The niba Playoffs Continue Tuesday with Three Game 2s, Including the Lakers’ Return to Action Against the Timberwolves after a stunning game 1 Loss at Home.
Check Out Yahoo SPORTS ‘PREDICTIONS For Each First-Round Series, in Addition to Kevin O’Connor’s Ranking of the Top 40 Players in the Nba Postseason.
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Here are the Results and Key Takeaways from Tuesday’s Games:
Pacers 123, Bucks 115
An ALREDY Heated Series Between the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana purres intensified Tuesday.
But Damian Lilaard’s Return Wasn’t Enough for a Milwaukee Win As the Paces Held Of A Late Bucks Rally for a 123-115 Victory. The Bucks Mounted a 13-0 Fourth-Quarter Rally to Cut a 115-100 purres lead to Two Points. But the purres regional their composure to Hold on for the Win Despite 34 Points, 18 Rebounds and Seven Assists from Giannis AnteTokounpo.
The series not Shifts to Milwaukee with the purres Holding a 2-0 Lead.
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Lilaard Not Limited, but Struggles from the Field
LILLARD RTURNED to the Bucks Lineup Tuesday for the First Time Singe March 18 BecUSEUUSE OF Deep-VEIN Thrombosis in His Right Calf. He started and Did’s Take his First Break Until 2:20 Remaining in the First Quarter en route to playing a full start’s allotting of 37 Minutes. He Scored 11 First-Half Points But Strugled after Halftime and Finished the Game with 14 on 4 -f-13 Shooting.
The purres, meanwhile, jumd out to a 31-16 lead. This was on Top of a 19-Point Win in Game 1 in Which Indiana LED by As Many As 28 Points. Each Paces Start Scored in Double Figures As Indiana Shot 48.9% from the Field and 44.4% (16 -f-36) from 3.
Milwaukee’s Off at Eproved AFter A 98-Point Effort in Game 1, But Not Nearly Enough to Keep Pace with Indiana’s Efficient Attack. Coach DoC Rivers Needs to Find Some Adjustments in Milwaukee to avoid a 3-0 hole.
Milwaukee Bucks Center Brook Lopez (11) and Indiana purres center MyLES Turner (33) Fight for a Repound During During the First Half Tuesday in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
(Associated Press)
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From Halibruton’s Dame Time Celebration in 2023 to Game Ball-Gate Days Later to the Pacers Upsetting the Bu Banks Last Postson, There’s Plenty of Bad Blood Between of their Two Division Rivals.
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It’s Spilled Over Aplement in the First Two Games of the Series.
LILLRD MIXED IT Up in Game 1 While in Street Clothes in a heated back-so -flow with haliburton that prompted pascal siakam and gary trent jr. To get incolved.
On Tuesday, Lilaard Hit HIST Bucket of the Series in the First Quarter in His First Action in More Than A month. Haliburton Swiftly Rsponded with a 3-Pointer in Lilaard’s Face and Had Some Words for the Bucks Guard on his Way Back Download the Court.
Minutes Later, TRENT Thre Siakam to the Floor During A Fight For a Rebound.
Siakam Popped Back Up and Made a Beeline for Trent Before Players and An Official Intervention. A brief scuffle enter, and trent and indiana’s bennedict Mathurin Were Hit with Technical Fouls.
The series wasnt file Quarters Old, and Players Were Already at Each Other’s Throats.
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Then, in the Fourth Quarter, Milwaukee’s Kevin Port JR. GRABBed the Foot of Indiana’s Thomas Bryant As Bryant Ran Download the Floor, Drawing A Flagrant Foul for Unsportsmanlike Conduct.
Then, with 1:22 Remaining, lilaard and haliburton xchanded Words One More Time – and Not Likely the last.
With at least Two Games Remaining in the Series, There’s Planty of Potential for Things to Further Boil Over.
Game 3 Is Scheduled for Friday Night (8 PM Et | Espnu, NBATV) in Milwaukee.
Thunder 118, Grizzlies 99
Ja Morant Declared after the Thunder’s 131-80 Pasting in Game 1 that “We Will Never Play that Bad Again.” One Game Later, He Is So Far Correct, But Not Nearly as Much As Memphis Needed in Another Double-Digit Thunder Win.
