Raptors and Magic Tangle in Game 3 of Eastern Conference First Round Series
Tuesday night saw the Toronto Raptors (58-24) rediscover their regular season form as they made easy work of the visiting Orlando Magic (42-40), in Game 2 of their first rounds series, 111-82. Kawhi Leonard led the charge offensively for the Raptors, dropping a team-high 37 points, adding four rebounds, four assists, and shooting 15-of-22 from the field. Following a dismal Game 1 performance that saw him finish with no scoring, Kyle Lowry bounced back with a 22-point, seven-assist performance, going 8-of-13 from field goal range and putting up a pair of three-pointers. Pascal Siakam was the beneficiary of a double-double behind 19 points and 10 rebounds, making all three of his attempts from the foul line in the process, while Serge Ibaka emerged off the bench to deliver 13 points and eight boards. Patrick McCaw is listed as questionable but could find himself back in the rotation for the Raptors on Saturday as he looks to return from a sprained right thumb suffered on March 30. Head Coach Nick Nurse would be well-served to utilize McCaw to guard D.J. Augustin, who showed in Game 1 that he can heat up and cause problems for Toronto, and Evan Fournier, who is overdue for a strong outing as the series moves south to Florida.
The Magic, meanwhile, were handicapped by another woeful performance by Nikola Vucevic, who managed only six points and six boards in 25 minutes of floor time. Through the first two games of the series, Vucevic has a combined 17 points on 6-of-21 field goal shooting, in stark contrast to the All-Star's 20.8 points per game average throughout the Magic's 2018-19 regular season campaign. A large part of Vucevic's struggles come down to stout defending and double-teaming by Marc Gasol, and he will have another long night ahead of him on Friday against a Toronto team that remains one of the league's best units at converting turnovers into points. Aaron Gordon emerged as Orlando's leading scorer in the loss, finishing with 20 points and five rebounds on 3-of-5 shooting from deep, while former Raptor Terrence Ross served up 15 points and three triples in a reserve capacity. Orlando will need the rest of their bench to match Ross' shooting against the league's ninth-ranked defense in Toronto, one that holds opponents to an average of 108.4 points per contest.
The Magic, meanwhile, were handicapped by another woeful performance by Nikola Vucevic, who managed only six points and six boards in 25 minutes of floor time. Through the first two games of the series, Vucevic has a combined 17 points on 6-of-21 field goal shooting, in stark contrast to the All-Star's 20.8 points per game average throughout the Magic's 2018-19 regular season campaign. A large part of Vucevic's struggles come down to stout defending and double-teaming by Marc Gasol, and he will have another long night ahead of him on Friday against a Toronto team that remains one of the league's best units at converting turnovers into points. Aaron Gordon emerged as Orlando's leading scorer in the loss, finishing with 20 points and five rebounds on 3-of-5 shooting from deep, while former Raptor Terrence Ross served up 15 points and three triples in a reserve capacity. Orlando will need the rest of their bench to match Ross' shooting against the league's ninth-ranked defense in Toronto, one that holds opponents to an average of 108.4 points per contest.
Pacers Play Host to Celtics for Game 3, Down 0-2
The Indiana Pacers play host to the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference first-round playoffs at Banker's Life Fieldhouse on Friday.
The Celtics (2-0) haven't been playing their best ball in the postseason but they come into this matchup winning their first two games. Where they've really been dominant is on the defensive end, with Boston allowing 85 points per game in the first two playoff fixtures. That's the one thing they've definitely carried over from the regular season, with the Celtics finishing eighth in points allowed. The 14th-ranked offense has also carried over though, as Boston is averaging just 95 points per game, barely shooting 40 percent from the field. The resilience in Game 2 needs to be somethng to build off of though, with the Celtics overcoming a double-digit second-half deficit by outscoring the Pacers in the fourth quarter, 31-12. That shows just how good this team can be and Boston fans are hopeful it's the start of a special run.
The Pacers (0-2) have played competitively in the first two games but simply haven't done enough to win a game. The absence of Victor Oladipo (knee) is definitely playing a huge factor in that and it's clear this team needs a playmaker with their scoring woes. Scoring 12 points in the fourth quarter in Game 2 paints a very dark picture and it shows the lack of composure this team has. They need more from Myles Turner too, as he has just 12 points and 11 rebounds combined in the first two games. That's closer to a one-game average for the big man and it's clear that this stingy defense is really slowing him down. If he doesn't get going, Indiana is going to have a tough time getting past this stout Boston team.
