Orlando made it a 2-1 series lead on Sunday with a 113-105 victory over Detroit. It wasn’t all that convincing in the fourth, as they let a 96-79 lead fade into a 104-105 deficit with just three minutes to play. But just as it looked like Jamahl Mosley’s men were going to throw away a very handy lead, they found life again to hold the visitors scoreless in the final 2:45 and dominate the final moments for a big win. Desmond Bane was big in this contest, going 7/9 from deep for 25 points and seven rebounds, while Paolo Banchero overcame a poor shooting performance for 25 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists, three steals and two blocks. Franz Wagner also struggled with his shot on his way to 17 points, five rebounds and six assists, but it didn’t matter in the end, as Orlando locked in for some big stops down the stretch to take a 2-1 lead.
Detroit will feel as though they let this game slip through their hands after doing all of the hard work to come back in the fourth quarter. However, their offence dried right up when they needed it most, with Cade Cunningham recording some crucial misses and a turnover late on. It wouldn’t be fair to blame the star guard on the loss, however, as he was again their best offensive player, with 27 points and nine assists, and he helped unlock Ausar Thompson who had his best game of the series with 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and five blocks. Tobias Harris had 23 points and seven boards but another disheartening offensive performance from Jalen Duren, who posted just eight points to go with nine rebounds and five blocks, did not help Detroit down the stretch.
This was a golden opportunity for Detroit, with both Thompson and Harris having strong performances, and it still wasn’t enough for the win. That is not a good sign heading into another game in Orlando, and given that Detroit’s offence has looked poor all series, I am not expecting that to change on Tuesday. That will see Orlando pick up another win and get one step closer to the second round.
A sweep is looking likely in this first round matchup after Phoenix fell to a 109-121 loss for a 0-3 deficit on Sunday. Phoenix never let this game really get away from them, but Oklahoma City were always in control, with the hosts’ defence struggling to contain Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. It was an improved offensive performance from Phoenix, who recorded a 112.6 offensive rating as they tidied up their turnover troubles, with Jalen Green rediscovering his form with 26 points and six assists. Dillon Brooks led the scoring with 33 points on 68.5% TS% as he continued to prove his worth in PHX, but Devin Booker fell short of his standards, with just 16 points and seven assists. Collin Gillespie, Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neal all struggled to add much value, and although Oso Ighodaro had his best game of the series with 15 points and four assists, a Phoenix win never looked all that likely.
It was a Gilgeous-Alexander masterclass that got OKC home in Game 3, with the reigning MVP recording 42 points and eight assists. The superstar guard missed just three field goal attempts and shot an absurd 90.2% TS% in the win, giving the hosts no chance of getting their first win of the series with his 25 second half points. Ajay Mitchell was inserted into the starting lineup in Jalen Williams’ (hamstring) absence, but he shot just 5/20 from the floor in a shaky offensive performance but was energetic defensively on his way to 15 points and six rebounds, while Chet Holmgren had 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
Phoenix have never looked all that likely to get a win in this series and I can’t see that changing on Tuesday. Their confidence will be at a low point after a trio of convincing defeats and OKC will be keen to get the job done and head back to Oklahoma to rest up ahead of the second round. At a 10.5-point line, the visitors are the bet.
Denver again came up short on Sunday in a 96-112 loss, but the big news out of the game was the series-ending injury to Anthony Edwards (knee) and the season-ending injury to Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles). However, despite the guard pairing exiting the game in the first half with their respective injuries, Denver were still unable to get the better of Minny, as Nikola Jokić again struggled in crunch time. The former MVP was locked down by Rudy Gobert once more, going 0/6 from the field and giving away two turnovers in the fourth, before getting ejected in the final seconds after letting his frustrations get the better of him as Jaden McDaniels rubbed salt into the wound with one final bucket. Jokić finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists and three steals but was a -12 in his minutes, while Jamal Murray had 30 points and five assists in a roller coaster game. Aaron Gordon looked a shell of his usual athletic self in his return from a calf injury, and none of Denver’s role players were able to rise to the occasion to make it a 1-3 series score.
Ayo Dosunmu came up as the hero for Minnesota, dropping 43 points off the bench to aptly take over the roles of Edwards and DiVincenzo in a historic performance. His 43 points were the second-most ever off the bench in a playoff game, as he lit up Denver’s defence on 13/17 shooting for a 96.5% TS%. Gobert dominated his defensive matchup on Jokić, with 15 rebounds, two steals and two blocks, and Naz Reid came up with big plays on both ends in the fourth with 17 points, nine rebounds and one block. McDaniels’ 12 points and eight rebounds were valuable and Julius Randle found some mismatches late to help him get to 15 points and nine boards.
Despite being a 1-3 series, it is far from over following Minnesota’s catastrophic injuries. Denver are huge favourites heading into Game 5 and should come out on top as they return home, but I am still picking this to be a grind of a game. Chris Finch has essentially ensured that his team has adopted a physical style of play all series, which has limited Denver’s offensive success, and even without Edwards and DiVincenzo, they’re going to repeat that on Tuesday, making the under the bet once more.