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NBA Playoffs | Wizards-Raptors, Celtics-Bucks, Blazers-Pelicans

MILWAUKEE Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe was asked about his matchup after game two, his response left many fans baffled.

7 min read
April 18, 2018 - 3:14PM
It wasn’t pretty scenes on the Wizards bench.
It wasn’t pretty scenes on the Wizards bench.

Live: NBA Playoffs

Three teams entered the day’s action with a 1-0 series lead and all walked out victorious and extending their leads.

THE NBA playoffs continued with Toronto, Boston and New Orleans all extending their series leads over their now desperate opponents.

New Orleans stunned Portland once again by winning their second straight road game behind the stellar play of Jrue Holiday, Anthony Davis and Rajon Rondo.

A career night from Jaylen Brown lead the Boston Celtics over the Milwaukee Bucks and handed them the 2-0 series ascendancy.

The Raptors hold the 2-0 series lead after a record setting performance against the lowly Washington Wizards.

3.10pm

Pelicans leave Portland in command

Taking on the third seeded Portland Trail Blazers, many expected the New Orleans Pelicans to take the series the distance with some even predicting they’d win the series.

What nobody predicted however was the Pelicans stealing the opening two games of the series away from home, a feat they pulled off after the 111-102 victory in game two.

After taking game one behind Anthony Davis’ offensive onslaught, game two was taken over by guard Jrue Holiday.

Holiday shone in the opening game on the defensive end and while he had more big moments during game two, it was his offensive output that stood tall.

Piling on 33 points the guard also dished out 9 assists. Back-court running mate Rajon Rondo almost secured a triple-double as he ended with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists.

For the Blazers they now find themselves squarely behind the eight ball with the series set to shift to New Orleans for the next two games.

They’ll need to steal one game if they hope to keep the series alive and continue their playoff run.

Game 3 of the series will take place on Friday morning at 11am with the Blazers desperate to win. The Pelicans in front of their home crowd will be hoping to move ever closer to the series sweep.

12.45pm

Bledsoe’s memory loss sledge

Jaylen Brown showed the Celtics are still a force to be reckoned with after dropping a career-high 30 points on the Milwaukee Bucks to lead his team to the 120-106 win and claim the 2-0 series lead.

At only 21-years-old, Brown becomes the youngest Celtics player ever to score 30 in a playoff game.

Boston entered the playoffs without their two star players in Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, but haven’t taken a backward step.

Against the Milwaukee Bucks and their superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Celtics have banded together.

Antetokounmpo again lead the Bucks’ charge as he piled on 30 points of his own, but apart from teammate Khris Middleton the rest of the squad struggled.

With the series set to shift back to Milwaukee for the next two games, the Bucks faithful will be hoping their side can rally and defend their home court.

Backup guard Terry Rozier has made the most of his opportunity after being elevated into the starting line-up.

Through the opening two games of the series, he’s currently averaging 23 points per game, but more importantly for the Celtics is the fact he has yet to commit a single turnover.

Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe was asked after the game about his matchup against Rozier, his response was rather blunt and quite perplexing.

“I don’t know who the f*** that is,” Bledsoe said.

Bledsoe must have a short memory as it was Rozier who has not only outplayed him so far in the series, but hit the cold blooded dagger in the dying seconds of game one.

With their backs against the wall, expect the Bucks to show more fight when game three gets underway on Saturday at 11.30am.

11.40am

Sad Wizards summed up in snap

Toronto controlled the game from the opening tip and made light work of the Wizards and took their series lead to 2-0 after a comfortable 130-119 victory.

All Star guard DeMar DeRozan continually punished the Wizards defence on his way to a playoff career high 37 points on an efficient 14-23 shooting.

Back-court running mate Kyle Lowry ended the contest with 13 points and dished out 12 assists, but it was his defence that steered the Raptors.

Before the game Wizards guard Bradley Beal said he wasn’t ready for the physicality Lowry brought in game 1 and vowed he’d be better prepared.

Sadly he didn’t back up his words as Lowry played a key role in shutting down the often prolific scorer and kept him to nine points from 11 shots.

Toronto set team playoff records for points in a quarter, a half and a game while also knocking down a team playoff record 16 three-pointers.

During a horror stretch in the second quarter, cameras caught John Wall and Marcin Gortat arguing on the bench while Beal covered his face with his head in his hands.