Dating back to the regular season, Boston has won five of their last six games against Indiana. In addition, the Celtics are winning by an average of 13.4 points per game.
The Celtics (2-0) haven't been playing their best ball in the postseason but they come into this matchup winning their first two games. Where they've really been dominant is on the defensive end, with Boston allowing 85 points per game in the first two playoff fixtures. That's the one thing they've definitely carried over from the regular season, with the Celtics finishing eighth in points allowed. The 14th-ranked offense has also carried over though, as Boston is averaging just 95 points per game, barely shooting 40 percent from the field. The resilience in Game 2 needs to be somethng to build off of though, with the Celtics overcoming a double-digit second-half deficit by outscoring the Pacers in the fourth quarter, 31-12. That shows just how good this team can be and Boston fans are hopeful it's the start of a special run.
The Pacers (0-2) have played competitively in the first two games but simply haven't done enough to win a game. The absence of Victor Oladipo (knee) is definitely playing a huge factor in that and it's clear this team needs a playmaker with their scoring woes. Scoring 12 points in the fourth quarter in Game 2 paints a very dark picture and it shows the lack of composure this team has. They need more from Myles Turner too, as he has just 12 points and 11 rebounds combined in the first two games. That's closer to a one-game average for the big man and it's clear that this stingy defense is really slowing him down. If he doesn't get going, Indiana is going to have a tough time getting past this stout Boston team.
Dating back to the regular season, Boston has won five of their last six games against Indiana. In addition, the Celtics are winning by an average of 13.4 points per game.
Trail Blazers Visit OKC for Game 3
By Oscar Heanue
The Portland Trail Blazers will visit the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Friday for Game 3 of the Western Conference first-round playoffs. Portland leads the series, 2-0.
After a narrow victory in Game 1, Game 2 was all Portland (2-0). The Trail Blazers' backcourt seemed unstoppable in the win, as C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard combined for 62 points. Lillard made a statement in Portland's second home game of the series, knocking down a game-high four three-pointers and tallying three steals and two blocks on the defensive end. Lillard's shooting contributed to a 13-of-32 night from beyond the arc for the Trail Blazers, who held a convincing edge from long range for the second straight game. OKC (0-2) was limited to just 5-of-28 shooting from deep.
Jusuf Nurkic (out for season) remains the only injury for Portland.
The Thunder struggled to get things going offensively in Game 2. All-Star forward Paul George bounced back from a poor shooting night in Game 1 to deliver 27 points on 11-of-20 shooting, but the rest of the team could not follow his lead. Russell Westbrook, in particular, struggled to find his shot, shooting just 5-of-20 from the floor in the loss. The team has made only 10 total three-pointers in the series and will hope to get things going from long range as they head home for Game 3.
Hamidou Diallo (elbow) and Andre Roberson (knee) will both be out for OKC on Wednesday.
After a narrow victory in Game 1, Game 2 was all Portland (2-0). The Trail Blazers' backcourt seemed unstoppable in the win, as C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard combined for 62 points. Lillard made a statement in Portland's second home game of the series, knocking down a game-high four three-pointers and tallying three steals and two blocks on the defensive end. Lillard's shooting contributed to a 13-of-32 night from beyond the arc for the Trail Blazers, who held a convincing edge from long range for the second straight game. OKC (0-2) was limited to just 5-of-28 shooting from deep.
Jusuf Nurkic (out for season) remains the only injury for Portland.
The Thunder struggled to get things going offensively in Game 2. All-Star forward Paul George bounced back from a poor shooting night in Game 1 to deliver 27 points on 11-of-20 shooting, but the rest of the team could not follow his lead. Russell Westbrook, in particular, struggled to find his shot, shooting just 5-of-20 from the floor in the loss. The team has made only 10 total three-pointers in the series and will hope to get things going from long range as they head home for Game 3.
Hamidou Diallo (elbow) and Andre Roberson (knee) will both be out for OKC on Wednesday.