Playoffs Day 3, And Trust The Process? 8.19.20
The NBA Playoffs continue as we have 4 matchups on Day 3 of the NBA Playoffs featuring Nuggets vs Jazz and 76ers vs Celtics.
The NBA Playoffs continue as we have 4 matchups on Day 3 of the NBA Playoffs featuring Nuggets vs Jazz and 76ers vs Celtics.
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors won their 2nd playoff game. Here is what I thought about their performance.
The Raptors were the heavy favorites in this series and after a dominant Game 1 victory, they looked to take a 2-0 series lead. But the Nets were not going to back down. The Raptors trailed for most of this game. But their championship DNA showed in the 4th quarter as they outscored the Nets 30-19 and they won 104-99.
Offensively the Raptors were ok as they shot 44% from the field but just 26% from 3. The Raptors were also 19/28 from the free throw line. The Raptors only turned the ball over 8 times. The Raptors had 48 points in the paint.
Defensively the Raptors were good as the Nets shot 39% from the field and 34% from 3. The Nets were also 19/27 from the foul line. The Raptors forced 17 turnovers. The Raptors locked down the paint as the Nets only had 32 points down low.
Fred VanVleet had 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 10 assists. Norman Powell had 24 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. Kyle Lowry added 21 points and 9 rebounds. Pascal Siakam had 19 points and 6 rebounds as well.
Conclusion
The Raptors looked a little bit slow in this game, but their big 4th quarter gave them the win in Game 2, giving them a 2-0 series lead. The Raptors have looked pretty good in this series. But again, the Nets are not a team to mess with and the Raptors will have to play great on both ends. But the Raptors seem to be focused so far as they look to take a 3-0 series lead in Game 3.
Utah Jazz
The Jazz won their 2nd game in the bubble. Here is what I thought about their performance.
The Jazz put up quite a fight in Game 1 behind a historic night from Donovan Mitchell. But they didn’t give Mitchell enough help and they lost. Without Mike Conley again, the Jazz were going to need to find some more help. And they did in a big way. The Jazz dominated this game after the 2nd quarter as they won Game 2, 124-105. The series is now tied 1-1.
Offensively the Jazz were near-perfect as they shot 52% from the field and 46% from 3. The Jazz were also 14/17 from the free throw line. The Jazz had 11 offensive rebounds as they did a good job creating 2nd chance opportunities. The Jazz only turned the ball over 6 times. The Jazz had 48 points in the paint.
Defensively the Jazz were poor as the Nuggets had 46% from the field and 48% from 3. Denver was also 18/23 from the free throw line. The Jazz allowed Denver to have 13 offensive rebounds. The Jazz forced 10 turnovers. The Jazz only allowed 28 points in the paint.
Donovan Mitchell had 30 points and 8 assists on incredible efficiency. Jordan Clarkson had 26 points off the bench. Rudy Gobert had 19 points and 7 rebounds as well. Joe Ingles added 18 points and 6 assists.
Conclusion
The Jazz really dominated this game as they pounded the Nuggets. Donovan Mitchell was again great but other guys really played well. Their defense can still be better but they got a pivotal win to tie the series 1-1. Mike Conley might be available for Game 3, so the Jazz will be getting some more veteran experience as well as some scoring. So the Jazz have made this series a series, now lets see what they do in Game 3.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets lost their 2nd game in the bubble. Here is what I thought about their performance.
The Nuggets won a high-scoring battle against the Jazz in Game 1 behind Murray and Jokic taking over. A win in Game 2 would really give them an advantage against the short-handed Jazz. But the Nuggets did not come to play as they got blown out and they lost 124-105, and the series was tied 1-1.
Offensively the Nuggets were great as they shot 46% from the field and 48% from 3. Denver was also 18/23 from the free throw line. The Nuggets had 13 offensive rebounds. The Nuggets only had 10 turnovers. The Nuggets only scored 28 points down low.
Defensively the Nuggets were terrible as the Jazz shot 52% from the field and 46% from 3. The Jazz were also 14/17 from the free throw line. The Nuggets allowed 11 offensive rebounds. The Nuggets only forced 6 turnovers. The Nuggets also allowed 48 points in the paint.
Michael Porter Jr. had 28 points and 6 rebounds for Denver. Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists as well. Jamal Murray had 14 points as well and Monte Morris had 10 points as well.
Conclusion
The Nuggets got dominated in Game 2 as they are now in a tied series with the Jazz. After a great Game 1, the Nuggets came out with no energy on the defensive end and let the Jazz play with them. The Nuggets without Gary Harris and Will Barton cannot stop Donovan Mitchell and when other guys for Utah are playing well, it’s tough to stop them. Jamal Murray will need to play better for the Nuggets to succeed and the Nuggets need to hope that they can get healthy with Barton and Harris coming back for the back-end of this series.
Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers lost their 2nd game in the playoffs. Here is what I thought about their performance.
The 76ers lost a close game in Game 1, but they knew what they needed to do in order to win. They needed to get the ball to Joel Embiid and flow through him offensively. After a big 1st quarter, Embiid was quiet during the rest of the game in Game 1. So the 76ers just needed to give him the ball. And they gave him the ball more, but their defense was non-existent. They got blown out 128-101, as they fall down 0-2 in the series.
Offensively the 76ers were poor as they shot 41% from the field and 24% from 3. The 76ers were also 30/37 from the free throw line. The 76ers only turned the ball over 9 times. The 76ers had 40 points in the paint.
