Eight games opened the first round of the NBA playoffs on Saturday and Sunday, and the home team won all eight.
And for the most part, the home team had dominant victories. Six of the eight games were decided by at least 11 points, and the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers all led by at least 29 points in their Game 1 triumphs, and the Cleveland Cavaliers led by 20 in their victory. .
The best game was the final Game 1 of the weekend: Oklahoma City over New Orleans, 94-92, in a game that featured 20 lead changes and 13 ties.
Here are the winners and losers from the first weekend of the NBA playoffs:
WINNERS
Oklahoma City Perseverance
The fourth quarter was shaky for Oklahoma City, which was making its playoff debut with its young team. The Thunder had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter against New Orleans and lost it. They recorded six turnovers in the fourth quarter, including three by MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But they had just enough offense and defense to beat the Pelicans. Gilgeous-Alexander scored five straight points to give OKC a 93-90 lead, and Chet Holmgren made two of his five blocks in the fourth quarter.
Lady Time
Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard almost single-handedly dominated the Pacers in the first half – scoring 35 points to Indiana’s 42. Lillard finished with 35 points, and he gave the Bucks some breathing room, winning a game with Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined (left calf injury). ) Lillard didn’t need to score in the second half. The damage was done in the first two quarters when Lillard was 11 of 19 from the field, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range.
The Boston approach to business
Not only was a win needed for the Celtics in Game 1 against Miami, but it needed to be a dominant win. And that’s what the Celtics did, leaving no doubt against the Heat without Jimmy Butler. Up 34 points, the Celtics shot 44.9% on 22 made 3s, and Jayson Tatum had a triple-double (23 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists).
Clippers without Kawhi
The Clippers could have lost the first game against Dallas and no one would have hesitated to abandon the first game of the series with Kawhi Leonard (right knee inflammation). Instead, the Clippers destroyed Dallas. The 109-97 finish isn’t indicative of how this game went: the Clippers led 56-30 at halftime and 70-41 with 7:39 left in the third quarter. James Harden had 28 points and eight assists, Paul George scored 22 points and Ivica Zubac had 20 points and 15 rebounds.
Timberwolves offense
Everyone knows the Timberwolves can play defense. The NBA’s No. 1 defense held the Suns, the league’s No. 10 offense, to 95 points. More importantly, the Timberwolves lost 120 points to the Suns. Anthony Edwards scored 33 points, collected nine rebounds and delivered six assists, Karl-Anthony Towns had 19 points and four assists, Rudy Gobert collected 14 points and 16 rebounds, and coming off the bench, Nickel Alexander-Walker scored 18 points and Naz Reid scored. 12 points. If the Timberwolves can do this with consistency in the series, they will be in a playoff series for the first time since 2004 – when Kevin Garnett was 28 years old and won the MVP award.
Nugget Center Nikola Jokic
Denver’s Nikola Jokic had 32 points on 15-of-23 shooting, 12 rebounds, seven assists and two steals in Denver’s 114-103 win over the Lakers in Game 1. It appears he’s headed for his third MVP in four seasons, and Lakers great LeBron James called Jokic one of the best to ever play the game. The Nuggets have beaten the Lakers nine straight times, including a sweep in the Western Conference Finals last season, and in those games Jokic is averaging 27.2 points on 55.7% shooting, 13 rebounds and 10.8 assists, and the Nuggets outscored the Lakers by 104. points with Jokic on the court.
The Knicks bench
New York’s reserves dominated Philadelphia’s 42-7. Bojan Bogdanovic (13 points), Miles McBride (21 points), Mitchel Robinson (eight points) were a combined 14 of 29 from the field, including 8 of 13 on 3s from Bogdanovic and McBride. Robinson also had 12 rebounds and four blocked shots, Bogdanovic added seven rebounds and McBride had four assists, three rebounds and a steal. This kind of production takes the pressure off Jalen Brunson and the other starters.
Cavaliers’ Jarrett Allen-Evan Mobley Combo
Whether it was their 23 minutes on the court together or their staggered minutes where one sits and the other is the bench, Cavaliers big men Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley provided a punch defensive thumb. The Magic shot 33.3% from the field, 22.2% on 3s and were outscored 25-16 with Allen (16 points, 18 rebounds, two steals) and Mobley (16 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks ) sharing the minutes.
LOSERS
The Dallas Disaster
Failures happen in the NBA. That makes Dallas’ performance against the Clippers no less embarrassing. The Mavs had 30 points on 9-of-41 shooting in the first half, including 2-of-21 in the second quarter. This happened even with an offense as good as Dallas’ with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. With the absence of Clippers All-Star Kawhi Leonard, it was a perfect opportunity for the Mavs to steal Game 1 on the road. Doncic had 33 points, Irving 32 and only one other Mav had more than six points.
Bad start for the Pacers
Much like Dallas, the Indiana Pacers were fortunate to take advantage of a team missing their star and take the first game on the road. The Pacers failed. Playing Milwaukee without Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Pacers trailed by 30 points in the first half. Concerns about the Pacers’ defense weren’t allayed — 69 points allowed in the first half — and their high-powered offense was nonexistent in the first half.
Lakers turnovers
Attention will be focused on D’Angelo Russell’s shooting performance: 6 out of 20, including 1 out of 9 out of 3. But the defeat is not limited to Russell’s game. Anthony Davis had 32 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and four blocks, and LeBron James had 27 points, eight assists, six rebounds, a steal and a block. It wasn’t enough as the Lakers had 12 turnovers – seven by James – which led to 14 points for the Nuggets, and Denver outscored the Lakers 21-14 in fast break points. Against the defending champions, who had just six turnovers, including zero from primary ball handlers Jamal Murray and Jokic, empty possessions are detrimental.
The Suns offense
Phoenix was 3-0 against Minnesota in the regular season, scoring 133, 97 and 125 points. In Game 1, the Suns shot 32.1% from 3-point range, Devin Booker was 5 of 16 from the field, Grayson Allen, who sprained his ankle, missed all three of his 3-point attempts, Eric Gordon was scoreless and 0 from the field. -4 out of 3 and the Suns bench was dominated 41-18. The Suns’ main concerns — their offense versus Minnesota’s defense, their depth and size — were valid.
Sixers without Joel Embiid
Even in the best-case scenario, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid can’t play 48 minutes per game against the New York Knicks. And with Embiid at less than 100% as he returns from a knee injury that sidelined him in February and March, these are the best circumstances. So the Sixers need to find a way to get better minutes from the unit that exists when Embiid is off the court. Embiid had 29 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals in New York’s 111-104 Game 1 win, and the Sixers were plus-14 with Embiid on the court in his 36 minutes. They were outscored by 21 points in 11 minutes and 27 seconds. Embiid did not play. If the Sixers can minimize that difference, they have a chance against New York.
The offense of magic
The Magic held Cleveland to 97 points, 44.4% shooting from the field and 26.7% from 3-point range. And lost, which is almost impossible in today’s NBA. But it illustrates Orlando’s offensive problems. The Magic, who had the No. 22 offense during the regular season, shot 32.6 percent from the field, 21.6 percent from 3-point range and 63.3 percent from free throws. Regardless of the quality of the Magic’s defense (No. 3), points are necessary. Nine turnovers by Paolo Banchero didn’t help. Now that the first game is over, the playoff jitters should go away. Orlando’s offense was a known problem in the series, but if it can’t generate better offense, it can’t beat Cleveland.