Cavaliers Host Magic In Game 2
The Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Orlando Magic in Game 2 of their first-round Eastern Conference series at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Monday.
The Cavaliers have the edge in the series after winning Game 1 by a 97-83 score. Cleveland relied on the play of their star player, Donovan Mitchell, and the contributions of their big men to secure the win against an Orlando team that didn’t offer much on offense. The Cavaliers are the better team on paper and enjoy playing at home, where they posted a 26-15 mark during the regular season. The Cavaliers will simply rely on Mitchell to get the job done, as the Cavaliers star guard as a whole has far more experience at this stage than a young, unproven Magic team. Cleveland needs to continue attacking the paint to be successful, as Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen proved to be too much for Orlando’s interior defense.
The Cavaliers are listing Ty Jerome (ankle), Dean Wade (knee) and Craig Porter (ankle) as game-time calls for Monday.
There was a straightforward question mark regarding the Magic’s ability to upset the Cavaliers throughout a seven-game series due to their lack of offensive punch. Those questions remain after an underwhelming performance in the series opener. The Magic only scored 83 points while shooting 32.6 percent from the field and a meager 21.6 percent from three-point range. The Magic had the worst offense of the entire playoff field, but they simply can’t shoot the ball as badly as they did in the series opener. A return to the norm on offense and a few defensive adjustments might allow Orlando to put up a fight in Game 2. They also need their best players to be at their best on offense. Similar to what happens with Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland, Paolo Banchero must play at his best and carry the Magic offensively. However, his efforts won’t be enough if Orlando doesn’t adjust defensively.
The Magic are not listing anyone in their injury report for Monday’s game.
The Cavaliers have the edge in the series after winning Game 1 by a 97-83 score. Cleveland relied on the play of their star player, Donovan Mitchell, and the contributions of their big men to secure the win against an Orlando team that didn’t offer much on offense. The Cavaliers are the better team on paper and enjoy playing at home, where they posted a 26-15 mark during the regular season. The Cavaliers will simply rely on Mitchell to get the job done, as the Cavaliers star guard as a whole has far more experience at this stage than a young, unproven Magic team. Cleveland needs to continue attacking the paint to be successful, as Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen proved to be too much for Orlando’s interior defense.
The Cavaliers are listing Ty Jerome (ankle), Dean Wade (knee) and Craig Porter (ankle) as game-time calls for Monday.
There was a straightforward question mark regarding the Magic’s ability to upset the Cavaliers throughout a seven-game series due to their lack of offensive punch. Those questions remain after an underwhelming performance in the series opener. The Magic only scored 83 points while shooting 32.6 percent from the field and a meager 21.6 percent from three-point range. The Magic had the worst offense of the entire playoff field, but they simply can’t shoot the ball as badly as they did in the series opener. A return to the norm on offense and a few defensive adjustments might allow Orlando to put up a fight in Game 2. They also need their best players to be at their best on offense. Similar to what happens with Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland, Paolo Banchero must play at his best and carry the Magic offensively. However, his efforts won’t be enough if Orlando doesn’t adjust defensively.
The Magic are not listing anyone in their injury report for Monday’s game.
76ers and Knicks Set for Game 2 Clash
The Philadelphia 76ers take on the New York Knicks on Monday night at Madison Square Garden in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal-round series. The Knicks lead the series, 1-0.
The 76ers (1-1 postseason) came into the first-round series hoping that Joel Embiid's gimpy knee could hold up, and although the big man did suffer a scare on an alley-oop play in Game 1, he was able to return. Nevertheless, Philadelphia took a 111-104 loss on Saturday evening, one which Tyrese Maxey paced the Sixers in with 33 points. He added four assists, two rebounds and two blocks. Embiid followed with 29 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals. Kyle Lowry supplied 18 points, four rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. Kelly Oubre Jr. delivered 10 points, three rebounds, one assist and five steals.
The 76ers will list Embiid (knee) and Maxey (illness) as questionable for Monday's game. De'Anthony Melton (back) and Robert Covington (knee) will remain out.