Defensively the 76ers were horrendous as Boston shot 51% from the field and 44% from 3. The Celtics were also 21/29 from the free throw line. The Celtics had 10 offensive rebounds as the 76ers didn’t do a good job limiting the Celtics to just one shot. The 76ers only forced 6 turnovers. The 76ers also allowed 38 points in the paint.
Joel Embiid had 34 points and 10 rebounds for Philly. Josh Richardson had 18 points. Shake Milton had 14 points and Tobias Harris had 13 points.
Conclusion
The 76ers gave the ball to Embiid, the problem was nobody else helped and their defense was bad. Without their best defender in Ben Simmons, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were killing them. And other than Embiid nobody really got into a rhythm. Tobias Harris was far too quiet as he struggled. The 76ers are now down 0-2 as they look dispirited and disinterested. They will need to turn things around fast if they want to get back into this series.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics won their 2nd game in the playoffs. Here is what I thought about their performance.
The Celtics were very good in their Game 1 victory, but they lost Gordon Hayward to injury. Hayward will be out for this series, so the Celtics Big-3 will need to be carrying the load for the rest of the playoffs. And they did just that as they dominated on both ends of the floor en route to a 128-101 blowout win and a 2-0 series lead.
Offensively the Celtics were excellent as they shot 51% from the field and 44% from 3 while making 19 3-pointers. The Celtics were also 21/29 from the free throw line. The Celtics had 10 offensive rebounds. The Celtics only turned the ball over 6 times. Boston also had 38 points in the paint.
Defensively the Celtics were great as well as Philly shot 41% from the field and 24% from 3. The 76ers were also 30/37 from the free throw line. The Celtics forced 9 turnovers. The Celtics allowed 40 points in the paint.
Jayson Tatum had 33 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists as he was great again. Kemba Walker had 22 points. Jaylen Brown added 20 points and 5 rebounds. Marcus Smart and Enes Kanter were also in double figures.
Conclusion
The Celtics were once again fueled by Jayson Tatum and the rest of the Big 3 as the Celtics looked very sharp. Without Gordon Hayward the Celtics relied more on the rest of their big 3 and they showed up as they combined for 75 points. Without Ben Simmons, Jayson Tatum is taking over. And the Celtics defensively as making it tough on Tobias Harris. Sure they can’t guard Embiid, but they are limiting his supporting cast. And it’s working as the Celtics have a convincing 2-0 series lead.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs won their 2nd playoff game. Here is what I thought about their performance.
The Mavs lost a tough Game 1 after Kristaps Porzingis was ejected. I and many others believe that the Mavs would have won that game had Porzingis stayed in that game. Nonetheless, the young Mavs trailed 0-1 in the series and needed a win to stay competitive. And they came out to play as they controlled the game with their explosive offense. The Mavs held off a late Clippers rally and they won 127-114.
Offensively Dallas was great as they shot 50% from the field and 45% from 3. The Mavs were also 26/37 from the free throw line. The Mavs only turned the ball over 9 times. Dallas also had 44 points in the paint.
Defensively the Mavs were good as the Clippers shot 44% from the field and just 29% from 3. LA was also 30/39 from the free throw line. The Mavericks forced 15 turnovers. Dallas only allowed 38 points in the paint.
Luka Doncic had 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists as he was in much more control. Kristaps Porzingis had 23 points and 7 rebounds. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 17 points. Trey Burke had 16 points off the bench and Seth Curry had 15 points off the bench as well.
Conclusion
The Mavs played much better in Game 2 as Luka Doncic really looked comfortable out there. In Game 1 Doncic was a little to fast and excited, but he looked much better in Game 2. Porzingis, Hardaway, Curry, and Burke were all great help to Doncic as the Mavs were very good on offense. But the Mavs were very good on defense as Paul George was not playing well and the Mavs didn’t allow many 3-pointers. The series is now tied 1-1 as the young Mavs have some momentum in this series.
LA Clippers
The Clippers lost their 2nd game in the playoffs. Here is what I thought about their performance.
The Clippers were coming off of a win in where they got a little lucky as Kristaps Porzingis was ejected in the 3rd quarter of Game 1. But the Clippers held a 1-0 series lead as they looked to take a 2-0 series lead against the young Mavs. But the Clippers came out slow as they trailed big early. They managed to come back but could not stop Seth Curry and Trey Burke off the bench. While they made efforts at a comeback late, it was not enough as they lost 127-114. The series is now tied 1-1.
Offensively the Clippers were horrible as they shot 44% from the field and 29% from 3. LA was also 30/39 from the free throw line. The Clippers had 15 turnovers. The Clippers only had 38 points in the paint.
Defensively the Clippers were poor as the Mavs shot 50% from the field and 45% from 3. The Mavs were also 26/37 from the free throw line. The Clippers only forced 9 turnovers. The Clippers also allowed 44 points in the paint.
Kawhi Leonard had 35 points and 10 rebounds to lead LA. Lou Williams had 23 points and 7 assists off the bench. Marcus Morris, Reggie Jackson, and Montrezl Harrell were also in double figures. Paul George was ice cold as he only had 14 points.
Conclusion
The Clippers didn’t have that much energy out of the game and they never had control of this game. Their defense was terrible as Luka continually probed the lane and found open shooters. Paul George was ice-cold and Montrezl Harrell is still finding his footing, although he looked better. The Clippers really misses Patrick Beverley defensively but they will have to play better against one of the best offenses in the league. Paul George will have to show us why he is an All-Star. The Clippers will need to win a crucial Game 3 otherwise they might be in trouble.
What Did You Think Of Day 3 From The NBA Playoffs? Leave A Comment Down Below!
My Thoughts On A Specific Topic From Day 3 Will Be Posted Tomorrow, So Stay Tuned!
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