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With the Memphis Grizzlies defeating the Golden State Warriors on the final day of the Play-In tournament, the Western Conference bracket for the NBA Playoffs is set. The first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs will provide NBA fans with exciting matchups in the Western Conference, such as the LA Lakers facing off the Phoenix Suns.
5 Bold predictions for the Western Conference matchups in the first round of the NBA Playoffs
The Lakers-Suns series isn't the only fascinating matchup in the conference, though. The LA Clippers are set to go up against the Dallas Mavericks again and another contender, the Denver Nuggets, will battle the Portland Trail Blazers early in the NBA Playoffs.
In this article, we give you five bold predictions for the 2021 NBA Playoff's first round in the Western Conference bracket.
#5 Memphis Grizzlies take a couple of games off Utah Jazz
The Memphis Grizzlies and Ja Morant put up a stunning performance at the Chase Center against the Golden State Warriors and Steph Curry in the Play-In tournament to advance to the NBA Playoffs.
Memphis is now set to compete against the top-seeded Utah Jazz in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The young Grizzlies, without any pressure, could pose a threat to Donovan Mitchell and company in a best-of-seven series.
Though the Jazz swept the regular-season series against Memphis, two of the three games were close, and the momentum of Morant's side could help them take a couple of wins over the Jazz.
#4 Devin Booker averages over 30 points per game in his first series of the NBA Playoffs
In his sixth NBA season, All-Star Devin Booker will play in the NBA Playoffs for the first time. The guard thoroughly deserves it after performing well for the Phoenix Suns throughout the last few years.
Booker put up 25.6 points per game in the regular season, with 48/34/86 shooting splits. However, he struggled in his three outings against the LA Lakers, averaging only 21 points per game and receiving a lot of pressure from the LA defense.
In this series, the Suns will need Booker to find his own shot and get in rhythm quickly against the top-rated defense in the league. In only his first taste of NBA Playoffs' action, Booker might put up huge numbers.
#3 Denver Nuggets shred Portland Trail Blazers' defense
The Denver Nuggets' offense flew high in the 2020-21 NBA season, whether it was with Jamal Murray in the lineup or without him. With Murray, the Denver Nuggets ranked fourth in Offensive Rating, while they were eighth after Murray's ACL injury. Still a Top 10 offense.
MVP finalist Nikola Jokic is the engine of the Denver Nuggets' offense, and he will pose a huge difficulty to the Portland Trail Blazers' struggling defense.
The Blazers had the second-best offense in the regular season, but put up the second-worst Defensive Rating in the league, and the chances that Denver can torch that defense are quite high.
Though these teams played a highly competitive series in the 2019 NBA Playoffs, the picture could be very different this year.
#2 Dallas Mavericks push LA Clippers to seven games
Last year, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks were the West's seventh seed, and they pushed the LA Clippers to six games in the first round. That series could have been quite different without Kristaps Porzingis' knee injury and the referees' questionable calls in the first game.
Still, the LA Clippers were favorites then and are favorites for the 2021 NBA Playoffs as well. But Doncic and the Mavs will again be difficult to handle, and the Slovenian superstar could make things tough for LAC.
Dallas advancing is certainly not an impossible result in this series, but the Mavs pushing the LA Clippers to seven games could certainly be surprising. Dallas won the season series two games to one, and blew the Clippers out twice this year.
The rematch of last year's first-round series could be a thriller between the title-contending Clippers and the young Mavs' squad.
#1 LA Lakers handle the Phoenix Suns in six games
The LA Lakers started the 2020-21 NBA season looking like the clear favorites to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. However, they enter the NBA Playoffs with LeBron James playing only five of the most recent 31 games due to an ankle injury, and Anthony Davis also missing considerable time.
Therefore, the LA Lakers beating the second-seeded Phoenix Suns in six games would be a surprising sight. The reigning champions are not at their highest level, but it will be interesting to see them catch their rhythm in the first-round matchup against Phoenix, which will certainly push LA in all areas.