The Knicks (1-0 postseason) were able to survive big first and third quarters on the part of the Sixers to stage a fourth-quarter comeback for the big series-opening victory. Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson co-led New York with 22-point, one-steal tallies while adding 13 and seven rebounds, respectively. Brunson added seven assists. Miles McBride totaled 21 points, four assists, three rebounds and one steal. Bojan Bogdanovic registered 13 points, seven rebounds and one assist. OG Anunoby compiled 11 points, four rebounds and one steal.
The Knicks come into Monday's contest without any short-term injuries to report.
Monday's game marks the sixth meeting between the teams since the start of the regular season. The Knicks have won four of the first five contests.
The 76ers (1-1 postseason) came into the first-round series hoping that Joel Embiid's gimpy knee could hold up, and although the big man did suffer a scare on an alley-oop play in Game 1, he was able to return. Nevertheless, Philadelphia took a 111-104 loss on Saturday evening, one which Tyrese Maxey paced the Sixers in with 33 points. He added four assists, two rebounds and two blocks. Embiid followed with 29 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals. Kyle Lowry supplied 18 points, four rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. Kelly Oubre Jr. delivered 10 points, three rebounds, one assist and five steals.
The 76ers will list Embiid (knee) and Maxey (illness) as questionable for Monday's game. De'Anthony Melton (back) and Robert Covington (knee) will remain out.
The Knicks (1-0 postseason) were able to survive big first and third quarters on the part of the Sixers to stage a fourth-quarter comeback for the big series-opening victory. Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson co-led New York with 22-point, one-steal tallies while adding 13 and seven rebounds, respectively. Brunson added seven assists. Miles McBride totaled 21 points, four assists, three rebounds and one steal. Bojan Bogdanovic registered 13 points, seven rebounds and one assist. OG Anunoby compiled 11 points, four rebounds and one steal.
The Knicks come into Monday's contest without any short-term injuries to report.
Monday's game marks the sixth meeting between the teams since the start of the regular season. The Knicks have won four of the first five contests.
Nuggets Look To Continue Dominance Over Lakers
By Dan Bruno
The Denver Nuggets play host to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the Western Conference First-Round Playoffs at Ball Arena on Monday evening.
The Nuggets walked away with a double-digit lead in Game 1, after they recovered from a slow start by outscoring the Lakers by 19 points through the second and third quarters and cruised to the finish. Nikola Jokic led the hosts with 32 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and two steals, in 39. minutes of action in the win. Jamal Murray followed up with 22 points, six rebounds, 10 assists and a block, while Michael Porter recorded 19 points, eight rebounds, a steal and two blocks. On the other side, Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 32 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and four blocks, in 45 minutes. LeBron James followed up with 27 points, six rebounds, eight assists, a steal and a block, while D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves chipped in 13 points each.
The Nuggets did a great job limiting the Lakers to just 27.6 percent shooting from deep in Game 1. They also limited themselves to just six turnovers, while forcing the visitors into a total of 12 turnovers. The Nuggets won the battle down low, outscoring the Lakers by 10 points in the paint and out-rebounding them by a total of nine.
The Nuggets were also dominant during the regular season series against the Lakers, as they took all three games, including two road wins. The Nuggets have a great opportunity to continue their success in Game 2, as they finished with an impressive, 33-8, home record during the regular season.
The Nuggets walked away with a double-digit lead in Game 1, after they recovered from a slow start by outscoring the Lakers by 19 points through the second and third quarters and cruised to the finish. Nikola Jokic led the hosts with 32 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and two steals, in 39. minutes of action in the win. Jamal Murray followed up with 22 points, six rebounds, 10 assists and a block, while Michael Porter recorded 19 points, eight rebounds, a steal and two blocks. On the other side, Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 32 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and four blocks, in 45 minutes. LeBron James followed up with 27 points, six rebounds, eight assists, a steal and a block, while D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves chipped in 13 points each.
The Nuggets did a great job limiting the Lakers to just 27.6 percent shooting from deep in Game 1. They also limited themselves to just six turnovers, while forcing the visitors into a total of 12 turnovers. The Nuggets won the battle down low, outscoring the Lakers by 10 points in the paint and out-rebounding them by a total of nine.
The Nuggets were also dominant during the regular season series against the Lakers, as they took all three games, including two road wins. The Nuggets have a great opportunity to continue their success in Game 2, as they finished with an impressive, 33-8, home record during the regular season.