Bucks Open Playoff Run Facing Heat
The Milwaukee Bucks host the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs at Fiserv Forum on Saturday afternoon.
The Bucks (46-26 in the regular season) won the Central Division and ended the regular season as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, though they ended the season with a 118-112 loss to the Chicago Bulls while posting a 3-2 record over their last five contests. Milwaukee's biggest strength this season was their scoring power, though, as they scored a league-high 120.1 points per game. In fact, Milwaukee had seven players who averaged at least 10 points per game, including two that surpassed the 20-point-per-game mark in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. Antetokoumpo averaged 28.1 points and 11.0 rebounds per game -- those numbers were not near his previous two campaigns where he won the MVP award, but he was the Bucks' best player in the regular season by a wide margin. Milwaukee also posted a 26-10 mark at home.
The Heat (40-32 in the regular season) were not as dominant as the Bucks, but they still ended eight games above the .500 threshold and should be a complicated team come playoff time. Their star duo of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo should do most of the heavy lifting, with Butler averaging 21.5 points and 7.1 assists per game while Adebayo produced 18.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per tilt -- both carried Miami to a second-place finish in the Southeast Division. One area where the Heat must improve is their offensive play, however, as their mark of 108.1 points scored per game ranked as the sixth-worst in the NBA despite having at least eight players scored at least 10 points per game throughout the campaign. Miami also posted a 19-17 mark on the road, so they're far from being dominant when playing on enemy soil.
The Bucks (46-26 in the regular season) won the Central Division and ended the regular season as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, though they ended the season with a 118-112 loss to the Chicago Bulls while posting a 3-2 record over their last five contests. Milwaukee's biggest strength this season was their scoring power, though, as they scored a league-high 120.1 points per game. In fact, Milwaukee had seven players who averaged at least 10 points per game, including two that surpassed the 20-point-per-game mark in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. Antetokoumpo averaged 28.1 points and 11.0 rebounds per game -- those numbers were not near his previous two campaigns where he won the MVP award, but he was the Bucks' best player in the regular season by a wide margin. Milwaukee also posted a 26-10 mark at home.
The Heat (40-32 in the regular season) were not as dominant as the Bucks, but they still ended eight games above the .500 threshold and should be a complicated team come playoff time. Their star duo of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo should do most of the heavy lifting, with Butler averaging 21.5 points and 7.1 assists per game while Adebayo produced 18.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per tilt -- both carried Miami to a second-place finish in the Southeast Division. One area where the Heat must improve is their offensive play, however, as their mark of 108.1 points scored per game ranked as the sixth-worst in the NBA despite having at least eight players scored at least 10 points per game throughout the campaign. Miami also posted a 19-17 mark on the road, so they're far from being dominant when playing on enemy soil.
Mavericks and Clippers Set for Game 1 Face-off
The Dallas Mavericks take on the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal-round series on Saturday afternoon.
The Mavericks (42-30 in regular season) closed out their regular season on a strong note to secure the No. 5 seed. Dallas won six of its last eight games and went 19-9 over their last 28 games overall. Luka Doncic once again unsurprisingly spearheaded Dallas' efforts all season, averaging 27.7 points, 8.6 assists, 8.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal across 66 games. Kristaps Porzingis (20.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 blocks in 43 games) and Tim Hardaway (16.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists across 70 games) are two other critical complementary pieces to the Mavericks' attack. Dallas finished the regular season averaging 113.8 points per game on the road while allowing 109.6 points per road contest.
The Mavericks will be without JJ Redick (heel) for Saturday's game. Maxi Kleber (Achilles) will carry a probable designation.
The Clippers (47-25 in regular season) dropped six of their last 10 regular-season games, but they still did enough to ensure the No. 4 seed and home-court advantage for this first-round matchup. Los Angeles was fairly consistent throughout the season but was heavily reliant on its superstar wing duo of Kawhi Leonard (24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.6 steals across 52 games) and Paul George (23.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.1 steals). No other player averaged more than Marcus Morris' 13.4 points, with the veteran forward a very distant third behind Leonard and George on the offensive end. Los Angeles finished the regular season averaging 115.9 points per home game while allowing 107.9 points per Staples Center contest.
