Let’s discuss the first two games of the NBA Play-In tournament and a preview of the last two contests.
The NBA Play-In tournament continued to be a success, with close games and plenty of buzz generated ahead of the actual NBA Playoffs.
Let’s take a look at the first four play-in games played on Tuesday and Wednesday, then look at the final two play-in games scheduled for Friday.
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Western Conference Play-In
Lakers edge Pelicans
Los Angeles clinched seventh place in the West after beating New Orleans 110-106 on Tuesday in New Orleans.
led Los Angeles with 23 points, nine rebounds and assists, three steals and two blocks in nearly 41 minutes played.
added 21 points, six assists and a steal and a block in 36 1/2 minutes, while totaling 20 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks and a steal in 40 minutes.
had 16 points, six assists and five rebounds in about 36 1/2 minutes. was also in double figures, totaling 13 points and a rebound, an assist and a steal in just under 33 minutes.
had nine points, four rebounds and an assist and a steal in just under 18 minutes. totaled six points, four rebounds and a steal and a block in 22 minutes.
powered New Orleans with 40 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and a steal and a block in 36 1/2 minutes, but left the game with an injury. He will not participate in Friday’s playoff game.
finished with 12 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal and a block in just under 31 minutes played. finished with 11 points and four rebounds and assists in less than 25 minutes.
, and all scored 10 points. Jones added two steals, Nance had 12 rebounds and five assists and Alvarado had seven assists and two rebounds. was limited to nine points, six assists and three rebounds in less than 30 minutes.
Kings Throne Warriors
Sacramento knocked off Golden State in dominant fashion, winning 118-94 in Sacramento.
made eight 3-pointers and finished with 32 points, nine rebounds and two steals for Sacramento. added 24 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals.
had 17 points, four rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes. finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block in less than 37 minutes. contributed 15 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals and blocks in over 38 minutes.
, and also performed outside of trash time. Lyles had seven points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal in 19 minutes, Mitchel had five points, rebounds and three assists in 16 1/2 minutes and Len had four rebounds and one assist in less than nine minutes.
led Golden State with 22 points, four rebounds, two assists and steals and a block.
and had 16 points each. Kuminga added seven rebounds, two assists and a block, while Moody had three rebounds and an assist.
totaled 12 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals, while totaling 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and one block.
was held scoreless in 31 1/2 minutes of play, which played a big role in the final score.
Kings vs. Pelicans Preview
Even if Sacramento has to hit the road to face the Pelicans (at 9:30 p.m. ET), they should be happy with their chances of winning and clinching the eighth spot with Williamson out. Yet New Orleans has dominated Sacramento this season, winning all five games, and most of them in lopsided fashion.
Fox led the team with 21.2 points against New Orleans this season. Sabonis had 18.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists, so this is another good fantasy game. Barnes averaged 14.8 points, while Murray averaged 11.5 points.
McCollum led New Orleans against Sacramento with 26 points per game this season – he’ll need a similar outing for the Pelicans to likely have a chance. Ingram averaged 24.8 points and will need to play more (even though he is just coming back from injury) to help the team.
Murphy averaged 18 points, while Valanciunas averaged 14.2 points and 11.4 rebounds. Jones averaged 12.4 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
Eastern Conference Play-In
The 76ers escape the heat
Philadelphia did just enough to escape with a 105-104 road victory over Miami. As a result, the 76ers clinched the seventh seed in the East (check back later in the week for a preview of this and all NBA first-round series).
led Philly with 23 points, while collecting 15 rebounds, five assists and a steal in 38 minutes.
scored six 3-pointers en route to a 20-point outing. He also had five rebounds and a block in 27 1/2 minutes.
added 19 points, six rebounds and three assists in nearly 44 minutes of action. posted 11 points, eight rebounds and an assist, a steal and a block in over 37 minutes, while totaling nine points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
scored seven points, five rebounds, two steals and one assist in nearly 29 minutes. had seven points, six assists and one rebound in nearly 18 minutes.
ended up leading Miami with 25 points, nine assists and two rebounds in less than 41 minutes. had 19 points, five assists, steals and four rebounds in less than 40 minutes, but was injured during the game. Butler will not play in the team’s playoff game Friday.
accumulated 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal in 22 minutes. posted 10 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and an assist in less than 31 minutes, while totaling 10 points, two rebounds and a steal in more than 17 minutes.
contributed nine points, six rebounds, three assists, steals and one block in 28 minutes. and each played more than 20 minutes but less than 25, scoring six and five points, respectively. Wright added six rebounds, two assists, steals and a block, while Martin had five rebounds and an assist. played 14 minutes, totaling five points and rebounds.
The bulls take out the hawks
Chicago scored 40 points in the first quarter and earned a 131-116 victory over Atlanta in a playoff game.
erupted for 42 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two steals in over 43 minutes for the Bulls. scored 24 points, 12 rebounds and two assists in less than 37 minutes.
contributed 22 points, nine assists, six rebounds and a steal and a block in over 44 minutes. had 19 points, three assists, two blocks and one rebound in just under 41 minutes.
played more than 22 minutes, totaling 10 points, six rebounds, four assists and one steal. scored six points, two rebounds, assists and a steal in just 17 1/2 minutes – he suffered a sprained ankle, but he is should play against Miami.
had four points, five rebounds, two blocks and one assist in 14 1/2 minutes, while totaling four points and rebounds, three blocks and one steal in 11-plus minutes.
recorded 30 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals for Atlanta. added 22 points, 10 assists and two rebounds, while totaling 22 points, 17 rebounds and four assists.
contributed 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals and blocks. made just 3 of 16 shots while scoring eight points. also scored eight points, while adding five points.
Bulls vs. Heat Preview
Just like in the other final play-in game, the road team (Chicago) appears to have the advantage due to an injury to a home team player (Butler). This game is scheduled for tip-off at 7 p.m. ET. The teams have split four matches this season, with fairly close results in each competition.
DeRozan led Chicago in scoring against Miami this season, putting up 22 points, 4.5 assists and 4 rebounds – he’s still a very good fantasy option. White averaged 20.5 points, 6 assists and 5.5 rebounds and will be heavily used after his huge scoring night on Wednesday.
Vucevic averaged 17.3 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3 assists, while Caruso and Dosunmu had 10 points each.
Adebayo led Miami against Chicago with 23.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game – he will be even more involved with Butler’s absence.
Jaquez averaged 16.3 points, while (probably for Friday) averaged 14.8 points. Love was at 13.5 points and Martin was at 10.3 points. Highsmith has barely produced against Chicago this season, while Herro hasn’t played – those two should be more involved with Butler’s absence.
