Milwaukee Bucks v Orlando Magic (Bucks lead 3-1)
The Bucks began the protest on the playoffs three days ago, and many wondered how focused they would be in a big closeout game. The Bucks handled their business, knocking the Magic out of the playoffs and advancing to the second round. The final score was 118-104.
The Magic hung in with the Bucks over the first quarter. It wouldn’t take long for the Bucks to wake up and push the halftime lead to 17. The Magic could have easily given up. Instead, they showed a lot of heart and took some of the lead down with a great third quarter. The Magic were still down 11 points to start the fourth quarter. With 7:39 left in the game, they were able to get the lead down to three. After that, the Bucks went on a tear to end the game and knock the Magic out.
The Magic were lead by Nikola Vucevic (9-25FG 3-10 3PT 1-2FT 22PTS 15REB 5AST 1STL 1TO 40MIN). Although this was his worst shooting percentage, he showed he is one of the best big men in the league. This team showed a lot of heart and did make the Bucks team earn this 4-1 series win.
The Bucks were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo (11-17FG 3-6 3PT 3-5FT 28PTS 17REB 3AST 1BLK 3TO 28MIN). Like usual, the defensive player of the year and MVP was terrific. Still, it was nice to see Khris Middleton (7-16FG 3-8 3PT 4-5FT 21PTS 10REB 7AST 1STL 2TO 34MIN) come back to his usual self.
The Heat is waiting to play the Bucks in the second round and exudes all the confidence with their players at peak performance. But the Bucks better not take their foot off the gas because the Heat won’t miss out on wins like the Magic did.
This next series should be a fantastic six-game series to watch.
Houston Rockets v Oklahoma City Thunder (Series tied 2-2)
The Houston Rockets showed up on the court with the return of superstar PG Russell Westbrook for game five on Saturday.
The Rockets jumped out with tremendous energy to take a double-digit lead in the first quarter (24-14). The Thunder were able to take the punch and punched back in the second quarter to cut the Rockets’ lead to 48-45 heading into the half. The third quarter was a massacre and ended this game before the fourth quarter even started.
F PJ Tucker (Rockets) and G Dennis Schroder (Thunder) got a bit of a scuffle, and both players were ejected from the game. The Rockets had already pulled away, but it was a massive blow to the Thunder. If they were going to have any chance of returning, they needed Schroder, their best scorer. The final score ended up being 114-80, and the Rockets didn’t even need Westbrook.
The good news for the Thunder is that Tucker might be suspended, and the Rockets already run a pretty tight and small rotation. G Luguentz Dort (3-16FG 0-9 3PT) threw brick after brick and is no longer allowed to shoot open jumpers anymore; one less player for the Rockets to guard.
James Harden, Eric Gordon, and Robert Covington led the Rockets with a combined for 73 points. Westbrook was able to ease his comeback. He only played 23 minutes but looked good while he was out there and had no setbacks. He should be fresh and ready in game six to close out this series against the Thunder.
Los Angeles Lakers v Portland Trail Blazers (Lakers lead 3-1)
This series was over the day Damian Lilliard left the bubble to get treatment on his knee. Or maybe it was when Charles Barkley gave his famous guarantee that the Trail Blazers would sweep. Regardless, the Lakers have only gotten better each game of this series. They came into this game looking to end the fantastic run the Blazers had in the bubble.
Unsurprisingly, the Blazers came out fighting and kept up the battle throughout the game. The game was tied at half at 68-68 and looked like it would be a barn burner of a finish in the second half.
The Lakers took a double-digit lead during the third quarter, but the Blazers were able to muster a small run to cut their lead by the end the quarter, 90-82. The Blazers started off the fourth quarter with the same energy they had to end the third quarter. They went on an 8-0 run to tie the game up with 9 mins left in the quarter. LeBron James and Anthony Davis stepped in to seal the victory, sending the Blazers home with a 131-122 loss.
The Blazers were led by CJ McCollum (36PTS 6REB 7AST), Jusuf Nurkic (16PTS 10REB 6AST), and Carmelo Anthony (27PTS 7REB) in a valiant effort against the Lakers. The Trail Blazers played their butts off to get into the playoffs and put fear into the Western conference teams once they got in.
The Lakers were led by their two superstars LeBron James (36PTS 10AST 10REB) and Anthony Davis (43PTS 9REB). When they play like this, this team can’t be beaten. They make the Lakers the best team in the NBA. I don’t see the Rockets or the Thunder being much of a challenge in the next round.