up a bit. Bam and Jimmy could still get nothing to go but Robinson and Dragic each hit two 3’s as the Heat trailed by two entering the 4th. The 4th was back and forth, two great defenses not giving an inch. The Heat kept sending the Bucks to the line, but it was working. Giannis was awful from the free throw line (6/13). So even though the Bucks were getting to the line, they weren’t cashing in. With under a minute to go, the game was tied.
Giannis went 2/4 from the line on two separate trips to put the Bucks up two with 9 seconds left. Who would Miami go to for the tie/win. Jimmy Buckets. Butler drove down the lane and hit a tough runner, just one of his 4 field goals of the entire game, but he forced OT. Butler is 6/9 on game-tying of go-ahead FG in the final minute in the playoffs throughout his career. The best in the NBA over the last 25 seasons. Jimmy Buckets can get it done.
OT was again, back and forth. With under a minute left, the Heat trailed by one. Robinson missed a 3 and off the rebound Holiday got a layup. The Heat didn’t get back and Holiday went coast to coast for the layup, Heat down 3. Butler missed a tough corner 3 on the next possession, but Goran Dragic got the ball in the corner. Dragic had kept the Heat in the game with his great bench performance. With the game on the line, he drilled the corner 3 with 21 seconds left, tie game.
Now the Heat just needed a stop. The Bucks didn’t use a timeout and went to Khris Middleton. Middleton got to his right and Robinson was a step slow. Middleton continued his great night with the dagger pull-up mid-range jumper, game over.
Butler was 4/22 from the field, finishing with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists. He played great defense down low on Giannis but offensively, along with 6 turnovers, he wasn’t up to the task. Giannis really made it hard for Butler as we’ll this key matchup more throughout the rest of the series.
Bam was 4/15, as he seemed passive. Brook Lopez outplayed him as he was the much better center, which isn’t true and simply can’t happen. Bam also played good defense on Giannis, but he had 5 fouls. Overall poor game from Bam.
The reason game was close was the role players. 7/13 3-PT shooting for Duncan Robinson, who had 24 points on the night. Goran Dragic was one of my x-factors. Dragic had 25 off the bench as he also kept the Heat afloat. Herro was just 2/10 from the field, Nunn was quiet, and Ariza also did most of his work defensively.
The Heat hit 20 3-pointers, taking advantage of a poor Bucks scheme. They had 23 fouls and while the Bucks missed 13 free throws, giving up 33 isn’t good. The Heat had 17 turnovers which led to 17 Buck points. The Bucks also had 17 turnovers which led to 15 Miami points. The Bucks have to limit their turnovers, pretty sloppy game from then. Expect things to clean up for Game 2.
The Heat allowed 56 points in the paint after allowing just 41 per game in the regular season. The Heat bench was good, their Giannis defense was excellent (hack-a-Giannis is something you might see in Game 2), it’s just their stars didn’t come to play. With 17 turnovers, 8/37 shooting from Bam and Jimmy, you lost by two. That’s got to feel good knowing that you can win despite all that. The Heat can definitely play better and give Milwaukee problems.
Milwaukee Bucks (1-0)
This was a tough game for the Bucks, one similar to last year. Giannis was struggling mightily, the shooting wasn’t there, it was an ugly game. But the Bucks secondary players pulled through and they got this win, whether they deserved it or not is questionable.
The Bucks started the game giving Duncan Robinson wide open 3’s. Like 3 straight plays he hit 3 straight plays. Robinson hit 7 3’s overall and if that’s how they’re going to play that action, that’s not exactly reassuring. Giannis struggled early as the Bucks went 1/12 from 3 in the first. But they were only down two after 1.
In the 2nd it was just packing the paint. 32 paint points in the first half and Milwaukee got 10 points off of 10 Miami turnovers. Giannis had 13 in the first half on 16 shots but Brook Lopez surprised me. He had 11 but his defense was really good. Down low he was giving Bam fits. Middleton was also solid. The Bucks led by 3 but they couldn’t gain separation even with Bam and Jimmy struggling.
