As players all over the league honored the late Kobe Bryant on Mamba Day the NBA Playoffs continued with Bryant’s Lakers putting on a dominant performance. Also, the Miami Heat advance to the second round, they wait for the Bucks who now lead 3-1 over the Magic. And Chris Paul‘s Thunder give us the four vs five series we’ve been waiting for. Let’s recap:
Welcome to the NBA Playoffs Khris Middleton
The Milwaukee Bucks have to be breathing a sigh of relief after Khris Middleton’s fourth-quarter performance in their Game 4 win over the Orlando Magic.
Through the first 11 quarters of the series, Middleton was shooting 28.2 percent from the field and 30 percent from three. In the fourth quarter of Game 4, Middleton poured in 18 points on 6-12 shooting from the field and 3-4 shooting from deep. This was the type of performance the Bucks desperately needed to see from Middleton as they inch closer to a second-round matchup with the Miami Heat.
And in yet another game where the pesky Orlando Magic wouldn’t go away, the Bucks needed Middleton to find his offensive form. At the end of the third, the Bucks led 84-81. They went on to win 129-106. The final score wasn’t wholly indicative of how close the Magic kept this game. Orlando was as close as seven points with four minutes left in the game. Nikola Vucevic has done his best all series to carry Orlando, scoring another 31 points in Game 4, including 13 in the fourth quarter.
Milwaukee now leads the series 3-1, and although their offense still isn’t quite where it needs to be, it’s great for them to see Khris Middleton shake off whatever rust he had entering the playoffs. Giannis Antokounmpo had a typical game of 31 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists. Bucks need Giannis, Middleton, and the rest of that starting unit to continue to gel as they head toward their clash with Miami, who are 7th in both offensive and defensive rating. Orlando’s defense has been on Miami’s level in this first-round series, but the Heat’s offense is substantially better then what the Bucks have seen so far.
Thunder Defense Steps up Again to Tie Series 2-2
What a difference two games make.
For the second game in a row, the Thunder defense and their unheralded rookie guard Lu Dort made things just tough enough on Houston’s offense for OKC to win 115-111.
The Thunder were able to withstand an early second-half barrage where the Rockets made their first eight three-pointers. After OKC ramped up their pressure, the Rockets shot 5-for-26 the rest of the half from three and 15-for-50 overall. Meaning outside of that 8-for-8 stretch the Rockets shot 30 percent from three and 39.7 percent from the field.
As for the James Harden stopper Luguentz Dort, he was an absolute pest once again. Sure Harden finished with 29 points, but it was never easy. Since Dort returned in Game 2, Harden is now shooting 41 percent from the field and 28.2 percent from three. The Harden stopper seems real.
When you comb the numbers, one thing is evident during this series. The Rockets are a drastically different offensive team without Russell Westbrook. Houston’s offense that was 1st in pace during the restart has ground to a halt. The Rockets had 107 possessions per 48 minutes in the seeding games. That’s dropped to 99 possessions per 48 minutes in the playoffs. The Rockets are averaging 9.7 fastbreak points in the series, down from 14.6 fastbreak points during the regular season. Five points make a huge difference in two games where you went to overtime and lost by four, respectively.
There’s still no word on Westbrook’s return, but if it’s not soon, the Rockets could struggle to swing the momentum back in their favor.
Jimmy Butler Injured as Heat Close Out Sweep of Pacers
As many expected, the Heat closed out the Pacers tonight, finishing out their sweep with a 99-87 win in Game 4.
I can’t help but wonder what could’ve been in this series if the Pacers had been healthy and had time to get right. No Domantas Sabonis, No Jeremy Lamb, a substantially less than 100 percent Victor Oladipo and a banged-up TJ Warren, was never going to cut it in this series.
Indy was able to keep the games competitive, but in the end, the Heat’s health and depth was too much. And It showed in Game 4. The Pacers’ 87 points was only the 6th time all season that they scored less than 90 points.
None of my talk of the Pacers’ injury issues is to take away from what the Heat did in this series. They did what you should do to a shorthanded team. Miami played with more consistent effort and outworked Indiana the whole time.
The biggest story coming out of this game is the status of Jimmy Butler, who injured his shoulder. Butler left for a stretch and was never quite the same when he came back in. There were moments you could clearly tell he was having trouble using that injured left shoulder.
It’s well established that Jimmy Butler isn’t just Miami’s star player but their emotional leader on and off the floor. And before Game 4, Butler averaged 24.3 PPG, 6 RPG, 4 APG, 3 SPG. He also shot an absurd 57 percent from three. Luckily for the Heat, they’ll get at least a few extra days of rest as they wait for the Bucks to close out the Magic. That rest should help get Butler to 100 percent to face the best team in the East.
Lakers Offense Find It’s Rhythm in a Big Way to Take 3-1 Lead
The rest of the teams in the NBA Playoffs must be pretty frustrated that the Lakers landed the Blazers in the first round.
Until Game 4, the Lakers offense just hasn’t looked very good in the bubble. Before Monday night, they were 11th out of 16 playoff teams in offensive rating. During the seeding games, the Lakers were 20th in offensive rating. The best thing, though, for a struggling offense, is playing one of the worst defenses in the NBA. Blazers were 20th in defensive rating during the seeding games, and it showed in this one.
Game 4 was over by halftime when the Lakers led 80-51. That’s the first time the Lakers have scored 80 points in a half of an NBA playoffs game since 1980. Los Angeles was also shooting 29 percent from three entering this game. They shot 11-19 from deep in the first half. It was complete dominance from the start.
The Lakers opened the third quarter on an 11-2 run, and never looked back. LeBron finished with 30 points, and was in such zone at one point he pulled up from near midcourt. As a team, the Lakers shot 50 percent from three before the starters were benched for good. The final score was 135-115, every bit as bad as it looks.
To make life worse for Portland, Damian Lillard left the game in the third quarter with a knee injury and didn’t return. Worth monitoring, but this series looks out of reach for Portland so I’m sure they will play it safe with Dame.
This is the Lakers team people have been expecting, and that should worry everyone in the West.
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.
