Another two-game slate in the NBA Playoffs on Tuesday night and we had a bit of drama. The Raptors dug themselves a major hole against the Celtics. And the Nuggets scrapped their way into the second round to play the Clippers. Let’s take a look at last night’s action.
Smart Puts Celtics on His Back in 4th Quarter
When Marcus Smart was entering the NBA Draft, I asked people who were much more locked into college basketball than I was at the time; what makes him a potential top-5 pick?
The answer I got from a number of people I respect; he’s tough, and he’s a winner.
I scoffed at that notion because to me, how could you draft someone that high who was a below-average shooter and just an ok ball handler for a point guard based him being a “winner.”
Well, in Game 2 of Boston’s second-round series against Toronto, Marcus Smart showed what it means to be a winner.
We know about his toughness and defensive ability, but in Game 2, Smart put the Celtics on his back on the offensive end during winning time. In the 4th quarter, with the Celtics down eight, Marcus Smart scored 16 of his 19 points and poured in five threes. That’s the definition of a winner stepping up in the most critical moment.
It was particularly important because until Kemba Walker called it back to his UCONN days with a beautiful elbow stepback with under one minute remaining, Kemba was having one of the worst playoff games of his career.
There was good reason to be concerned for the Celtics without Gordon Hayward, but they haven’t missed a beat yet with Smart inserted into the starting lineup.
Now we head toward Game 3, and it’s well established that the deeper you go in the playoffs, the more you lean on your stars. For Toronto, that star needs to be Pascal Siakam, and so far, it hasn’t been. Siakam finished with 17 points, and he’s averaging 18.8 PPG in the playoffs. He needed to become a star in these playoffs, and he looks like a really good role player at the moment.
There’s no question that Jayson Tatum is a star, though. Tatum dropped 34 in Game 2. He’s now averaging 27 PPG in the playoffs and is clearly the best player in this series.
Oh by the way, the Celtics held the Raptors to under 100 points for the second game in a row, winning 102-99.
2-0 doesn’t mean the series is over. But after the Raptors looked like they had a shot in this one, this 2-0 lead looks pretty dominant.
Nuggets Come Back From 3-1 Series Deficit to Advance to Second Round
It wasn’t the kind of drama we expected, but it was a dramatic finish nonetheless. It was also pretty ugly.
The Nuggets became the 12th team in NBA Playoffs history to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a seven-game series. They beat the Jazz 80-78 in Game 7.
It wasn’t the shootout we had all hoped would close out this game. Donovan Mitchell turned it up a bit in the second half, finishing with 22 points. Mitchell scored 14 straight in the 2nd and 3rd to bring Utah back.
Jamal Murray finished with just 17 points but did have a few clutch buckets late.
At the end of this one, it was whose co-star would show up. And Murray’s did just a little bit more in Game 7.
Nikola Jokic played the hero, finishing with 30 points. And his bucket with 28 seconds left in the game sealed the deal.
It wasn’t for lack of effort by Rudy Gobert. He finished with 19 points and 18 rebounds, scoring 10 in the 4th quarter. It just wasn’t quite enough.
The low final score was certainly a product of solid defense on both sides. But these teams both looked like this seven-game battle had finally caught up to them. Murray also took a knee in the quad at one point, which didn’t help matters.
Hopefully, this game won’t overshadow a historic series from Mitchell and Murray, regardless it’s Denver who advances by the skin of their teeth.
So congratulations, Nuggets, your prize for grinding out this series: a date with the Clippers in the second round.
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.
