OAKLAND, CA – APRIL 13: DeMarcus Cousins #0 of the Golden State Warriors warms up before Game One of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs against the LA Clippers on April 13, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph,
NBA Playoffs
DETROIT, MI – APRIL 20: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks looks on against the Detroit Pistons during Game Three of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 20, 2019 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph,
PORTLAND, OR – MAY 5: Jamal Murray (27) of the Denver Nuggets prays with teammates before the first quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, May 5, 2019. The Denver Nuggets and the Portland Trail Blazers game four of their second round NBA playoff series at the Moda Center in Portland. (Photo by AAron
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MAY 5: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors looks on during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers during Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on May 5, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this
The Houston Rockets finally broke through, beating the Golden State Warriors in overtime in Game 3 and getting a toehold in their second-round series. The Rockets have had some things go right in the first two games of this series but ultimately came up empty both times. With the series shifting back to Houston, and
The Brooklyn Nets came out with energy and execution, stealing Game 1 on the road from the Philadelphia 76ers. This was not the way the 76ers were hoping to kick off their postseason experience. Ben Simmons was bottled up by the Nets defense, Joel Embiid struggled from the field, J.J. Redick fouled out, the supporting
PORTLAND, OR – MAY 3: CJ McCollum #3 of the Portland Trail Blazers reacts against the Denver Nuggets during Game Three of the Western Conference SemiFinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on May 3, 2019 at the Moda Center Arena in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and
Giannis Antetokounmpo had his best game of the series, finally finishing in the paint and camping out at the free throw line, as the Bucks took Game 3 from the Celtics. The Bucks seem to have regained some of their identity and mojo after that discouraging Game 1 loss to the Celtics. Game 3, the
It started innocently enough. It’s not that there wasn’t anticipation for their arrival. How could there not be? Stories had already been told, books had already been written, feats had already been accomplished… There was buzz. But it’s one thing to come along and make an impact; it’s another to show up and change everything.
The Warriors once again separated themselves from the Rockets, using rebounding, defense and signature ball movement to take Game 2. Game 2 of Golden State vs Houston felt like a clear example of the most obvious NBA statement of the last three years: lots of teams are good, some are really good, but no one
The Milwaukee Bucks made some key adjustments and put on a 3-point shooting clinic to bury the Boston Celtics in Game 2. The 3-point shot has helped elevate the Bucks all season long and, in Game 2, their shooting built like a wave, eventually cresting and washing away the Celtics in a crucial third quarter.
TORONTO, CANADA – APRIL 29: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors handles the ball against Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers during Game Two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 29, 2019 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and
The Orlando Magic went toe-to-toe with Toronto Raptors and used a late push to steal Game 1 on the road. After Pascal Siakam made a driving shot and gave Toronto a six-point lead with just under six minutes left in the fourth quarter, Inpredictable’s live win probability model gave the Magic just a 9.7 percent
DENVER, CO – APRIL 29: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets reacts to a play against the Portland Trail Blazers during Game One of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 29, 2019 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by
TORONTO, CANADA – APRIL 27: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors handles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during Game One of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2019 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading
We saw the best and worst of both teams in Game 1 and a frantic, chaotic finish had the Warriors holding off the Rockets. A few final seconds of chaos wrote the ending to Game 1, giving the Warriors a win over the Rockets and plenty for fans to dissect for the next few days.
The Celtics stealing Game 1 from the Bucks was a surprise. Doing it by shutting down Giannis Antetokounmpo was shocking. Things looked dire for the Bucks early in the first half of Game 1. Giannis Antetokounmpo was struggling to get buckets inside and the 3-pointers weren’t falling. Boston led by nine at the end of
The Nuggets made just enough plays down the stretch to hold off the Spurs in Game 7, moving on to face the Trail Blazers. It was an ugly, bricky Game 7 between the Nuggets and Spurs. No one made mistakes with the ball, the two teams combined for just 12 turnovers. But both teams shot
Previewing the first-round series between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers with shot charts, assist maps, offensive style charts and expected win probabilities. Shot charts In a tremendous underdog story, the Golden State Warriors once again finished with the number one seed in the Western Conference playoffs. As always, they were led by
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 18: Patrick Beverley #21 of the LA Clippers reacts to his foul on Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors during Game Two of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center on April 18, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) NOTE TO
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 26: Golden State Warriors Forward Kevin Durant (35) warms up before game six of the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers on April 26, 2019 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty
Damian Lillard sent the Thunder packing and his Trail Blazers to the second round with an all-time great playoff performance. One of the feistiest first-round series in this year’s playoffs was ended by one of the greatest shots in playoff history. With the score tied at 115, Damian Lillard calmly dribbled the ball just this
Containing high-powered offensive weapons in the NBA often starts away from the point of attack, before a play really even starts. Make a scorer uncomfortable before he catches the ball, and he might become less threatening when he makes his move. Against elite shooters, that process often involves denying access to the screens and cuts
DETROIT, MI – APRIL 22: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks dunks the ball against the Detroit Pistons during Game Four of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 22, 2019 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this
OAKLAND, CA – APRIL 24: Patrick Beverley #21 and Montrezl Harrell #5 of the LA Clippers talk during Game Five of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors on April 24, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or
Working against a mathematical disadvantage, the Spurs couldn’t muster the offense to counter a beautiful performance from Nikol Jokić and the Nuggets in Game 5. After falling behind twice in its first playoff series since 2013, the Nuggets defeated the Spurs soundly to take a 3-2 series lead Tuesday night. While Denver holds just a
PORTLAND, OR – APRIL 23: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers reacts after he hit a game winning three-pointer against the Oklahoma City Thunder after Game Five Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 23, 2019 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees
HOUSTON, TX – APRIL 24 : James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets passes the ball against the Utah Jazz during Game Five of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 24, 2019 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 18: Tobias Harris #33 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts in the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets during game three of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Barclays Center on April 18, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges
PHILADELPHIA, PA – APRIL 15: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Philadelphia 76ers smiles during a game against the Brooklyn Nets during Game Two of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 15, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or