The Heat offense hit some more 3’s in the 3rd quarter, 6 to be exact and the Bucks lead was down to two entering the 4th. It was back and forth in the 4th. Giannis kept missing free throws and he hurt his left arm coming off a screen. He had to put a sleeve on it but he didn’t look right. Keep an eye out for that for the rest of the series.
Giannis put the Bucks up two with free throws on separate trips and the Bucks had 9 seconds to get a stop and a win. But Jimmy Butler got by Giannis on his drive and score, forcing OT. It was pretty good defense but if you’re Giannis, make him make a jumpshot. You can live with those results.
OT was back and forth and again the Bucks inability to guard the 3-PT line hurt them. After a great coast-to-coast run by Holiday, Milwaukee led by 3 with under 40 seconds left. But the inability to get a rebound led to a Dragic corner 3, tie game. Now the Bucks had to score to win. Who would they go to? Giannis can’t shoot and he’s been smothered. If he’s fouled, he shooting below 50% from the line. So probably not. Jrue Holiday had 11 points in the 3rd and is a solid option. But the answer was clear, Middleton. Middleton looks so good in this game and they went to him. He got to his right hand and got a step on Miami’s defense. It looked good off his hands and with 0.5 seconds left, he hit the dagger. Game over.
27-6-6 for Middleton who was great. If he plays like this, the Bucks have a chance at a title. I didn’t like his defense, he was guarding Duncan Robinson and got beat a lot. Has to do a better job sticking with him. Giannis was good and bad. 26 points, 18 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals looks great. But..
He shot 37% from the field as he was missing easy shots at the rim. Miami’s defense was great but a lot of those were makeable. 6/13 FT shooting is also ugly. Giannis has to be used in other ways. Most his success came in transition of when he was off ball. The Bucks have to do that more.
Lopez had 18 points and 8 rebounds, surprisingly great game from him. I doubt he can slow down Bam as well as he did today, but he looked really good. 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 steals for Holiday who was solid. The Bucks Big 3 was great.
Giannis guarding Jimmy was great, finally using the reigning DPOY the right way. Giannis did a great job save the final play in regulation on Butler and it worked. I don’t see why not do it again and put Giannis on the opposing team’s best wing throughout the playoffs. I also loved the minutes. 44 for Middleton, 45 for Giannis, 42 for Holiday. That’s what you have to do to win, put your best players in.
The 3-PT shooting and bench was awful. 5/31 from 3 (16%) and a -24 bench performance. The bench has to give more scoring. The Bucks had 17 turnovers but they also forced 17. I guess that’s good and bad, definitely don’t want to give Miami that many chances. The Bucks had a 12-2 fastbreak advantage. Like I said, they have to run to get Giannis better looks.
If the Bucks want to win, they have to get what they got from Holiday, Middleton, and Lopez tonight in every game. The bench and shooting has to be better. Giannis has to be used differently and they have to make Jimmy and Bam non-factors. I don’t know if Milwaukee can do all that. They’d better expect better from the Heat in Game 2.
(5) Dallas Mavericks vs (4) LA Clippers
Dallas Mavericks (1-0)
This was a Luka Doncic masterclass in every aspect of offense. He tore the Clippers up in this game and his teammates gave him the help he needed. The defense was pretty solid as the Mavericks steal homecourt from the Clippers.
The first half was the Mavericks shooting extravaganza. They were hitting shots from everywhere. The Mavs led by 12 early on in the first with 4 3’s in the first. The Clippers were playing Luka straight up and Doncic had 11 in the first quarter. The Mavs problem was that Kawhi turned on robot mode and had 13 in the first. But it was a really good start.
In the 2nd Luka got going. The Clippers were switching pick and rolls and putting Zubac and Ibaka on him. Doncic drained 3 3’s in the 2nd just getting good looks off of switches. Luka had 21 points and 6 assists in the first half alone. Dallas his 10 3’s and 60 points in the first half. Everything was going their way. They were doing a great job limiting the Clippers 3-PT attempts and it was just Kawhi who kept the game close. Dallas was executing their gameplan to perfection.
