Tag: NBA 2019

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NBA 2019: Warriors tops Rockets in wild completion, Celtics shuts down Giannis and Bucks

Defending NBA champion the Golden State Warriors conquered the Houston Rockets in its Western Conference semifinal opener, while the Boston Celtics upstaged the Milwaukee Bucks.

Kevin Durant proceeded with his strong NBA playoff structure on Sunday, scoring 35 points to lead the Warriors to a 104-100 triumph against the Rockets in Game 1.

The 10-time All-Star, who arrived at the midpoint of 35 points for every game in the Warriors’ first-round series win against the Los Angeles Clippers, hit 11-of-25 shots against Houston.

On multi day when Stephen Curry (18 points) fought foul inconvenience and Klay Thompson had a calm 13, Golden State required all Durant could offer. However the game was not chosen until the last seconds.

With the Rockets trailing by three points with 10 seconds remaining, James Harden propelled an errant three-point endeavor. Chris Paul got the bounce back, however had the ball stripped away. Eric Gordon recuperated the ball outside the ball out of bounds.

In any case, Paul, contending with an official that he had been fouled on the play, was required a technical. Curry hit the free toss for the final margin.

In Sunday’s first amusement, the Celtics shut down Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks for a 112-90 triumph in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference elimination round.

The Celtics frustrated Antetokounmpo, constraining him to seven-of-21 shooting, as Boston attracted first blood Milwaukee.

Nothing came simple for Antetokounmpo, who scored 22 however had a game-low minus-24.

In all out attack mode end, the Bucks had no response for Kyrie Irving, who scored 26 points and included 11 helps. Horford posted 20 and Jaylen Brown pitched in 19.

Gordon, Green impress

Rockets guard Gordon scored 27 on 10-of-19 shooting for the Rockets.

Draymond Green missed just two of nine shots, scored 14 and had nine bounce back and helps.

Harden inefficient

Solidify scored 35, however hit just nine-of-27 shots from the field, and four-of-16 three-pointers.

Bucks monitor Pat Connaughton made just two-of-10 shots and one of his seven three-point endeavors.

Horford denies Giannis… twice!

You don’t see Antetokounmpo get dismissed all the time — not to mention twice on a similar play by Horford.

76ers at Raptors

The Toronto Raptors won Game 1 rather effectively, yet review that the Philadelphia 76ers had an unsatisfying performance in its Eastern Conference first-round series opener against the Brooklyn Nets. Kawhi Leonard scored a career playoff-high 45 points on Saturday, and the 76ers certainly can do a better job than that on the defensive end.

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NBA 2019: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Portland Trail Blazers Odds, picks, Game 3 predictions from proven model on 77-62 roll

The Portland Trail Blazers were swept out of the first round of the playoffs in every one of the previous two seasons. Presently, they are in position to potentially display the Oklahoma City Thunder with a similar fate in the 2019 NBA Playoffs. Portland brings a 2-0 lead into Game 3 on Friday night as the best-of-seven series movements to Oklahoma City. Tipoff from Chesapeake Energy Arena is set for 9:30 p.m. ET. The Thunder won every one of the four regular season matchups against Portland however have been unfit to get any footing so far in this first-round playoff series. Portland’s dynamic backcourt of CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard have been the distinction as the Blazers won consecutive amusements at the Moda Center. Oklahoma City won both regular season challenges at home by nine points each. Oklahoma City is an eight-point most loved and the over-under for total points scored is 221 in the most recent Thunder vs Blazers odds. Before you lock in your Thunder vs Blazers picks, make certain to see the NBA playoff predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model, which reproduces each game 10,000 times, is pounding its NBA picks. It entered Week 27 of the 2018-19 NBA season with a sterling 294-242 record on all first class picks, returning more than $3,500 in benefit to anyone tailing them. What’s more, it has been especially red-hot on its An evaluated NBA picks against the spread, entering Week 27 on a strong 77-62 run. Anyone who has tailed it is way up.

Presently, the model has dialed in on Game 3 of Thunder vs. Blazers. We can disclose to you the model is hanging over, and it has likewise produced a point-spread pick that hits very nearly 60 percent of the time. That choice is accessible at SportsLine.

The model has represented the way that the Thunder have still been aggressive regardless of monstrous edge shooting. At the point when at pinnacle productivity, their perimeter threat as a defend against opposing defensive units falling a lot on drives by Russell Westbrook and Paul George. Be that as it may, through the initial two games, Oklahoma City is only 10-of-61 (16.4 percent) from 3-point range, well beneath its season sign of 34.4 percent.

The Thunder additionally have seen some solid production from their job players. Focus Steven Adams has 33 and 18 bounce back through the initial two games. Hold Nerlens Noel has included 16 and 13 bounce back in 27 minutes of play. There’s a possibility the adjustment in setting could affect the Thunder’s protective effectiveness. Oklahoma City’s resistance held Portland to under 43 percent shooting from the field in both normal season gatherings at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

All things considered, OKC is a long way from guaranteed of covering the Thunder versus Jackets spread on Friday in the NBA Playoffs 2019 against a Portland club that is anxious to wipe away ongoing postseason failures.

The Blazers were cleared in the first round in every one of the previous two seasons, thwarted by their absence of execution in close games. They have turned the corner in large part because of the play of Lillard and McCollum, one of the NBA’s top backcourt duos.

In Game 2, the guards combined for 62 points on 22-of-43 shooting, including seven 3-pointers. They also had 12 rebounds and 11 assists. The Blazers have hit 42 percent from 3-point range through the first two games.

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NBA Playoffs 2019: Bucks create a statement to the rest of the Eastern Conference with Game 1 destruction of Pistons

A few minutes into Game 1 between the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons, Giannis Antetokounmpo took off on the fastbreak, weaved his way past the barrier and scooped home an and-one layup off the glass. Beating his chest in festivity a couple of moments later, the camera found him broadcasting, “I’m f—— unstoppable.”

That he was, completing with 24 points, 17 bounce back and four assists only 23 minutes. So too were the Bucks, who destroyed the visiting Pistons, 121-86 to take a 1-0 lead in the series. On the off chance that it were conceivable to win a seven-game series in only one game, the Bucks, who led by 43 at a certain point, cultivated as much on Sunday evening. What’s more, all the while, created an impression to the rest of the Eastern Conference.

After two of different contenders in the East, the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers, opened up their first-round series by losing at home to bring down seeded-groups on Saturday, the Bucks ensured there would be no disturbed occurring at Fiserv Forum. Just four minutes in, they were at that point up 20-4, and they never thought back. It was the kind of performance that solidified their status as the group to beat in the East, and filled in as a wake-up call to casual fans who may not have been paying attention throughout the regular season: the Bucks are a certified problem.

Obviously however, the Bucks’ star man wasn’t keen on giving anybody bulletin board material after the amusement. “I think we did a great job setting the tone, playing hard together,” Giannis said when he arrived at the podium. “The Pistons are a really good team, but we knew we needed to set the tone, and we were able to get a win tonight.” But for as much as Giannis and the Bucks prefer to downplay their achievements, there was no denying their dominance in Game 1.

In the event that Blake Griffin’s nonattendance was certainly not a notice that the Pistons were in a bad position in this game, Dwane Casey’s choice on edge end mid-path through the first quarter positively was. Effectively somewhere near twofold digits, the Pistons accomplished something they haven’t done all season – they switched to a zone defense. It didn’t work, of course; nothing they tried throughout the night could slow down the Bucks’ attack. Not even their attempts to be physical with the potential MVP on the other side.

Thon Maker, a previous Giannis protege, had a hard foul on his old teammate audited, yet it remained a common foul. Later on, however, Andre Drummond wasn’t so fortunate. The enormous man was shot out in the third quarter after chucking the Greek Freak while he was in mid-air. Drummond finished an atrocious minus-45 in 26 minutes. Even Blake Griffin, who wasn’t actually playing, took things too far and was called for a technical from the bench during the Drummond review.

“They’re a great team,” Casey said after the loss. “We didn’t meet the level of physicality, then we got some cheap fouls. But we have to get up to their speed of the game. They’re a great team… We have to get our level of competitiveness up to start the game, because you can’t let a great team like this get that many points early and expect to get back into it.”

With Giannis driving the way, the Bucks did anything they desired in all out attack mode end, scoring everything except four of their baskets either in the paint or behind the 3-point line. Furthermore, on edge end, they goaded the Pistons into unreasonably numerous mid-range shots, while Brook Lopez allowed nothing at the rim.

“It was great,” Khris Middleton said of the Bucks’ defensive performance. “I think we were physical without fouling, Brook [Lopez] did a great job contesting the rim, rebounding, and taking Andre Drummond off the glass. I think as a group we all had each other’s backs. Everybody did their job.”

While Casey is right about the Pistons expecting to expand their power and center pushing ahead, it’s probably not going to matter. As they discovered on Sunday, they aren’t good enough to compete in this series, even if Griffin is on the court. Not many teams in the East are.

This Bucks group is “special,” as Lopez put it in the locker room after the game. And as they made clear against the Pistons, they aren’t messing around. Forget winning their first playoff series since 2001, the Bucks just might be “f—— unstoppable.”