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The NBA 2018-19 playoffs are currently underway with some really entertaining series that are going on right now. There are a few series that seem to be on their final legs and some which are really interesting right now.
The Utah Jazz have been really lackluster in the series against the Houston Rockets and are currently down 3-0 to them. The Game 3 was their chance to take a game and put some pressure on the Rockets, but they failed and now have an uphill task ahead.
The Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs are having one of the best first round playoff series in a really long time. It is currently locked at 2-2 and it will be a really exciting match in order to take the lead in Game 5.
The Philadelphia 76ers hold a commanding 3-1 lead over the Brooklyn Nets and they travel back home to the Wells Fargo Center to try to hopefully take the series in front of their home crowd. The Detroit Pistons have struggled against the Milwaukee Bucks and stare at a sweep, being 3-0 down. With these games in mind, let us look at the 3 biggest talking points from April 21st.
#3 Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors move closer to 2nd round
The Eastern Conference favorites and the Western Conference favorites both have now taken a commanding 3-1 lead over their respective opponents. The Warriors are now 3-1 against the Los Angeles Clippers, beating them 113-105, while the Toronto Raptors beat the Orlando Magic, 107-85.
The Golden State Warriors were ruthless last night where Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant dominated, scoring 32 and 33 points respectively. Steph Curry could not get going from the field and ended up with just 12 points.
The Los Angeles Clippers had no response to this display by the Warriors. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team with 25 points, while Danilo Gallinari chipped in with 16. Lou Williams had a bad night and could score only 12 points. The Warriors will be looking to finish the series at the Oracle Arena in the next match in the series.
The Toronto Raptors too were dominant in their win over the Orlando Magic in Game 4 of their series, taking a decisive 3-1 lead. Kawhi Leonard had a huge night scoring 34 points in 35 minutes, Siakam being the next closest starter with 16 points.
The Orlando Magic were rendered helpless and crumpled, with only 3 players reaching double digits. Aaron Gordon led the Magic with 25 points while Fournier chipped in with 19 points. The Raptors will be looking to finish this series in Toronto and move on to the next round of playoffs, where they will potentially face the Sixers.
#2 The Portland Trail Blazers keep on rolling
The Oklahoma City Thunder took on the Portland Trail Blazers in a home game that the Thunder really needed to win in order to level the series. Instead, the Blazers came out on fire, taking the Thunder down in a big 111-98 win.
The 3rd quarter was key for the Blazers as they took an 11-point lead going into the 4th and never looked back. Lillard was his usual dominant self, scoring 24 points and dishing out 8 assists in 41 minutes. CJ McCollum led the team with 27 points and Al-Farouq Aminu had a great night, scoring 19 points.
The Thunder were pretty lackluster last night, with only Paul George crossing 20 points, scoring a game high 32 points. Russell Westbrook was outplayed by his counterpart in Lillard, scoring only 14 points, shooting 23% from the field.
With the next game of the series in Portland, the Oklahoma City Thunder need to come up with a really big performance if they want to keep themselves alive in this playoff series in which they are now down 3-1.
#1 Boston Celtics move on to the next round
The Boston Celtics played Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers in a road game for them in Indianapolis. The Celtics were up 3-0 in the series and were the favorites against an underwhelming Pacers to finish the series in Game 4.
Boston came out all guns blazing into this game and indeed finished it off, winning 110-106 in Game 4. The Pacers started off well, taking the lead in the first quarter and kept it with them heading into the 2nd half.
But then, the Celtics were able to mount a comeback in the second half, winning the 3rd and the 4th quarter and thereby taking the game. None of the starters really took the game to the Pacers, but then there was some efficient shooting from Gordon Hayward off the bench, to score 20 points -- a team high.
Kyrie Irving could only manage 14 points, but Marcus Morris and Jayson Tatum scored 18 each to finish it for them. The Pacers struggled in Game 4 too, just like the previous games, but were better than usual.
Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pacers, scoring 22 points, a game high, while Tyreke Evans had 21 points off the bench. Darren Collison chipped in with 19 points too but it was not enough to save them in this series.
The Boston Celtics now wait for the winner of the game between Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons, who they will face in the next round of the NBA.
Guess the Lakers players!