The Clippers will like list Amir Coffey (COVID-19 protocols) as no better than questionable for Saturday's contest.
The Mavericks won the three-game season series against the Clippers by a 2-1 margin, notching 124-73 and 105-89 wins Dec. 27 and March 17. However, the Clippers did prevail in last season's first-round series in the Orlando bubble by a 4-2 margin.
The Mavericks (42-30 in regular season) closed out their regular season on a strong note to secure the No. 5 seed. Dallas won six of its last eight games and went 19-9 over their last 28 games overall. Luka Doncic once again unsurprisingly spearheaded Dallas' efforts all season, averaging 27.7 points, 8.6 assists, 8.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal across 66 games. Kristaps Porzingis (20.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 blocks in 43 games) and Tim Hardaway (16.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists across 70 games) are two other critical complementary pieces to the Mavericks' attack. Dallas finished the regular season averaging 113.8 points per game on the road while allowing 109.6 points per road contest.
The Mavericks will be without JJ Redick (heel) for Saturday's game. Maxi Kleber (Achilles) will carry a probable designation.
The Clippers (47-25 in regular season) dropped six of their last 10 regular-season games, but they still did enough to ensure the No. 4 seed and home-court advantage for this first-round matchup. Los Angeles was fairly consistent throughout the season but was heavily reliant on its superstar wing duo of Kawhi Leonard (24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.6 steals across 52 games) and Paul George (23.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.1 steals). No other player averaged more than Marcus Morris' 13.4 points, with the veteran forward a very distant third behind Leonard and George on the offensive end. Los Angeles finished the regular season averaging 115.9 points per home game while allowing 107.9 points per Staples Center contest.
The Clippers will like list Amir Coffey (COVID-19 protocols) as no better than questionable for Saturday's contest.
The Mavericks won the three-game season series against the Clippers by a 2-1 margin, notching 124-73 and 105-89 wins Dec. 27 and March 17. However, the Clippers did prevail in last season's first-round series in the Orlando bubble by a 4-2 margin.
Nets Host Celtics In Game 1 Of First-Round
By Dan Bruno
The Brooklyn Nets play host to the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First-Round Playoffs at Barclays Center on Saturday evening.
The Nets finished the season in the second spot in the East, while the Celtics finished in seventh place but still had to defeat the Wizards in a play-in game to maintain the position. The Nets defeated the Celtics all three times they matched up during the season, once in Boston and twice in Brooklyn.
The Nets are set to have their three superstars in the lineup, which is a privilege they did not have for much of the season. Harden only played 36 games but averaged 24.6 points, 10.9 assists, 8.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals during the season, including an impressive stretch where he carried the team while Durant and Kyrie were both sidelined. On the other hand Durant only played 35 games but averaged 26.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. Kyrie Irving played 54 games and averaged 26.9 points, 6.0 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals, in 35 minutes per game. Throughout the injuries and ups and downs, Joe Harris remained a consistent factor in the Nets' offense, as he averaged 14.1 points while shooting 47.5 percent from long range. The Nets averaged 118.6 points per game during the season, which was second most in the league, and they shot a league-best 49.4 percent from the field.
Meanwhile, the Celtics also dealt with injury trouble through the season, but they are unfortunately still missing one of their top three players, as Jaylen Brown (wrist) remains out for the season. On a positive note, Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker have both been playing great lately, as Tatum is averaging 33.4 points and 8.0 rebounds over his last five games, and Walker is averaging 29.6 points and 3.8 assists over his last five games.
The Nets finished the season in the second spot in the East, while the Celtics finished in seventh place but still had to defeat the Wizards in a play-in game to maintain the position. The Nets defeated the Celtics all three times they matched up during the season, once in Boston and twice in Brooklyn.
