Toronto Raptors v Boston Celtics (Series tied 2-2)
The Raptors seized all the momentum in this series when they stole game three from the Celtics. On Monday night, the Celtics flipped the script once again and played their best game of the playoffs and obliterated the Raptors 111-89.
The Raptors had zero things to be happy about in this game, aside from the massacre being over. Head coach Nick Nurse, this year’s NBA Coach of the Year, will have a lot of work to get back from this embarrassing game. The Raptors will probably come back in game six, but they are facing some big hurdles. They need to have a complete overhaul of how they played in this game.
The Celtics played perfect basketball and shut down the Raptors at every turn. The game’s unsung hero was C Daniel Theis (5-5FG 5-6FT 15PTS 8REB 1AST 2BLK 1TO), whose stat line is mediocre, but his impact was much greater. He shut down any driving lanes for the Raptors and contested almost every shot that came to the paint. He forced the Raptors’ offense to become a one-dimensional team that only managed to shoot 30% from behind the arc.
I don’t know if the Raptors can come back from this loss. Statistically, teams that take game five of a series take the series about 80% of the time. Technically, that leaves a 20% window, but the chances seem a lot slimmer after this loss.
Los Angeles Clippers v Denver Nuggets (Series tied 1-1)
Both teams have blown each other out of the water, and on Monday, both teams showed up for an intense 48 minute match. The first quarter defined the kind of game this would be as the Clippers took a one-point lead 33-32 heading into the second quarter.
The Nuggets fought back and were able to edge out a lead of 59-57 heading into halftime. The Nuggets built on that second quarter and added a couple of points to their lead with 88-84. The Clippers’ defensive intensity clicked up to ten and stifled the Nuggets’ offense. The Clippers got the big win, 113-107.
The Nuggets got a great game out of C Nikola Jokic (13-24FG 3-8 3PT 3-4FT 32PTS 12REB 8AST 1STL 7TO 39MIN), and F Michael Porter Jr. (8-17FG 2-6 3PT 18PTS 10REB 1AST 3STL), both scoring a double-double. Porter was a huge boost off the bench, which had been non-existent in the first two games.
In game four, the Nuggets should use G Jamal Murray as a playmaker because the Clippers are locking him up. Murray only managed to shoot 5-17 from the field. What the Clippers have had no answer for was the star big man, Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets should focus on running more through Jokic than Murray.
The Clippers were finally led by star F Paul George (12-18FG 5-7 3PT 3-3FT 32PTS 4REB 4AST 2STL 3TO 40MIN), something they had been waiting to see all playoffs. The Clippers traded a lot to get George to come to LA and join Kawhi Leonard. Until this game, most people were wondering if they overpaid for a player who can’t show up in the playoffs.
On Monday night, George shut up all the doubters and played great on both ends of the court. With George and F Kawhi Leonard (23PTS 14REB 6AST 2BLK) playing at these levels, it will be tough for any team to beat them.
I think this game was the turning point for the Clippers. They came on in the fourth quarter and are about to win the next two games to end this series.