Everyone has completed the first leg of the playoffs, and now teams travel to their next set of games at the lower seeds home. The Jazz, Heat and Pacers were all successful in breaking home court advantage early, while the Blazers completely gave it away to the Pelicans.
Toronto vs Washington: The Raptors have cruised through their first two games, posting a 119.4 Ortg and posting the best TS% rate so far in the playoffs. The Wizards outside of John Wall have generated almost no free throws, and Bradley Beal so far has gone 11-28 in the series, with just 3 attempts.
Boston vs Milwaukee: The Bucks have kept games close, posting good true shooting numbers. But last game they hit just 41$ of their free throws. Thats been the difference so far, along with with Celtics cleaning up on the offensive glass (22.7% to the Bucks 16%)
Philadelphia vs Miami: We had a vintage Dwayne Wade game in game 2, going 1/17 and posting a 71.7% TS. James Johnson also chipped in going 7/7 with a pair of threes and 5 assists. The Sixers really need Embiid back soon if the Heat can continue to play solid defense on Ben Simmons and Marco Belinelli.
Cleveland vs Indiana: The Pacers have been the better looking team so far against the Cavs, forcing them into turnovers and a negative net rating. If Victor Oladipo doesn't go 2-8 in game 2 from the three point line, the Cavs could have found themselves down in an 0-2 hole. Lebron James has been impressive throughout though, dragging the Cavs with a 46 point performance last night.
Houston vs Minnesota: The Rockets are looking a little shaky in their first round match up, giving a bit of pause as to whether their brand of basketball does translate to the post season. However Chris Paul was able to efficiently pick up where James Harden fell off this year, and the Rockets were able to force the Wolves into going just 5-18 from beyond 3.
Golden State vs San Antonio: Despite the program's glowing reviews for the SPurs in this seres, they've been unable to finish either game away from home.The Warriors D has held the SPurs to 50.8 and 51.4% TS performances, while Klay Thompson has been a killer in the series so far.
Portland vs New Orleans: The Pelicans have smothered the Blazers, allowing a TS rate of just 49.6. The Pelicans arent fouling either, allowing under 10% of field goals to generate a free throw. As the series moves back to New Orleans, this looks like it might be a sweep.
Oklahoma City vs Utah: The Jazz had been the best second half team this season, but allowed the Thunder to get to a 115 Ortg, something that hadn't allowed in months. They got back to basics though in game 2, and Ricky Rubio lead the way with Derrick Favors on offense, as Rubio had 9 assist to just 1 turnover and went 5/8 from beyond the arc. The Jazz should have a decent chance moving forward.
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