Toronto Raptors V Boston Celtics (Celtics lead 1-0)
The Raptors were not focused on game one, leaving the Celtics open to take them down in the first quarter. But on Tuesday, the Raptors were back and concentrating on the court. The Raptors and the Jazz treated basketball fans to a great basketball game with a thrilling finish.
The first quarter foreshadowed the kind of game this would be, both teams tied at 28-28. Neither team was willing to back down, and the second quarter was much the same. The tough-nosed defense mixed as the Celtics were able to get a slight edge, 50-48, heading into halftime with the score.
Going into the third quarter, the Raptors roared on both sides of the ball to gain the upper hand.
The Celtics didn’t recoil from this moment; Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart came up big in the final quarter. The Raptors were able to hang on after the Celtics took the lead. This was a last-possession game, decided in the last two minutes. Unfortunately, the Raptors just didn’t have enough left in the tank to tie this series up. The Celtics jumped up to a 2-0 lead against the defending champs.
The Raptors got a few great performances from a couple of role players, Serge Ibaka (7-12FG 3-5 3PT 17PTS 9REB 2AST 2BLK 2TO 27MIN) and OG Anunoby (7-12FG 4-6 3PT 2-3FT 20PTS 7REB 1STL 1TO 38MIN). It was great to see two of their defensive stars help offensively. Still, their main offensive guy’s play was a huge reason for the loss. Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, and Fred VanVleet shot a combined 19-50 on field goals. That is a combined record of .38% from your three most significant stars. They were even worse when you look at their awful three-point shooting. They shot 4-23 or .17%. You will not win anything with your three best offensive players shooting this badly.
The Boston Celtics were led by Jason Tatum (8-17FG 4-7 3PT 14-14FT 34PTS 8REB 6AST 1STL 4TO 42MINS), who has emerged as the best player on this team. His future has no limits right now.
Kemba Walker was pretty bad for most of this game. One highlight were the huge shots in the fourth quarter to help seal this game for the Celtics. Marcus Smart is also an unsung hero of this game for his outstanding defense; he hit five three-point field goals in the decisive fourth quarter to win the Celtics.
The Raptors are in the dreaded 0-2 hole. This is a game the Raptors might have won if their three stars had played better. The Celtics need to keep their play going. The Raptors are still dangerous and will claw their way back into this series if given a chance.
Denver Nuggets V Utah Jazz (Series tied at 3-3)
The Nuggets and the Jazz are blessed with having the first game seven of the 2020 playoffs. Would the Nuggets make the miraculous comeback finish with a series-ending win? Well, what we got an old school ugly defensive game.
The Nuggets came out with more energy than the Jazz for the first quarter and were able to edge them out, 26-21. They kept that intensity and held the Jazz offense to 15 points in the second quarter, taking a 50-36 lead heading into halftime.
The Jazz flipped the script on the Nuggets in the third quarter. They held the Nuggets to 15 points and scored 24 points. The lead had been cut to 65-60 for the Nuggets heading into to the fourth.
The fourth quarter for all the marbles, both teams just playing all-out defense. The game came down to the last seconds of the fourth quarter. Nikola Jokic made a jumper with 27.8 seconds left in the game. 27.8 seconds was plenty of time for the Jazz to draw up a great play. Instead, Donovan Mitchell, who has been so good in this series, had the ball stripped away from him by Gary Harris with 8.4 left on the clock. The Nuggets had won 80-78 and were advancing to play the Los Angles Clippers.
The Jazz was led tonight by defensive superstar Rudy Gobert (8-13FG 3-4FT 19PTS 18REB 2BLK 1TO 39MIN) and was the biggest force for the Jazz, almost winning this game seven. The Jazz shot 38% overall and shot 23.5% from beyond the arc. This low shooting percentage was the biggest reason they lost. However, they did play their butts off on the defensive end and held the Nuggets to 80 points. Mitchell had his worst game (9-22FG 2-8 3PT 2-2FT 22PTS 9REB 1AST 1BLK 9TO) in the season’s biggest game. A disappointing end to a season that was just short of amazing.
The Nuggets were led by Nikola Jokic (12-23FG 2-5 3PT 4-4FT 30PTS 14REB 4AST 2TO 39MIN), who had his best game of the series while Jamal Murray had his worst game. Murray (7-21FG 1-6 3PT 2-2FT 17PTS 4AST 2REB 1STL 2TO) almost cost the Nuggets game seven, but Jokic was the steady force the team needed for the closeout.
The Nuggets move on to take on the Clippers. If the Nuggets want any chance to win, they need to be on point for every game.