The Nets are set to have their three superstars in the lineup, which is a privilege they did not have for much of the season. Harden only played 36 games but averaged 24.6 points, 10.9 assists, 8.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals during the season, including an impressive stretch where he carried the team while Durant and Kyrie were both sidelined. On the other hand Durant only played 35 games but averaged 26.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. Kyrie Irving played 54 games and averaged 26.9 points, 6.0 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals, in 35 minutes per game. Throughout the injuries and ups and downs, Joe Harris remained a consistent factor in the Nets' offense, as he averaged 14.1 points while shooting 47.5 percent from long range. The Nets averaged 118.6 points per game during the season, which was second most in the league, and they shot a league-best 49.4 percent from the field.
Meanwhile, the Celtics also dealt with injury trouble through the season, but they are unfortunately still missing one of their top three players, as Jaylen Brown (wrist) remains out for the season. On a positive note, Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker have both been playing great lately, as Tatum is averaging 33.4 points and 8.0 rebounds over his last five games, and Walker is averaging 29.6 points and 3.8 assists over his last five games.
Nuggets Host Trail Blazers in Game 1
The Denver Nuggets play host to the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference First-Round Playoffs at Ball Arena on Saturday.
The Trail Blazers were among the hottest teams in the NBA to close the regular season, winning 10 of their final 12 contests. That kept them out of the play-in game and made them one of the scariest teams in this postseason. The thing that makes them so fearful is the fact that they're finally fully healthy, with C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic balling out over the last few weeks. That paired beautifully with a superstar like Damian Lillard, and it makes it surprising that this team didn't finish higher than sixth. The one thing that's held them back is their defense, ranked 29th in defensive efficiency ratings this season. That won't get it done in the postseason, but they'll surely play better at full health.
The Nuggets also finished the regular season rolling, winning 13 of their final 18 games. What made that run truly shocking is the fact that they did it despite losing two of their primary ball-handlers. Jamal Murray and Will Barton both suffered significant leg injuries, and neither is expected back anytime soon. That has left Nikola Jokic as the man in charge, and it likely earned him an NBA MVP Award. He's leading the team with 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game, playing in all 72 outings this year. That's quite the feat, and it looks even better with Michael Porter Jr having a breakout season as well. That makes them one of the most dangerous duos in the postseason, and it'd be scary to see what this club would look like with a healthy Murray after what he did in last year's bubble. He wont be around though and it'll be fascinating to see how they look without him in such big games.
These teams played three times during the regular season, with Denver winning the series, 2-1. That gives the Nuggets 11 wins in their last 14 meetings with the Trail Blazers in total.
The Trail Blazers were among the hottest teams in the NBA to close the regular season, winning 10 of their final 12 contests. That kept them out of the play-in game and made them one of the scariest teams in this postseason. The thing that makes them so fearful is the fact that they're finally fully healthy, with C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic balling out over the last few weeks. That paired beautifully with a superstar like Damian Lillard, and it makes it surprising that this team didn't finish higher than sixth. The one thing that's held them back is their defense, ranked 29th in defensive efficiency ratings this season. That won't get it done in the postseason, but they'll surely play better at full health.
The Nuggets also finished the regular season rolling, winning 13 of their final 18 games. What made that run truly shocking is the fact that they did it despite losing two of their primary ball-handlers. Jamal Murray and Will Barton both suffered significant leg injuries, and neither is expected back anytime soon. That has left Nikola Jokic as the man in charge, and it likely earned him an NBA MVP Award. He's leading the team with 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game, playing in all 72 outings this year. That's quite the feat, and it looks even better with Michael Porter Jr having a breakout season as well. That makes them one of the most dangerous duos in the postseason, and it'd be scary to see what this club would look like with a healthy Murray after what he did in last year's bubble. He wont be around though and it'll be fascinating to see how they look without him in such big games.
These teams played three times during the regular season, with Denver winning the series, 2-1. That gives the Nuggets 11 wins in their last 14 meetings with the Trail Blazers in total.