The 3rd was high scoring. LA started to double Luka and put more pressure on him, but that led to shots from other guys. The Clippers couldn’t stop Dallas and vice versa but Dallas led by 6 entering the 4th. This is where the roll guys made plays. Jalen Brunson had two great moves to the rim that resulted in and-ones. Dorian Finney-Smith hit two big 3-pointers. Hardaway had a big 3 and Porzingis finally scored after not scoring since the first quarter with two scores down low.
The Mavs went on a 13-3 run to end the game after it had been tied at 100 with 3:12 left. What a win for Dallas, their first Game 1 win in a series since their 2011 title run.
Luka Doncic. What more can you say. This is kid is something else. In 7 career playoff games (all against the Clippers), he’s scored 30 or more 4 times. He’s scored 40 or more twice. This kid is something else. 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. He also played pretty good defense and was a +19 on the floor. He did have some stupid fouls. Richard Jefferson did a good job pointing out that Luka shouldn’t foul people to stop a fastbreak. Carlisle took him out twice when he did that. Luka has to stay out of foul trouble because, as you can see, he gives LA fits.
His manipulation of the defense at such a young age is unparalleled. But he needs his teammates to come through big and they did. 21 for Tim Hardaway Jr who hit 5 3’s, 18 for Finney-Smith who battled with Kawhi on one end and then was 7/9 from the field on the other end. Porzingis only had 14 as he struggle but his defense wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be.
Jalen Brunson had 15 off the bench. Dallas shot 50% from the field, made 17 3’s on 47% shooting from deep and they were 20/26 from the line. Dallas did had 12 turnovers which is a problem, but it only led to 5 LA points. Meanwhile 5 LA turnovers led to 17 Dallas points. Luka is going to get doubled like more in this series. It opens up shots. Guys just have to hit them. Defensively the Mavs did a good job collapsing on driving wings like Kawhi and PG and making other guys make shots.
The Clippers, the most efficient offense in the league this year, shot just 28% from 3. Kawhi wasn’t great and neither was PG. The defense was there and the offense will always be there with Luka. If Dallas plays like this consistently and gets more out of KP, maybe the Clippers might regret losing those last couple of games on purpose.
LA Clippers (0-1)
Yeah.., maybe the Clippers haven’t changed? They didn’t know what they were doing when they were guarding Doncic. They didn’t double him in the first half and when they did they didn’t make him skip the ball, instead he made easy passes as Dallas torched LA from deep. PG struggled in the first half and Kawhi struggled in the 2nd half. The offense wasn’t clicking as it usually is as LA goes down a familiar path with losing games they should be winning.
In the first quarter, the offense was moving fluidly but LA fell being because they weren’t guarding the 3-PT line and because they weren’t making shots. Doncic bullied Beverley in the post, as Beverley only played 17 minutes in this game because he couldn’t guard Luka. Kawhi had 13 in the first to keep LA in the game but PG was again struggling.
In the the 2nd, Rondo and Batum came in and provided great ball movement. It lead to great looks but LA couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn in the first half, surprising for the most efficient 3-PT shooting team this season. The Clippers kept switching Doncic pick and rolls and he hit some deep 3’s over Ibaka and Zubac. The Clippers were lucky they were down 5 with PG shooting 1/7 from the field.
In the 3rd PG got going a bit and the Clippers offense continued to generate good looks. But they weren’t doubling Doncic hard enough, allowing him to find open guys on swing passes as Dallas knocked down 4 more 3’s in the 3rd. The 4th was more of the same. The Clippers getting pretty good looks but they couldn’t stop Dallas’s role players. PG got beat by Jalen Brunson twice, they left guys like Hardaway and Finney-Smith wide open too much and a 13-3 run by Dallas ended the game. LA deserved to lose this game.
26 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals for Kawhi. He did only shoot 4/12 in the 2nd half, but still a good game. PG shot 7/11 in the 2nd half after his horrendous first half. It’s a good sign for him to have a good half and finish with 23 points, it’s just like, can you do this consistently at all? Yes? No? PG’s defense on-one-on with Doncic was awful. He couldn’t stop Doncic from getting right by him.
