The Denver Nuggets, for the Western Conference, and the Milwaukee Bucks, for the East, got very good victories this Monday in their respective first-round games of the NBA playoffs. At the end of the day, in Denver, Serbian Nikola Jokic put on the hero cape to lead the Nuggets to an easy 128-109 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers and thus tied their Western Conference playoff series to a triumph by side.
The Nuggets, third-ranked in the West, retaliated for their loss in Game 1.
The Serbian center had a very effective day with 38 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while Michael Porters Jr. seconded him with 18 points. The Argentine Facundo Campazzo also had an outstanding day for the winners with 12 cards and six serves to score.
Portland ultimately failed to capitalize on another excellent performance from shotgun Damian Lillard, who had a high-carat offensive overflow with 42 points and 10 assists. The series is now moving to Portland where the third game of this best-of-seven series will take place.
The Nuggets, constantly ahead on the scoreboard, had in fact peaked at twenty points (99-79) just before the end of the third quarter, they also took advantage of the impact of Porter Jr. and a bench in tune, like Paul Millsap (15 pts, 7 rebounds, 3 assists). «The difference with the first game is that we created wide shots and that we defended very well. It was a real collective effort. Saturday was tough for us, ”commented Jokic.
This collective demonstration contrasted with the solo performance of Lillard, a 42-point author, who only counted on CJ McCollum to help him offensively (21 pts). Lillard also excelled at long distance with 9 3-pointers from 16 attempts (27 points).
Lillard’s eight 3-pointers before intermission tied the record for three-point baskets scored in one half in an NBA playoff game.
With a 20-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, the Nuggets held off a Portland mini-rally before Campazzo of Argentina sealed the score with a triple.
However, it was on defense that the Blazers sinned before the next two games in Oregon.
Previously, in Milwaukee, led by Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo, the local Bucks beat the Miami Heat 132-98 to make their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series 2-0.
Giannis overflowed with 31 points and 13 rebounds, seconded on offense by Bryn Forbes, with 22 points coming off the bench.
Other highlights on the Bucks were Khris Middleton, with 17 points, and Pat Connaughtoin, with 11 coming off the bench as well. The Bucks, who finished third in the Eastern Conference, made 22 of 53 triples and outscored the Heat 61 to 36 in rebounding. “A lot of times, there is so much talent in the league and so many good teams, sometimes you get the early lead and things just happen and it becomes a close game,” said Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer. “Today we were able to stay focused.”
The Heat, sixth in the East and who had set a record in the first meeting with 20 triples, this Monday they only managed eight of 28 three-point attempts.
The Bucks produced a 3-point display in this landslide victory to take command of the series, whose third game will be on Thursday in Miami. Forbes exploded in the first half with five triples and Antetokounmpo once again commanded the attack against the NBA runners-up last year.
The Bucks made 15 of 29 three-point attempts in the first half, gaining a 30-plus lead over several spans of the game. They always maintained a healthy cushion at all times, with the Heat unable to get anywhere near 20 points.
Antetokounmpo added 13 rebounds and six assists, while Forbes finished with 22 cards off the bench. Middleton added 17 points, including three triples, and six Bucks players made double-digit totals. Dewayne Dedmon led Miami with 19 points off the bench, while Slovenian point guard Goran Dragic added 18 points.
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