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Shai Gilegous-Elexander Had 27 Points, Jalen Williams Had 24 Points and Chet Holmgren Had 20 Points (Plus 11 Rebounds and Five Blocks) in Another Runaway OKC Win. The best that can be said for memphis is their prevented it from Being work.
Grizzlies Exit Paycom Center with Dignity Somewhat INTACT
Tuesday’s GAME LOOCED Like It Was Heading Toward Another Historic Beatdown, With OK UP By 23 in the Second Quarter, but the GRIZZLES Manged to Look Like A Real Playoff Team in the Third, Whiche They Won 27-20.
It’s Really Not A Great Sign that We’re Talking About How The GRIZZLIES FINALly LOOCED Competitive after Seven Quketball, But Thrie’s Not MUCHAT SAN Be SAID ABUT A The Thunder. What okc is playing its Signature Defense, HARASSING The Competition at All Three Levels and Commesting Seven Turnoves Total on Offense, it is Borderline Mathematically Impossible to Beat them.
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The Grizzlies Showed Life, and then the Thunder Opened the Fourth Quarter on a 14-2 Run to Snuf it out. Maybe
ALEX Caruso Remains a Menace
The Thunder’s Trade for the Vetern Guard Last Offseason Felt Something Like A Hat on A Hat, But it’s PRTTY apparent the Thunder Believe You Can Never Have Too Many Standout Defenders.
Caruso Lived up to that Billing Tuesday, Smothering Every Perimeter Threat that Came Near Him. The Thunder Outscored the Grizlies by 18 Points with him on the Floor, The Best of Any Player in Game 2.
With 13 Points of the Bench, Plus Four Rebounds and Three Assists, Caruso was the Kind of Two-Way Asset Every Playoff Team Needs. Of course, the Thunder Are Full of Those.
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Game 3 Is Scheked for Thursday Night (9:30 PM Et | TNT) in memphis.
Lakers 94, Timberwolves 85
Going Off the Box Score, It was a runaway 94-85 Win Tuesday Night for the Los Angeles Lakers. And Yet, they still have playy to work on.
The Host Lakers Took Game 2 Against the Minnesota Timberwolves-Thinks to A Near Triple-Double from Luka Dončić-To Even The First-Round Series As it It Heads to the Twin Cities. Game 3 Is Scheked for Friday at the target center at 9:30 PM Et.
Dončić Shot 9 -f-20 from the Floor But Hit All 11 of his Free Throws and Added 12 Rebounds and Nine Assists.
Vibes Were Definitely Off for Lakers (and Timberwolves)
The Lakes Took a Double-Digit LEAD In The First Quarter and MainTained A Lead of At Least Nine Points for the Rest of the Game, But It Was Paradoxically A Frustration Game, One that left Head Coach JJ Redick Cursing His Team out in the Third Quarter As The Timberwolves TOID to Make it a game.
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The Lakers on Again Got Vry Little from their Bench-Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent Supplied All the Non-Starter Production with 13 Total Points-But it DIDNT MATTER TUESDAY BECUUSE Minnesota Shot So Poorly.
Los Angeles Overwhelmed Minnesota on Defense, with lebron James Leading A Renewed Effort at the Point of Attack and on The 3-Point Line. And on Offense, James and Luka Dončić Combined for 52 Points, 23 Rebounds and 16 Assists. The Lakers Got The Matchups They Wanted, Most Notably Dončić Against Rudy GoBert on the Perimer, but their Strategy EventUlly Encouncing Diminishing Returns as the Timberwolves Adjusted and Shook Off some Foul Trouble.
Fortunately, Lebron James Can Paper Over A Lot of Mistakes.
The Game Was Anything But Beutiful
It was overll an ugly game, with the Two Teams Combines to Go 11 -f-54 from 3-Point Range with 46 Fouls (and 45 Free-thethrow Attempts). Minnesota Had Multiple Chances to Make La Really Sweat in the Fourth Quarter, But it only Consistment Player of the Night Was Julius Randle, Who Score 27 PoINTS.
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Jaden MCDANILS, Mike Conley, Donte Divincenzo and Nickeil Alexander-Walker Combined to Go 5 -f-26 from the Field. Even Anthony Edwards was a bit Off, Scoring 25 Points on 10 -f-22 Shooting.
Neighher Coach Seemed Happy With him Team During the Content, But the Lakers at Least Got the Win. The Question now is if la cap