Morris didn’t do anything expect for stare at Maxi Kleber after Kawhi posterized him, even though Morris was a -13 on the floor and Kleber was a +9. Kawhi was a -15 and PG was a -6. The bench kept LA in this game.
11 points and 7 rebounds for Batum who made some great defensive plays and also made that extra pass that led to good looks. Rondo had 11 and 4 assists and he did his usual amount of being a pest and also moving the offense. But I don’t get why Mann and Kennard don’t play. You signed Kennard to a 4-year extension and he offers shooting. Mann is one of your only players to get to the rim. Maybe I’m missing something? I don’t know why those guys aren’t playing.
LA shot 28% from 3, just awful. They did only turn the ball over 5 times but that still led to 17 points off turnovers for Dallas. The Clippers have to decide what they’re doing on Doncic. Play him one-on-one (not recommended), double him? If you want to double-him, you actually have to do it. They just kind of sent a second guy but let him get easy passes off. If LA can’t slow this kid down, they’re in for a long series.
I just don’t know what it is. The ball movement was there. The talent is there. You are right there, why can’t you just do it? Is it a mental thing? Some sort of PTSD to last year? Whatever it is, LA has to get things together or they risk another playoff meltdown which would really made Kawhi want to stay, wouldn’t it?
(7) Boston Celtics vs (2) Brooklyn Nets
Boston Celtics (0-1)
I really don’t know what else you can do. The Celtics played about as good of defense as you can in the first half and all their progress to slow down the Nets went away in the 2nd half. The Celtics shooting went down the drain in the 2nd half as it seems hopeless that they can beat the almighty Nets.
The first half went about as well as you can expect. The Nets Big 3 shot a combined 11/32 from the field in the first half with only KD in double-figures. The Nets did not hit a 3 in the first half and Boston hit 9. Boston led by 12 at one point as their defense was very good. But their offense could never pull away, the Nets are always tagging along. The Celtics led by 6 at the half and it felt like it was not nearly enough to put Brooklyn away. That was correct.
The Celtics offense went 8/25 from the field in the 3rd and they went from being up 6 to down 5. They shot just 33% from the field in the 3rd and they went down by 17 in the 4th. They were outscored by 17 in the 2nd half in total as their defense couldn’t hold what it did in the first half. Boston went 2/13 from 3 in the 2nd half after making 9 3’s in the first half.
JT started off well but was 6/20 as the length of KD bothered him, 22 points for him. Smart had 17. Walker had 5 but struggled with his rhythm because of foul trouble. Fourinier was 3/10 but I think that Boston needs to start Robert Williams over Tristan Thompson. The Nets were running a 5-out offense and Thompson was forced to guard Irving or Harden. Timelord on the other hand was great and can stay with them better than Thompson can.
Williams had 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 blocks off the bench in just 22 minutes. He is quicker and more agile, gives Boston more versatility than the veteran Thompson does.
But defensively the Celtics did a good job. Brooklyn shot 42% from the field and 24% from 3, not exactly great. Both teams made 20+ free throws. Points off turnovers are a problem, an easy way for the already stacked Nets to get points. 12 turnovers led to 18 Net points as Boston cannot turn the ball over too much.
The Celtics defense was about as good as I can imagine it being and they were still down nearly 20 at one point in this game. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where a healthy Nets team wins this game.
Brooklyn Nets (1-0)
The Brooklyn Nets are the new Warriors. Even when they were struggling in the first half, I never thought that they would lose. Even if they played slightly better and their big 3 made some shots, the game was over. The Nets didn’t play well, kept it close, and then blew it open in the 2nd. The Nets didn’t even play well and they led by 17. Scary Hours.
The Nets offense was so bad in the first half. 40% shooting from the field, 1/13 from 3 (8%), and their Big 3 shot 11/32 from the field. Guess how many points they were down by at halftime? 6. That’s just unbelievable. In the 2nd half, the Nets dominated. Their defense looked really good and their offense got going a little bit.
