2019 NBA Playoffs Capsule Recaps 4/13/19: Homecourt Disadvantage for 76ers, Raptors, Nuggets
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Brooklyn Nets 111 – Philadelphia 76ers 102
Saturday’s slate of upset specials started with the Brooklyn Nets stealing homecourt and taking a pivotal Game 1 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. It was clear Joel Embiid’s knee was still bothering him by the way he was settling for outside shots and how the Nets attacked him in space.
D’Angelo Russell was huge in his playoff debut with the Nets, scoring 26 points. But the Nets also have reserve guards Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert to thank for the win as well. Philadelphia has had problems defending pick-and-rolls with guards, and Kenny Atkinson game planned for that perfectly. LeVert finished with 23 points and Dinwiddie added 18.
Jimmy Butler tried to will his team to the win, as he came up big with 36 points, but the rest of Philly’s starters struggled offensively. Aside from hoping to silence the Nets and criticism over using a cell phone on the sideline during a loss, the 76ers will also have to silence the boos coming from their own fans in Game 2. Brett Brown is one of the better coaches in the league, and it’ll be interesting to see what adjustments he makes between games.
Orlando Magic 104 – Toronto Raptors 101
The Toronto Raptors may have a lot of new faces and a new head coach, but they still seem plagued by postseason issues, especially when it comes to winning on their own home court. The Orlando Magic came into Toronto and did what not many people expected them to do, steal homecourt.
DJ Augustin, who I called one of the more underrated point guards in our series preview matchup breakdown, came through with 25 big points in the win for the Magic and also hit a tie-breaking three-pointer with 3.5 seconds left in the game.
Toronto’s streak of losing series-opening games continues as they are now 2-14 in those games. Raptors all-star forward Kawhi Leonard had 25 points, but he missed a crucial three-pointer that could have given the Raptors the win.
Evan Fournier had 16 points for Orlando and Terrence Ross came off the bench for 10. For the Raptors, Pascal Siakam had 24 points, and while Kyle Lowry had eight assists and seven rebounds, he put up a goose egg in the points column as he went 0-for-6 from three and 0-for-7 from the field.
Golden State Warriors 121 – Los Angeles Clippers 104
The only top seed that didn’t lose on Saturday was the Golden State Warriors, who retained home court with an absolute drubbing of the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers made it competitive early, but it was only a matter of time before Stephen Curry would take over.
Curry finished with 38 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists in the game as he knocked down eight treys. While Curry remains a key player in this series, the biggest and most obvious headache for Doc Rivers and the Clippers has got to be how they will defend Kevin Durant. Durant caused a ton of matchup nightmares before he and Patrick Beverley were tossed. Most of Rivers’ bigs are too slow to guard the drive and his guards don’t have the length to contend with Durant or both his shots as he easily shoots jumpers over them. Rivers settled on Beverley, but Durant still put up 23 points.
The Clippers were led by their super subs of Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell, who had 25 and 26 points respectively. The Clippers found some success running the pick-and-roll with Williams and Harrell, specifically when DeMarcus Cousins was in the game, so they may look to get back to that more in Game 2.
San Antonio Spurs 101 – Denver Nuggets 96
The San Antonio Spurs found a way to neutralize Nikola Jokic and stole home court by winning in the Pepsi Center to open the series against the Denver Nuggets. San Antonio also managed to finally play well and defend on the road, which was the biggest knock on them coming into the playoffs.
While LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan may have put up the numbers, finishing with 18 and 15 points each, it was the Spurs’ young backcourt of Derrick White and Bryn Forbes that won this game for them.
White looked poised as he scored in a variety of ways – drives, mid-range jumpers and three-pointers, and who could forget the slam over Paul Millsap. White finished with 16 points, he made crucial plays on offense and defense when they mattered most, including a late-game steal to secure the win. Forbes knocked down shots and did it at a high percentage, making 3-of-4 three-pointers and 6-of-9 from the field overall. Above all of that, he showed confidence in taking the big shots that the Spurs will need him to continue taking this series. Rudy Gay also chipped in 14 points off the bench.
For Denver, with Jamal Murray shooting at a 33 percent clip, they needed Jokic, and Jokic had a triple-double with 10 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists, but they’ll likely need more offensively from him if Murray continues to struggle.
