The Philadelphia 76ers made a statement, suffocating the Brooklyn Nets on defense in Game 5 and closing the series with a huge win. The 76ers scored 14 unanswered points to open the game, setting the stage for the beatdown that was to come. Brooklyn finished with 100 points but just 31 in the first half,
NBA Playoffs
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – APRIL 21: Kyrie Irving #11, and Gordon Hayward #20 of the Boston Celtics hi-five each other during Game Four of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs against the Indiana Pacers on April 21, 2019 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by
Before the first-round series between the Nets and 76ers began, the question of who Ben Simmons would guard had the potential to define a lot. As Jared Dubin pointed out, Simmons’ versatility has been unfurled a bit more since Tobias Harris was acquired in February. He has always spent time defending all five positions but
At the end of a first quarter in which his MVP candidate failed to hit a field goal and Utah’s presumptive DPOY finally showed up with four blocks, Houston coach Mike D’Antoni was asked what his team needed to change about their shot selection. “Nothin.” Arrogant? Maybe a little. Correct? Absolutely. On cue, Gerald Green
DENVER, CO – APRIL 16: Patty Mills (8) of the San Antonio Spurs defends Jamal Murray (27) of the Denver Nuggets at mid court during the first half on Tuesday, April 16, 2019. The Denver Nuggets hosted the San Antonio Spurs during game two of their first round NBA playoffs series at the Pepsi Center.
Damian Lillard and company have answered every challenge from the Thunder, taking Game 4 and giving the Trail Blazers control of this series. The Thunder seemed to have stolen momentum in Game 3, getting a big night from Russell Westbrook and trolling Damian Lillard throughout their first win of the series. The Trail Blazers bounced
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 21: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors shoots the ball against Jerome Robinson #10 of the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half of Game Four of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center on April 21, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER:
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum were too much for the Thunder, pushing the Trail Blazers to a blowout Game 2 win. Through two games, the series between the Portland Trail Blazers and Oklahoma City Thunder has been sketched in by the stars. Paul George, with a bum shoulder, and Russell Westbrook have traded off having
PORTLAND, OR – APRIL 14: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers reacts during play against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first quarter at Moda Center on April 14, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) Breanna Stewart appears to suffer serious leg injury in Euroleague title game by Ian Levy
SAN ANTONIO, TX – APRIL 20: Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets awaits the San Antonio Spurs before the first quarter on Saturday, April 20, 2019. The Denver Nuggets and the San Antonio Spurs faced off for game four of their first round NBA playoffs series at the At&T Center. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews
“Playoff Kevon” might be a thing. The designation is made available only to role players with a proclivity to take their game to another level in the postseason. See: “Playoff Rondo.” In the shadow of superstar DeMarcus Cousins and the happy reunion of Andrew Bogut, Kevon Looney has quietly been the Golden State Warriors’ best
BROOKLYN, NY – APRIL 20: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers dunks the ball against the Brooklyn Nets during Game Four of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 20, 2019 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using
ORLANDO, FL – APRIL 19: Pascal Siakam #43 of the Toronto Raptors shoots the ball against the Orlando Magic during Game Three of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 19, 2019 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this
TORONTO, CANADA – APRIL 16: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors handles the ball against the Orlando Magic during Game Two of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 16, 2019 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or
PORTLAND, OR – APRIL 16: Steven Adams #12 of the Oklahoma City Thunder talks with Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers during Game Two of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 16, 2019 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by
BROOKLYN, NY – APRIL 18: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on against the Brooklyn Nets during Game Three of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 18, 2019 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this
The Boston Celtics used a late run to power themselves to a 2-0 series lead over the Indiana Pacers. After one of the ugliest games in recent playoff memory, Game 2 between Boston and Indiana felt at times like a complete reversal of Game 1 — and still, neither team managed more than 1.07 points
MILWAUKEE, WI – APRIL 17: George Hill #3 of the Milwaukee Bucks walks through the tunnel at halftime during Game Two of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs against the Detroit Pistons on April 17, 2019 at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading
After another Rockets blowout over the Jazz, the biggest question now is whether this will even be a competitive series before Utah bows out. Playing the Houston Rockets right now is like swimming in shark infested waters after someone’s dumped a bucket of chum all over you. It’s not a matter of if, but when.
The Toronto Raptors’ fan base is one of the best in the NBA and they showed why again when they sarcastically cheered Kyle Lowry’s first playoff point. Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry really wanted to get the goose egg off of his playoff score sheet, and so did the Raptors faithful. After an opening
OAKLAND, CA – APRIL 13: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts to a play during 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
The arrival of the postseason was supposed to engender the end of Golden State’s regular season bouts of disappointment. Instead, just two games in, they suffered a historic meltdown and more than one major loss. Word on the NBA streets is that teams aren’t as intimidated by the Warriors as they once were. That was
James Harden stood, camouflaged head to toe, in the middle of the visitor’s locker room in Sacramento. The Houston Rockets had just bulldozed the Sacramento Kings, tying the all-time record (which they set) for made 3s in a game in the process (they broke that record only a few days later). For these Rockets, it
The Golden State Warriors had it all working, building a 31-point lead against the Clippers in Game 2. And then they blew it. It took back-to-back 40 point quarters, building to an 85-point second half. It took 22 Warriors turnovers, nine from Kevin Durant. It took Durant fouling out and 85 points from Danilo Gallinari,
OAKLAND, CA – APRIL 13: DeMarcus Cousins #0 of the Golden State Warriors stretches before the game against the LA Clippers during Game One of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 13, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or
As the Detroit Pistons try to get an upset bid off on the right foot, they look likely to be without Blake Griffin for Game 1 against the Bucks. The Detroit Pistons needed a win in their regular season finale to earn a playoff spot, and they easily dispatched the New York Knicks 115-89 without Blake
The Jazz had become a trendy upset pick but the Rockets made clear in Game 1 that they’ll have their work cut out for them. The greatest downside of the first round of these NBA playoffs is that one of Houston or Utah – the two most dominant teams in the entire league since the
DENVER, CO – APRIL 13: Will Barton #5 of the Denver Nuggets goes to the basket against the San Antonio Spurs during Game One of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 13, 2019 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or
I am currently at the library. The library is named after some local hero. His last name is or was Porter. I don’t know if he’s living or dead. I don’t know anything about him. What does any of this have to do with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the number one-seeded Milwaukee Bucks? I don’t know.
Previewing the first-round series between the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets with shot charts, assist maps, offensive style charts and expected win probabilities. Shot charts While it’s well established that the post-deadline starting five for the Sixers has more talent than the rest of the league (non-Warriors division) with a +20.3 points per 100 possessions