The Nets Big 3 in the 2nd half shot 15/26 from the floor (58%) and the Nets opened up a 17-point lead in the 4th at one point as they got a very weird Game 1 win.
21 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals for Harden. 29 points and 6 rebounds for Kyrie. 32 points and 12 rebounds for KD. The Big 3 combined for 82 of the Nets 104 points (79%). Brooklyn was 8/34 from 3, making 7 of those in the 2nd half. 49 Big 3 points came in the 2nd half. The defense was amazing on Tatum, KD doing a really good job there.
I just don’t see how you beat this team. They can do it all and they are such a problem. They didn’t even play that well in this game but their defense was excellent and they won by double-digits. Scary Hours indeed.
(6) Portland Trail Blazers vs (3) Denver Nuggets
Portland Trail Blazers (1-0)
This was one of the best games of the year. Portland ended the year hot, mainly because of their ability to win on the road. The offense was really good, got a lot of good looks for Dame who was very good in the 2nd half. The defense on Jokic and Porter was solid but other than those two there wasn’t much scoring. Portland steals homecourt from rival Denver in a dominating Game 1 win.
In the first quarter, Portland fell behind early because they couldn’t grab the defensive rebound and Jokic was killing them. But they got a boost with their 3-PT shooting, hit 6 in the first quarter. The Nuggets fans started to boo Carmelo when he came into the game (it’s been a decade we can chill out). So Melo promptly hit 3 3’s and scored 12 points in 4 minutes. Portland scored 35 points in the first and was off to a good start.
The 2nd was a little rough. MPJ and Jokic started to get going together and Portland couldn’t get stops. Portland shot just 36% from the field and offensive rebounding was still a problem as Denver had 9 offensive rebounds in the first half. Jokic and MPJ combined for 35 in the first half put 36 combined from Melo, Dame, and CJ kept Portland afloat. Also hitting 9 3’s helped.
The 3rd started off poorly with Portland falling behind by 9 with over 8 minutes to go. Then Dame happened. Portland started to get stops and after some 3’s went down, we had the lead with over 6 minutes to go as the lead evaporated. Dame continued to bully Jokic in the pick and roll, either getting to the rim, shooting, or dropping a sweet pass to an open Nurkic or shooter on the perimeter. Portland ended the 3rd on a 8-0 run capped off by a Lillard bomb step-back 3 that put Portland up 10 entering the 4th.
With Dame out the lead did become 4 with 8:14 left in the 4th but Terry Stotts put Dame and Nurkic back in to stop the bleeding and it worked. A Dame 3 with 4:37 put Portland back up by 10 and Covington hit the dagger 3 with 1:21 left to end the game. Portland steals homecourt and gets a crucial Game 1 victory.
Dame had 34 points and 13 assists as Campazzo was annoying him but off of screens he was getting so much room. I have watched Dame for a while and really the only times he’s gotten that much room was in the OKC series but other than that he gets smothered. He did miss some shots he normally makes, but he was still big-time in the pick and roll.
21 points for CJ who was quiet but also got good looks. Nurkic had 16-12-5 as his passing in the pick and roll was great. He was 7/10 from the floor and did a good job with Jokic. Really good job from the Bosnian Beast.
Powell only had 10 and Roco had 8 but his defense on Aaron Gordon was really good. The bench also came through big. 18 for Carmelo in his first revenge tour against Denver (seriously, how can you boo this man?). Simons got so many good looks and he knocked them down, 4/5 from 3 with 14 points.
Portland shot 47% from the field and 48% from 3, making a franchise record 19 3-pointers. Portland was 18/19 from the line and they only fouled Denver 14 times resulting in 6 free throws. Portland also only turned the ball over 6 times. Portland got 13 points off turnovers and I really only have a few adjustments.
Portland got dominated in the paint, might want to think of packing the paint a little to avoid that. Offensive rebounding was also a problem. Denver had 9 of those in the first half 11 for the game as they did a better job in the 2nd half. You don’t want to give this team too many 2nd chances.
