Another weekend in the books in the 19-20 NBA Playoffs but the action was overshadowed by an injury. Giannis Antetokounmpo re-injured his right ankle in the Bucks Game 4. LeBron and AD led the Lakers to a win. The Raptors tied up their series with the Celtics. And the Clippers tied things up with the Nuggets. Let’s look back.
Giannis’ Injury Overshadows Bucks’ Game 4 Win
It wasn’t how or when the Bucks expected to get their first win of the series, but I guess they’ll take it.
After Giannis Antetoukounmpo re-aggravated his ankle in Game 4 and sat the rest of the game, it looked like the series and the bucks NBA Playoffs were likely over.
But the Khris Middleton had his best game of the playoffs and led the Bucks to a 118-115 overtime win. Middleton finished with 36 points, 30 of which came in the second half and overtime.
Middleton got vital contributions across the board, including 19 points from Giannis before he went down with his injury. But without the reigning MVP, Brook Lopez, Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, and Donte DiVincenzo all finished in double figures.
It was an inspired performance by the Bucks to stay alive to see Giannis fight another day potentially.
There could be a few different ways to look at this game in my eyes, and we’ll likely get a better understanding of which one is right in Game 5.
First, maybe Miami, who tends to relax when opponents star players are not playing, did precisely that when Giannis went out and fell victim to themselves.
Next, it’s possible that Miami’s defensive gameplan was so focused on limiting Giannis that they had trouble with the new look the Bucks threw at them when he left. To me, this seems most likely. When Giannis went out, the ball moved more, and there were five guys on the floor for Milwaukee at all times that could shoot. It totally changed the offense for the Bucks. I’d anticipate Erik Spoelstra being ready for that in Game 5 if Antetokounmpo doesn’t play.
The last possibility, and one that we won’t know until the later rounds, is that when the opposing team’s player is a three-level scorer like Khris Middleton, Miami’s defense goes from elite to just great. That’s a significant difference when you consider that the Heat’s record combined against the Raptors, Celtics, Lakers, and Clippers was 3-8 this season. (I used those four teams as the most likely four the Heat could play the rest of the way. Adding in the Rockets and Nuggets, their record was 5-10)
No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series, so history tells us the Heat will eventually win. Hopefully, it doesn’t come at the expense of another Giannis injury.
James, Davis Step Up to Carry Lakers to Game 2 win
The Rockets have done their job so far in this series. They stole a game early, and they made the Lakers play until the end of Game 2 to tie up the series 1-1. The Lakers squeaked out Game 2 117-109.
After Game 1, and throughout the playoffs, we know that based on the way Houston plays defense, there will be opportunities for your best players to beat them. The difference between Game 1 and 2, the Lakers stars showed out.
Anthony Davis stepped up with 34 points, up from 25 in Game 1. LeBron James finished with 28 points, 9 assists,11 rebounds. After going scoreless in the fourth quarter of Game 1, James had 8 points in the fourth of Game 2.
We know from any championship run the stars can’t do it themselves; the role players have to show up. For the Lakers, that’s likely going to be a different guy or two every night. In Game 2, it was Markieff Morris who scored 16 points in 23 minutes. And even Rajon Rondo hit a clutch jumper with under a minute remaining while the Rockets were still alive.
The Rockets showed though that Game 1 wasn’t a fluke, and they can stay competitive in this series. However, that won’t be the case if Russell Westbrook plays like he did in Game 2. Russ finished with 10 points on 4-15 shooting with 7 turnovers. Westbrook must play better for Houston to have a shot in this series.
I picked the Rockets to win Game 1. I chose the Lakers to win 4-1 or 4-2. The way the Rockets look, they could make it more interesting than my prediction.
Lowry, Siakam Lead Raptors to Series Tying Game 4 Win
The Champs are here.
After beating the Celtics 100-93 in Game 4, the Raptors tied their second-round series 2-2.
This series is giving me Rockets-Thunder round one vibes. Just like the Rockets in that series, The Celtics looked dominant through two games. Also, just like CP3 in that series, Kyle Lowry wasn’t going to let the Raptors go down without a fight.
Lowry nearly went for a triple-double in Game 4, finishing with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. He’s now averaging 26.5 PPG over the past two Raptor wins.
Despite shooting 2-13 from three-point range the Raptors also got a solid showing from Pascal Siakam in Game 4 with 23 points of his own. I’ve been very adamant that Toronto doesn’t have a chance to go deep in these NBA Playoffs without Siakam emerging into a star, so this is a welcome performance for the Raptors.
For really the third game in a row, Nick Nurse’s defensive adjustments gave the Celtics problems, particularly the Raptors’ zone defense. Boston scored just 93 points in Game 4, their lowest output of the postseason. They were also 7-35 from 3PT range, also by far their worst shooting performance of the playoffs.
Kemba Walker took the blame after Game 4. Walker only took nine field-goal attempts after putting the Celtics on his back in Game 3 with 29 points. Walker said his nine attempts were “unacceptable,” and he needs to be more aggressive. But after holding Jayson Tatum to 15 points in Game 3 and holding the combo of Walker and Jaylen Brown to 8-27 shooting from the field, you have to wonder if the Celtics can get it done when all three members of their big three aren’t rolling.
After all of that, if you’re the Celtics, you’ve got to be saying if it wasn’t for a miracle OG Anunoby shot in Game 3, this series is already over. And if you’re the Raptors, you might be saying; if it wasn’t for Marcus Smart scoring the second-most points in a single quarter of his career in Game 2, this series might be 3-1.
Whichever way you look at it, the series is now best of three, and it’s shaping up to potentially be the NBA Playoffs classic it was touted as before the second round.
Clippers up and Down Postseason Continues in Game 2 Loss
The Clippers up and down postseason continued in Game 2. After smacking the Nuggets in Game 1, the Clips lost 110-101 in Game 1.
This particular game showed me something I wasn’t sure of at the beginning. Even cyborgs can have off nights.
Kawhi Leonard finished with 13 points on 4-17 shooting and 0-3 from deep. Leonard didn’t score in the fourth quarter.
Obviously, a lot of credit goes to the Nuggets, who came out with a completely different intensity in Game 2. But I would credit just as much of this game to the Clippers, never quite looking like they were into it, which in and of itself is an issue for a team with championship aspirations.
But take nothing away from Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, who were the two best players on the court, combining for 53 points. Also, credit Gary Harris who finished with 13 points and made some big threes down the stretch after only returning a few games ago from injury.
For me, the guy who has quietly been a catalyst for Denver’s comptetiveness is Jerami Grant. Grant finished with 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks in Game 2. Most of what Grant does won’t show up in the box score, but every night he guards the opposing team’s best wing player and brings incredible energy and toughness to the defensive end. He’s also shooting 37.8 percent from three in the playoffs.
The positive for the Clippers coming out of Game 2 is they’re the Clippers. This seems to be what they do in these NBA Playoffs. They had lapses against Dallas, but I was never concerned. They should be fine in this series, but they need to find consistency in their effort for the later rounds.
For even more breakdown of the NBA Playoffs, listen to the NBA Morning Deuce, Belly Up Sports’ newest Daily NBA Podcast. The deuce covers everything you need to know from the night and day before in the association. Episodes are available by 6 am Monday through Friday where you listen to podcasts.
