76ers Strive To Bounce Back Against Raptors in Game 2
The Philadelphia 76ers face the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Monday night in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal-round series. The Raptors lead the series, 1-0.
The 76ers (0-1) may have been riding high coming into the semifinal-round series versus a Raptors (1-0) squad that had gotten the best of them in the regular season, as they'd impressively disposed of the Nets in four straight games during the first round. However, Toronto quickly threw cold water on that idea in Saturday's Game 1, forging an impressive 108-95 victory in which they held Philadelphia to 39.3 percent shooting.
J.J. Redick paced the 76ers with 17 points, adding two rebounds, two assists and one block. Joel Embiid furnished 16 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons mustered matching 14-point tallies while pulling down 15 and nine rebounds, respectively. James Ennis III poured in 11 points. Jimmy Butler finished with 10 points, five assists and three rebounds.
The 76ers will continue to be without Mike Scott (knee) on Monday
Kawhi Leonard led the Raptors with 45 points, also supplying 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block. Pascal Siakam delivered 29 points, seven rebounds and one assist. Kyle Lowry contributed nine points, eight assists, three rebounds, one steal and one block. Marc Gasol totaled eight points, four assists, two rebounds and one block.
The Raptors will once again be without the services of OG Anunoby (abdomen) for Monday's contest.
The 76ers (0-1) may have been riding high coming into the semifinal-round series versus a Raptors (1-0) squad that had gotten the best of them in the regular season, as they'd impressively disposed of the Nets in four straight games during the first round. However, Toronto quickly threw cold water on that idea in Saturday's Game 1, forging an impressive 108-95 victory in which they held Philadelphia to 39.3 percent shooting.
J.J. Redick paced the 76ers with 17 points, adding two rebounds, two assists and one block. Joel Embiid furnished 16 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons mustered matching 14-point tallies while pulling down 15 and nine rebounds, respectively. James Ennis III poured in 11 points. Jimmy Butler finished with 10 points, five assists and three rebounds.
The 76ers will continue to be without Mike Scott (knee) on Monday
Kawhi Leonard led the Raptors with 45 points, also supplying 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block. Pascal Siakam delivered 29 points, seven rebounds and one assist. Kyle Lowry contributed nine points, eight assists, three rebounds, one steal and one block. Marc Gasol totaled eight points, four assists, two rebounds and one block.
The Raptors will once again be without the services of OG Anunoby (abdomen) for Monday's contest.
Nuggets Host Trail Blazers in Game 1
The Denver Nuggets play host to the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semi-finals at Pepsi Center on Monday.
The Trail Blazers had an incredible opening round, as they took care of the Oklahoma City Thunder in just five games. Many people had Portland as the underdog in that series, despite the fact that they had the three-seed and homecourt advantage in their favor. Underestimating this team has become a common trend for NBA followers though and it's truly a wonder why. Any team with a guy like Damian Lillard has a chance to win any game, especially when he's dropping 50-point gems. That's just what he did in the clinching Game 5, as he sealed that victory with a ridiculous game-winning 35-footer at the buzzer. Lillard has definitely turned into one of the most clutch players in the NBA and the Nuggets have their hands full trying to slow him down in this series.
The Nuggets were lucky to escape their first-round series, as they barely beat the seven-seed San Antonio Spurs. It took seven games to decide that series and Denver barely won the final game despite their offense having one of their worst performances of the season. That does make fans wonder what they'll look like here but the good news is that Denver gets homecourt in this round too. A 34-7 home record this season definitely shows how this team landed the second-seed in the west and they're going to need to ride that homecourt to advance here against one of the hottest teams in the league. It's all about Nikola Jokic, as his triple-double in Game 7 shows the sort of player he's become. Using the term superstar can be over done in today's NBA but it's hard to argue with the fact that he's become one in just his fourth season.
These teams played four times in the regular season, with Denver winning three of four
The Trail Blazers had an incredible opening round, as they took care of the Oklahoma City Thunder in just five games. Many people had Portland as the underdog in that series, despite the fact that they had the three-seed and homecourt advantage in their favor. Underestimating this team has become a common trend for NBA followers though and it's truly a wonder why. Any team with a guy like Damian Lillard has a chance to win any game, especially when he's dropping 50-point gems. That's just what he did in the clinching Game 5, as he sealed that victory with a ridiculous game-winning 35-footer at the buzzer. Lillard has definitely turned into one of the most clutch players in the NBA and the Nuggets have their hands full trying to slow him down in this series.
The Nuggets were lucky to escape their first-round series, as they barely beat the seven-seed San Antonio Spurs. It took seven games to decide that series and Denver barely won the final game despite their offense having one of their worst performances of the season. That does make fans wonder what they'll look like here but the good news is that Denver gets homecourt in this round too. A 34-7 home record this season definitely shows how this team landed the second-seed in the west and they're going to need to ride that homecourt to advance here against one of the hottest teams in the league. It's all about Nikola Jokic, as his triple-double in Game 7 shows the sort of player he's become. Using the term superstar can be over done in today's NBA but it's hard to argue with the fact that he's become one in just his fourth season.
These teams played four times in the regular season, with Denver winning three of four