It showed a team in disarray and lacking the answers to overcome their more fancied opponents.

Despite a dominant first half where they held the 18-point lead, the Raptors failed to deliver the knockout blow and left the door ajar for a Wizards comeback.

Wall tried his best to rally the troops and during a third quarter stretch, had his side back to within 10 points.

During the final quarter the margin reached single figures but a flex of the muscles from the Raptors on the defensive end nullified the fightback.

The next two games of the series will take place in Washington with the Wizards needing to get their act together if they’re any chance of toppling the number one seed.

Game 3 tips off on Saturday at 10am.

8.30am

The move scaring Spoelstra

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra worked his magic in game two against the Ben Simmons-led Philadelphia 76ers and levelled the series at one-all. But one move in the game is giving him cause for concern.

Spoelstra hopes his former top assistant David Fizdale goes to Phoenix rather than New York.

He may have said it facetiously, as a chuckling Spoelstra said he’d rather not compete against one of Fizdale’s teams four times a season. (The Heat face the Western Conference teams two times.)

Fizdale said over the weekend he will interview with the Knicks and Suns this week. Sources indicate that will occur Thursday or Friday in the Los Angeles area.

Knicks president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry already will be in Los Angeles on Wednesday interviewing Mark Jackson and Clippers assistant Mike Woodson.

Woodson campaigned for the job Monday to The Post, stating he’d like to “finish what I started.”

Woodson also mused he gave Fizdale his first job as an assistant coach in Atlanta in 2004-05. That could lead to the possibility of a Fizdale-Woodson tag team. (Fizdale’s actual first NBA position was the season before, in 2003-04, as a Golden State assistant.)

After four years with Woodson, Fizdale moved on to the Miami Dream Team, where he worked under Spoelstra and won two titles with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

“Fiz is a great fit anywhere,’’ Spoelstra told reporters in Philadelphia on Monday, according to ESPN.com.

“He’s a brilliant basketball mind that has exceptional, gold-standard level communication skills. He’s one of my best friends.

Erik Spoelstra directing his team
Erik Spoelstra directing his team

“But I say that objectively. I just think he’s one of the most talented coaches I’ve been around. I feel very grateful that we had an opportunity to work together for so long. I just, I hope he goes West. That’s the kind of respect I have for him. I don’t want him going anywhere in the East.”

Fizdale is considered a top candidate despite getting fired in late November by Memphis in his second season after a feud with Marc Gasol.

The Post reported the rift had become so large that the Grizzlies ownership either had to trade Gasol or fire Fizdale.

The Knicks are not convinced Fizdale’s feud with his star European player is a red flag.

It is a sensitive matter because their Latvian All-Star big man Kristaps Porzingis and fired head coach Jeff Hornacek didn’t get along well, especially in 2016-17, despite Porzingis saying they had “a good relationship.’’

According to an NBA source close to the situation, the Knicks coaching staff believes Porzingis was “poisoned’’ by Carmelo Anthony regarding last season’s coaching staff.

— Marc Berman, NY Post

8am

Wizards unhappy with referees

John Wall and Bradley Beal didn’t have the greatest shooting night’s of their careers in game one against the Toronto Raptors, but the duo still shone brightly.

Wall ended the game with an impressive line of 23 points and 15 assists, while Beal shot his way to 19 points.

Beal was held to below his season average in scoring by the defensive pressure applied from Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, but Beal admits he wasn’t prepared for just how physical and scrappy the game was going to be.

“They hold and grab a lot,” Beal said at the Wizards’ shootaround before Game 2.

“That is something that will be a different story on Wednesday. Just making sure that I am constantly moving, making them tired, especially when they put Lowry on me, just tire him out as much as possible.”

Wall who visited the free throw line 10 times during the opening game said officials told him during the game they had missed some calls which would have resulted in more opportunities at the charity stripe.

“They (refs) came to me at halftime and said they missed two or three of them. I rather you not tell me about it,” Wall said before Game 2.

“Me as a player, I got to do a better job of not worrying about fouls and contact and just try to finish my plays like I usually do in the past.”

Originally published as NBA Playoffs | Wizards-Raptors, Celtics-Bucks, Blazers-Pelicans

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Original URL: https://www.thechronicle.com.au/sport/basketball/nba/live-nba-playoffs-wizardsraptors-celticsbucks-blazerspelicans/news-story/f8a35c1c9a3468dac3363af99fe65d1d