Milwaukee Bucks v Miami Heat (Heat lead 3-0)
The Bucks were on the brink of elimination and weren’t sure if F Giannis Antetokounmpo would be able to play after suffering an ankle injury. Antetokounmpo ended up starting but wasn’t able to finish. He went out at the half and didn’t come back. The Heat, who were taking it to the number one overall seed this whole series, had a significant advantage. They failed to capitalize on the loss of Antetokounmpo and allowed the Bucks to survive to play another day.
The Bucks won 118-115 in overtime to keep their title hopes alive. They got a huge performance from F Khris Middleton (12-28FG 3-7 3PT 9-9FT 36PTS 8REB 8AST 2STL 4TO 48MIN). He was able to make every big shot the Bucks needed and immediately stepped up once Antetokounmpo left the game.
Overall the whole team stepped up in major ways; six players scored in double digits. The only chance the Bucks have to survive this series is to have a much more team-oriented game plan. Over the first three games, the Heat have proven that they know how to shut down Antetokounmpo, but in game four, they could not overcome the well-balanced attack the Bucks dished without him.
The Heat blew their chance to end this series and move into the Eastern Conference finals. It isn’t that the Heat played badly, but their intensity was gone. Maybe it was the loss of Antetokounmpo that made the Heat feel like they can take their foot off the gas just for a second. But one second is all it took for the Bucks to take full advantage and force a game five.
Los Angeles Lakers v Houston Rockets (Rockets lead 1-0)
The Rockets roughed up the bigger, better Lakers in game one. One would’ve thought the Rockets would be ready for a comeback game, but they weren’t. The Lakers stormed out to a huge lead.
In the second quarter, the Rockets were down by 20 plus points but were able to weather the storm and had an amazing comeback. They overtook the Lakers in the third quarter and were leading 92-90 heading into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, all the energy and effort it took to come back left the Rockets with nothing for the fourth quarter. The Lakers took the game 117-109.
The Rockets got outstanding contributions from their team offensively, although it was mostly while they were down. The Lakers laid off defensively, but that doesn’t take away from the six players who scored in double figures. This is something the Rockets can build on going into game three. G James Harden and G Russel Westbrook are superstars, but to beat the top-loaded Lakers, the role players have to step up too. The Rockets need to do a better job of shutting down the Lakers’ bad supporting cast. By focusing on LeBron James and Anthony Davis, they will fail.
The Lakers came out with the heart and determination of a champion and rode that to a win. Kyle Kuzma (6-7FG 1-1 3PT 13PTS 6REB 1STL 1BLK 2TO 21MIN), Rajon Rondo (4-9FG 1-5 3PT 1-2FT 10PTS 3REB 9AST 5STL 1TO 29MIN), and Markieff Morris (6-8FG 4-5 3PT 16PTS 5REB 23MIN) were the most significant change from game one to game two.
Yes, the Lakers have LeBron James (28PTS 11REB 9AST 4STL 2BLK 7TO) and Anthony Davis (34PTS 10REB 4AST 1BLK 2TO), the best duo in the NBA, but the role players decide if this team will bring the title back to LA or not. The Lakers did a great job with their offense by shooting 56% in this game, but their defense will need to improve to win this series. The Lakers need to realize they have to play 48 minutes against the Rockets. After all, they almost blew this game because they took down their guard when they were ahead.
This looks like it should be a great series. The Lakers came back to let the Rockets know they are ready for a battle, and the Rockets need to prove that game one wasn’t a fluke.