Defense on Jokic was great, made him make tough shots. But he had 0 assists in the first half and just 1 for the game. Jokic isn’t as impactful when he’s a scorer compared to when he’s a passer. When he scores a lot Denver doesn’t usually win. They didn’t run their usual offense with lots of movement and stuff and I think Portland did a great job isolating Jokic. Picking on MPJ defensively was also good, making him work. Definitely got to attack the rookie Howard, Austin Rivers, and Millsap in the rest of this series. Don’t know when Will Barton is going to be back, but he’ll be another guy to look out for throughout the rest of the series if he returns.
But really good performance overall. Expect a lot of changes from Denver going into Game 2, but stealing homecourt is never a bad thing.
Denver Nuggets (0-1)
MVP WHO? Just kidding, kind of. The Nuggets aren’t deep at all like they have been in past years. When you’re counting on Austin Rivers and Markus Howard for offense, you’re in trouble. Denver just decided not to guard Dame in the pick and rolls as they got torched from deep. Jokic started off hot but he cooled off considerably in the 2nd half. MPJ got picked on a lot defensively and he didn’t do much offensively for half the game. Tough loss for Denver who loses their precious homecourt.
Jokic started off hot, with 13 points in the first quarter. The Nuggets also got a lot of offensive rebounds, 6 in that first quarter. But their defense was awful. Dame got right to the rim a few times and Melo turned back the clock with 12 points in like 4 minutes. Denver’s 30 points were wasted on 35 from Portland.
In the 2nd Denver got going. Jokic and MPJ were cooking Portland and the offense was moving well. The defense wasn’t great but Portland missed some good looks. But Denver could never gain full separation. They led by 3 at the half but it seemed like it could have been a lot more.
In the 3rd Denver pushed the lead to 9 early on and then that was it. Dame got going as Jokic simply couldn’t guard those screens. Dame had 15 in the 3rd, capped off with a bomb to put Portland up by 10 entering the 4th. MPJ struggled in the 3rd and Jokic was good but only with his scoring as Denver seemed to not play their usual offense, just feeding the MVP. Portland hit 5 more 3’s in the 3rd as they were lighting Denver up.
The lead got cut down to 4 but the Nuggets kept Jokic out for a few minutes even after they cut it to 4. In that period where the game was close and there was no Jokic, Portland pushed it back to double digits and Dame and company put things away late. Covington hit the dagger 3 with 1:21 left to seal the deal. Denver loses homecourt advantage as their rivals get the best of them again.
Jokic had 34 points and 16 rebounds, but a season low 1 assist. Not a typo, not even an s at the end of assist. 1 assist. Jokic as a scorer is nowhere near as impactful as Jokic the passer.
MPJ did had 25 points but he did his damage in spurts. He was 1/3 in the 3rd and struggled defending Portland’s actions off-ball. He’s going to get targeted defensively and he’s going to have to be better.
Aaron Gordon had an inefficient 16 points as Robert Covington did a great job on him. I’m surprised Gordon wasn’t on Dame or CJ more. He was on Covington, which just seems like a waste. Why not put some length and quickness on Dame? I don’t know it’s going to have to happen otherwise Dame is going to do what he did today again (not opposed to that).
The bench was weak, just 10 points from Monte Morris but they couldn’t keep up with Melo or Simons. The Nuggets shot above 50% from the field but they made 8 less 3’s than Portland and they made 14 less free throws. They dominated down low while Portland torched them from outside. The Nuggets didn’t force turnovers, only 6 and they had 8 turnovers which led to 13 points.
The Nuggets have to change a lot of things. Put length on Lillard (Gordon) or blitz him in the pick and roll. Maybe hide Jokic by putting him on Covington defensively and put somebody else on Nurkic so that you can double Dame. I expected the Jokic defense in the pick and roll to be meh, but he was bad. Got beat so many times and he also didn’t step up on shooters.
I said that Portland’s elite guard play would be a problem and that Denver’s depth would be a problem. Guess what, they are both problems. The Nuggets don’t have a lot of guys for Dame but they’re going to have to find a way around that and find a way to slow down the Blazers bench. This was an ugly game from Denver and changes are going to have to be made for them to win Game 2.
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