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…

Portland threw away a good opportunity in Game 3, surrendering a 15-point third quarter lead to lose 108-120. With Victor Wembanyama still in concussion protocols, Portland looked like they were well on their way to a 2-1 series lead, but it all started to come undone late in the third, seeing the visitors take the lead into the fourth quarter before running away with the contest. It was a particularly poor defensive showing, considering Wembanyama’s absence, as Portland allowed a 75% shooting clip at the rim and gave the visitors too many open looks from deep. Jrue Holiday defended vigorously…

Phoenix were outclassed again on Thursday as they fell to a 107-120 defeat in Game 2. They were somewhat competitive in the first half, heading into the main break trailing 56-65, but Oklahoma City put their foot down in the third quarter with a 20-35 period and that effectively sealed the game by three-quarter time. It was an improved offensive performance after their Game 1 shocker, with Phoenix this time posting a 109.2 offensive rating, but they again had no answers on the defensive end as Oklahoma City got plenty of open looks and eventually strolled to victory. Dillon Brooks…

Philadelphia levelled the series 1-1 on Wednesday with a 111-97 victory to take home court advantage. It was a 17-3 fourth quarter run that won Philly this game, as Tyrese Maxey hit back-to-back threes, followed by buckets from Andre Drummond, Kelly Oubre Jr and VJ Edgecombe to make it a 16-point buffer for the visitors with less than three minutes to play. It was a much-improved offensive performance from Nick Nurse’s men, posting a 125.0 offensive rating, as the likes of Edgecombe, Drummond, Oubre and Paul George all shot well from the floor. The rookie was the best player on…

Atlanta stunned New York on Tuesday with a 107-106 victory at Madison Square Garden to tie the series 1-1. It was a dramatic fourth quarter which saw Atlanta work their way back into the contest after being down by 14 points midway through the third. Atlanta’s defence turned up in the final period to hold New York to just 15 points, seeing Atlanta take the lead with less than three minutes to play and they did just enough to hold on for the win as Mikal Bridges missed a midrange fadeaway game-winner attempt, to see Atlanta take home court advantage.…

Detroit had a horror series opener on Monday, losing to Orlando 101-112. As feared, Detroit’s postseason offence simply wasn’t up to scratch, with only Cade Cunningham looking competent on that end of the floor, as the All-Star guard finished with 39 points, five rebounds and four assists on 61.2% TS%. However, his teammates could not come to the party, with Tobias Harris’ 17 points being the next best total, and even that came in a very shaky 47% TS%. Jalen Duren was the biggest letdown, with just eight points and seven rebounds in 33 minutes, as JB Bickerstaff seemingly refused…

Boston made a statement in the series opener against Philadelphia, coasting to a 123-91 win. It was breezy from the beginning for Boston, as they built a 16-3 run early on to take a 22-9 lead and Philly were seldom able to get within single digits from then on, as Boston dominated on both ends. Their defence was perhaps the most impressive aspect, finishing the night with a 96.4 defensive rating, as the hosts made it very hard for Philly to get anything in the interior, giving up just a 54.5% FG% at the rim. On the other end it…

Cleveland breezed to a 126-113 win on Sunday to start the series off in style. Other than in a back-and-forth first quarter, Cleveland looked comfortable throughout the contest, especially in the second half, as they pulled away with a 36-22 third quarter to get out to a 24-point lead early in the fourth and there was no coming back for the visitors. It was an impressive offensive showing from Cleveland, who finished the night with a 127.3 offensive rating and shot the lights out, going 16/32 from deep, as Donovan Mitchell led the way with 32 points. Both he and…

Oklahoma City came into the season as defending champions and title favourites and they lived up to expectations in the regular season, finishing with a league-best 64-18 record to be the market’s pick heading into the playoffs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may well be in line for another MVP award after leading his team to the #1 seed again with 31.1 points per game on an absurdly efficient 66.5% TS%. The superstar guard was incredibly consistent all season and despite Jalen Williams missing over half of the regular season and constant injuries to the likes of Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex…