2025 Game 1 Weekend

Game 1 weekend has come and gone so I decided to break down all of the action that occurred during the weekend.  First here were my picks before the series started.

Pacers 117, Bucks 98

Coming into the series, this was a best player vs the better team though because while Giannis is the best player in the series, Indiana has the better team.  The gap between the 2 teams in game 1 was significant, the gap between the role players in game 1 was even more significant.  The Bucks made a run late but never got within single digits after falling down 28.  Antetokounmpo was remarkable, with 36 points and 12 rebounds the Bucks but beyond him, Milwaukee didn’t have much. Kyle Kuzma had 0 points, 0 assists, 0 rebounds, 0 steals and 0 blocks in the game, the 6th player in playoff history to record that statline.  Milwaukee needs to get Damian Lillard back because outside of Antetokounmpo creating for himself and others the offense was bleak.  The Bucks did find success with their Kevin Porter Jr., AJ Green, Gary Trent Jr., Giannis and Bobby Portis lineup, they were +4 in 16 minutes.  The depth of these teams was really shown off in this game, it was not a great Tyrese Haliburton game and Indiana still found a way to win.  25 points from Pascal Siakam, 19 points from Myles Turner and 17 points from Andrew Nembhard was a huge difference in the game.  This series is far from over, Milwaukee needs to shoot it better, they were 9/37 from 3, and they need to get Lillard back in order for them to win but I think they found something with a lineup of Porter Jr, who will be replaced by Lillard, Green, Trent, Antetokounmpo and Portis.  No more need for Ryan Rollins minutes when Dame returns, as well.  Game 2 is Tuesday at 7:00pm/EST on NBATV.

Nuggets 112, Clippers 110

What a basketball game.  That had the full Russell Westbrook experience in it.  With 15 points and 8 rebounds, Westbrooks impact was felt all over the court.  He hit the go-ahead 3 for Denver with 23 seconds left before a James Harden basket tied the game and Russell turned the ball over on the last possession in regulation.  In overtime he almost had a disastrous layup that Aaron Gordon bailed him out of with an offensive rebound and then forced a turnover that sealed the game for the Nuggets.  As the saying goes, live by Westbrook, die by Westbrook, Nuggets fans got the whole Russ experience.  Nikola Jokic was Nikola Jokic with 29 points, 12 assists and 9 rebounds, he was incredible as always.  With all of that said, that was a game the Clippers should have won, 20 turnovers to go along with huge offensive rebounds for Denver on what felt like every possession was the reason L.A. lost this game.  James Harden was fantastic with 32 points, 11 assists and 6 rebounds, meanwhile I didn’t think Kawhi had his best game, though he had 22 points on 9/15 from the field, he had 7 turnovers which cost the Clippers big time.  I still think the Clippers are the better team, they need to do a better job at taking care of the ball and their rebounding late in the game has to improve.  I think Leonard will also play better as the series progresses.  Game 2 is Monday at 10:00pm/EST on TNT.

Knicks 123, Pistons 112

The Pistons were very impressive for the first 39 minutes of the game.  Tobais Harris had 22 points, Tim Hardaway had 19 points and Malik Beasly had 17 points.  They had an 8 point lead and looked like they may be able to steal game 1.  Then the rest of the game happened, Detroit collapsed seeing their 98-90 lead turn into a 111-98 Knicks advantage after a 21-0 New York run.  All told, New York finished the game on a 33-14 run.  It was not Cade Cunningham’s best performance.  He had 21 points and 12 assists but he was 8/21 from the field and 1/4 from 3.  After a cold start, Jalen Brunson was magnificent, scoring 34 points with 8 assists.  OG Anunoby also stuffed the stat sheet with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals.  He was great against Cunningham as well, playing a big reason why Cunningham was not very good in this game.  In 9 minutes where Anunoby guarded Cunningham, Cade had 5 points and was 2/8 from the field.  Anunoby is the only Knick who has proven he can guard Cunningham so he will need to battle to stay on him the whole series.  On the other end, Jalen Brunson was 3/6 when guarded by Ausar Thompson but had good looks on all 6 attempts.  The biggest story of the night, however, was Cameron Payne.  11 fourth quarter points and 2 huge three pointers were a huge reason why the Knicks were able to pull this one out.  New York’s top end talent is better than Detroit's is.  The Pistons need Tobias Harris to play the way he did in the first half of game 1 through the series if they want any chance of winning.  I wouldn’t bet on that.  Game 2 is Monday at 7:30 pm/EST on TNT.

Timberwolves 117, Lakers 95

Well then… that was a beatdown that I don’t think anyone saw coming.  I picked the Lakers in a long series but it didn’t look like Los Angeles had a ton of answers for Minnesota last night.  25 points on 11/13 from the field for Jaden McDaniels and 23 points with 6 made three pointers for Naz Reid played a huge reason as to why the Wolves were able to dominate the Lakers in the way they did.  Luka Doncic came to play, he scored 37 points while grabbing 8 rebounds but the Timberwolves did a great job on not allowing Luka’s passing to get going as he only had 1 assist.  It was a bad LeBron James game.  Minnesota did a very good job of limiting James and not allowing him to have a big game.  He had 19 points on 8/18 from the field and 1/5 from 3 while being a -22.  Los Angeles will need James to play better if they are going to win.  The Lakers lack of center showed more offense in the game. While Minnesota was 11/24 in the restricted area, the Lakers were 10/19.  You can see that Luka really misses the lob threats.  The Timberwolves are a really good team, plain and simple.  Since the start of February they are 22-12 and have a net rating of +7.0.  The Lakers should and will bounce back but the Timberwolves don’t look ready to back down, this should be an awesome series.  Game 2 is Tuesday at 10:00pm/EST on TNT. 

Thunder 131, Grizzlies 80

We started Sunday with one of the biggest beatdowns in NBA playoff history, it was the largest margin of victory for any team in a game 1.  Desmond Bane was a -51 in 27 minutes played, that very well could be something to track.  There really isn’t a ton to say about this one, Oklahoma City is a machine.  Their defense is historically great and though Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t have his best game, it’s his offense and their team defense that they are betting on to win the title for them.  Memphis has been in free fall for months now, this is looking like a sweep is coming.  Game 2 is Tuesday at 7:30pm/EST on TNT

Celtics 103, Magic 86

Orlando hung in this game for a while, they even had a lead at halftime.  Paolo Banchero had a monster game, with 36 points and 11 rebounds and Franz Wagner added 23 points and 5 assists.  Yet, Orlando still couldn’t even crack 90 points.  They just don’t take enough three pointers.  Boston’s 3 stars, Tatum, Brown and Porzingis, all struggled as well shooting a combined 15/44 just 34%.  Boston’s three guards all played extremely well.  Derrick White had 30 points on 10/18 from the field and 7/12 from three, Payton Pritchard 19 points on 6/8 from the field and 4/6 from three and though the box score doesn’t show it, Jrue Holiday had a big impact on the game.  His play in the third quarter was a big reason why the Celtics were able to create a lead and pull away.  Orlando just doesn’t have the offensive firepower to keep up with Boston.  Their defense is awesome and they’ll do a very good job of limiting Boston’s three point attempts but it will be hard for them to score on what is an awesome Celtics defense.  Game 2 is Wednesday at 7:00pm/EST on TNT.

Cavaliers 121, Heat 100

Similarly to the Magic against the Celtics, the Heat stayed attached throughout the game and then in the 4th quarter Cleveland was able to pull away, with the talent gap in the series. Give the Heat credit, they are the first team to win 2 road play-in games and make the playoffs in the history of the Play-In Tournament but they have very little shot to win this series.  The Cavaliers are just a better team with a lot more talent.  This night belonged to Ty Jerome.  He scored 28 points on 10/15 from the field and 5/8 from 3, Miami had no answer for him.  Davion Mitchell continues to play well for the Heat but the Cavs just have too much firepower for the Heat to have a chance in the series..  Game 2 is Wednesday at 7:30 on NBATV.

Warriors 95, Rockets 85

What a way to cap off the weekend.  After a lackluster start to the day, the Dubs and Rockets played a great one.  Let’s start with Houston’s offense.  With 6:37 left in the third quarter, 29 minutes into the game, they had scored 41 points.  Then, Steven Adams’ offensive rebounding started to happen, he had 5 while Amen Thompson grabbed 6 offensive rebounds of his own.  Houston had 22 offensive rebounds with an offensive rebounding rate of 44.6%, the league average this season was 28%.  The Rockets had cut Golden State’s lead from 64-41 to 79-75, a 34-15 extended run, with their offensive rebounding.  Then with 5:13 left, Adams checked out and Houston lost that last 5:13, 16-10.  Neither member of the Rockets backcourt, Jalen Green nor Fred VanVleet, played well in this game.  17 combined points, on 7/34 from the field and 2/17 from 3.  VanVleet himself went 2/13 from 3 and after making his first was 1/12 the rest of the game and the one he made was immediately answered by a Moses Moody three.  It was a brutal game and it leads to a bigger question in the series, what can Houston get out of those guys?  They need VanVleet to hit his catch and shoot threes and they need Green to give them something because they just don’t have a ton of offensive options outside of Alpren Sengun, who played well in this game, if those guys struggle.  On the Golden State side, Curry was fantastic, those 2 jaw dropping threes he hit are why we love to watch him play so much.  He scored 31 points hitting 5 threes in the game.  Jimmy Butler was also in control of a lot of the game.  The difference he has made for Golden State has been much larger than I expected it to be.  Their bench worries me, Quinten Post was bad on Sunday and Buddy Hield has not shot the ball well for months but this was an impressive win for the Warriors.  This game sets up for a fun rest of the series, as well.  Houston needs more out of their backcourt offensively if they are going to win because Green and VanVleet’s shooting played a huge reason as to why the Rockets lost.  Game 2 is Wednesday at 9:30pm/EST on TNT.