Day 4 of the NBA Playoffs brought back a sense of normalcy to the proceedings. All the favorites won their Game 2’s including the top dogs bouncing back in big ways. We’re almost through the first week of the NBA Playoffs in the bubble and it’s better than anyone could’ve thought. Let’s get caught up on what happened on Thursday.
Duncan Robinson‘s Seven Threes Lead the Heat to 2-0 Series Lead
This section is going to read like a Duncan Robinson love letter. But how could you not root for a player like this? Overlooked in high school, undrafted, and played 12 minutes per game in his rookie season.
Now he’s a key player for a team that’s looking better every game in these NBA Playoffs. In the Heat’s Game 2 win 108-100 over the Pacers, Robinson scored 24 points and made seven threes, tying the Heat’s playoff record.
Robinson’s developed into much more than just a catch & shoot player. He’s deadly coming off screens, he’s a great cutter and has developed into a serviceable player off the dribble. The Heat, for a long stretch in the third quarter, went to a three-man man action with Robinson setting a ball screen for Jimmy Butler then coming off a flare screen from Bam Adebayo. Miami’s running plays with their stars and Robinson. He also nailed a crucial three off the dribble in the third at the end of the shot clock. Robinson was 4th in the NBA in three-point shooting this year and keeps adding more to his game. This guy is going to get PAID when his time comes.
As for the rest of the Heat, if you needed any indication that this team just flat out better then the Pacers, look at the first half. Miami turned the ball over ten times, missed seven free throws, and Adebayo went scoreless. Yet, the Heat led the Pacers 51-46 at halftime.
Good to see Victor Oladipo play after his Game 1 eye injury, but he still doesn’t look right. At the risk of being repetitive, if the Pacers don’t have Brogdon, Oladipo, and Warren at their highest levels, they don’t have much of a chance in this series now down 0-2.
Rockets’ Defense Dominant en Route to 2-0 Series Lead
Game 2 was about as demoralizing of a loss for the Thunder as you could have.
Lots of things went right for the Thunder.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander needed to step after a terrible Game 1. He gave the Thunder 31.
OKC desperately needed to figure out how to slow James Harden down. Returning rookie Lugentz Dort looked like the Harden stopper. The Beard finished with 21 and had to earn every single one of those points.
Harden and Eric Gordon combined to go 2-21 from three.
After getting beat down early in Game 1, the Thunder went into halftime of Game 2 with a six-point lead.
It didn’t matter.
Houston, coached by Mike D’Antoni, led by James Harden, won Game 2 with elite defense.
Not good. Not Great. Elite defense.
The Rockets defense has been good in the bubble, but this was a different level. Houston held OKC to just 39 points in the second half. This was a level of defensive intensity I’ve never seen from this team. They helped on every drive, crashed the glass with authority, deflected passes, and tipped rebounds to teammates. Their switching defense was so good for much of the 2nd half; it was hard to tell whether they were in a man-to-man or zone defense. This small lineup didn’t just hold Steven Adams scoreless in the second half; he didn’t have a shot attempt.
Houston started the third quarter on a 16-2 run and the fourth quarter on a 17-2 run. The final score 111-98 looks closer then the second half actually was.
The series is 2-0 so, it’s not technically over, but if the Rockets defense plays like this, the series is over and the Lakers, assuming they survive Portland, don’t want to see the team I watched today.
Giannis’ 20/20 Game Carries Bucks to Game 2 Win
Game 1 of this series was one of the more surprising Game 1 upsets I can remember in a long time.
Game 2, things went back to normal, for the most part.
You could see in the Bucks body language even before the game, Milwaukee was out to dominate. And they did it with defense early holding the Magic to 13 points in the first quarter. Orlando turned the ball over five times and only made three field goals in the period.
In the second quarter, the Bucks offense came to life. Pat Connaughton had 12 points, and Kyle Korver had 9. The two combined to go 6-10 from 3pt in the quarter. Milwaukee ended the half with a 64-43 lead.
Credit to Orlando for scrapping to stay alive in the second half. Nikola Vucevic did everything in his power, pouring in 32 points, and the Magic pulled within nine late in the 4th quarter.
But Giannis did his usual Giannis things finishing with 28 points, 20 rebounds and 5 assists and the Bucks won 111-96.
It didn’t end up being a perfect win by any means, but Milwaukee’s defense looked like itself. What’s concerning for the best team in the East is for the second game in a row the starters not named Giannis struggled on offense. The four Non-Greek Freak starters combined for 42 points. Khris Middleton was particularly bad with just two points.
It’s tied 1-1 now, I’m still sticking with Bucks winning this series 4-1, so they have time to figure out the offense, but a few more games like this would be worrisome.
Lakers Run Through Blazers in Bounce Back Win, Tie Series 1-1
I’m still not sure what to make of the Lakers through two games in these NBA Playoffs.
They won tonight 111-88. But were they great or is Portland finally gassed?
Sure the Lakers’ defense has looked excellent through the first two games holding the Blazers to 94 ppg and 39.6 field goal percentage. But there were many points in Game 1 where I looked at Damian Lillard and Jusuf Nurkic and thought they looked worn out.
And sure the Lakers had the 3rd best defensive rating in the NBA this season. Their defense, for the most part, has been great. But entering the playoffs, the Blazers had been the best offense in the bubble.
It seems that playing in seven-of-nine games decided by five points or less while battling until the very end just to make the playoffs might finally be taking it’s toll physically on Portland.
The Lakers offense, though, is still just ok. That’s why I’m not sure what to think about them. Anthony Davis went off with 31, but Los Angeles scored 111 points against one of the league’s worst defenses, and a number of those were in garbage time.
As if things couldn’t worsen for the Blazers in this one, Damian Lillard, who scored only 18 points, left the game with a dislocated left finger. Thankfully for the Blazers, x-rays came back negative, but we still have to monitor how that impacts Dame Time.
The rest of the starters were benched by the fourth quarter.
I’m not trying to take credit from the Lakers. They are the best team in the West, and by all accounts should dominate the Blazers. But Portland scored 88 points and didn’t score more then 20 points in a quarter until the fourth. That’s the performance of an exhausted team.
But we’ll see in Game 3.
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 by 6 am Monday through Friday.
