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The first round of the NBA 2018-19 playoffs are going on in full swing and there are a bunch of exciting matches that are taking place on a daily basis. It has been a really entertaining set of series, most of which were decided on the final day of the NBA regular season.
The Orlando Magic upset the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of the playoff series but since have not shown much on the offensive end and are now down 2-1 in the series. They still play the Raptors at their home court tomorrow night.
The Golden State Warriors too let go of a 31 point lead in Game 2 against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Oracle Arena, but have managed to take back the lead and now face the Clippers at the Staples Center tomorrow to try and take a decisive 3-1 lead.
The Portland Trail Blazers face off against the home team Oklahoma City Thunder in a delicately poised series, which the Blazers are currently leading 2-1. With these games in mind, let us take a look at the matches that happened on 20th April and gave us our 3 biggest talking points.
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#3 The Utah Jazz almost beat the Houston Rockets
The Utah Jazz came so close, but in the end, were still so far as they dropped their 3rd consecutive game to the Houston Rockets, who now lead the series 3-0. After two slow starts in Houston, the Jazz came out energized, with the home court on their side.
James Harden set a new record, but for the worse, as he became the first player to miss his first 15 shots. Still, he never stopped attacking and came up with 14 of his total 22 points in the 4th quarter to lead the Rockets to another victory, 104-101.
Donovan Mitchell came back strong in this game and led the Utah Jazz from the front, scoring a game high 34 points in 42 minutes on the court. Rudy Gobert was a menace on defense, getting himself 7 blocks but was not involved much on the offensive end of the game.
The Utah Jazz are now looking at a clean sweep in Game 4 of this playoff series. The good thing for them is that they still will be at home for it and should look to consolidate and come back harder. They have been able to contain Harden, but their own lack of offense has been their undoing.
#2 Nikola Jokic steals the show
The Denver Nuggets had an uphill task tonight against the San Antonio Spurs and were up to it, beating the solid home team 117-103 in a huge win for the Nuggets, which helped tie the series at 2-2 and now they travel to Denver for Game 5.
Nikola Jokic was easily the best player on the court, as he controlled almost every aspect of the Nuggets game on the offensive end of the floor. He had himself 29 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists and not a single turnover.
He was able to lead the Nuggets from the front just as coach Malone wanted and hoped would happen. The Spurs did not have an answer to Jokic's game and crumpled in the 3rd quarter after starting off really well.
LaMarcus Aldridge was superb for the San Antonio Spurs, scoring 24 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in just 29 minutes. No other Spurs player managed to reach 20 points, with DeRozan coming close with 19 points.
Apart from Jokic, Jamal Murray banished his Game 3 demons as he bounced back with 24 points and 6 assists, just giving up 1 turnover. Torrey Craig started in place of Will Barton and did a great job, scoring an efficient 18 points and 8 rebounds.
The Nuggets now play the Spurs at home in Game 5 and with the series poised at 2-2, the Nuggets need to step up and take the game to show everyone that they are not just a regular season team.
#1 Philadelphia 76ers beat the Nets again
Joel Embiid returned to the starting lineup tonight to a smattering of boos but the Philadelphia 76ers still managed to beat the Brooklyn Nets in a close contest, 112-108 and taking a decisive 3-1 lead back home to Philadelphia for Game 5.
Embiid was the highlight of the night, as he mustered a solid 31 points, 16 rebounds and a surprising 7 assists in a superb game for the big man. He was huge for the 76ers defensively as well, getting 2 steals and a game high 6 blocks, all in just 32 minutes.
Tobias Harris was excellent again, scoring 24 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists while the star of Game 3, Ben Simmons, scored 15 points, with 8 assists and 8 rebounds as it was all Embiid's show and everyone was happy to move out of the way.
The Nets, however, had a great game themselves but could not get it going in the 4th quarter, getting outscored 27-17. Jarrett Allen played well against Embiid, scoring 21 points, along with 8 rebounds while Caris LeVert was also influential, scoring 25 points, along with 5 rebounds and 6 assists.
D'Angelo Russell endured a worse than usual shooting night, scoring 21 points on 31% shooting. Spencer Dinwiddie too had 18 points in 27 minutes but the rest of the Nets team just did not get it done this game.
The 76ers now play the Brooklyn Nets in Game 5 of the playoff series at the Wells Fargo Center next and will be looking to finish this series at home to give something to the fans to cheer about.
