We’ve got three big games on the docket for tonight in the NBA Playoffs. Toronto and Washington will get it started at 7PM ET. The Raptors took game 1 114-106 in a physical battle. John Wall and Bradley Beal were upset with the officials, feeling that the Raptors got away with a lot of holding throughout the game. I think game 2 will come down to the officiating again. Toronto needs to continue to be physical with the Wizard’s dynamic guards if they want to stay in the driver’s seat. Wall and Beal have the ability to take over a series, but if Toronto can continue to get away with a little dirty defense they have enough firepower to keep up.
Boston and Milwaukee will get underway at 8PM ET as they continue their series. Their first game was on overtime thriller. Giannis did all he could, pouring in 35 points, 13 boards, and 7 assists but it just wasn’t enough. The Celtics are a much deeper team here. Even if they can’t figure out how to slow down the Greek Freak, I think they are in good shape here. Brown and Tatum both had great games in their playoff debuts and Al Hortford let his veteran presence be felt with 24 and 12. Look for the Celtics to focus on Giannis more and make the rest of the Bucks step up their game. I don’t think they have enough help to get it done.
New Orleans and Portland will play the nightcap, getting started at 10:30PM ET. As I expected, the Blazers had no answer for Anthony Davis. Davis carried the Pelicans to a 97-95 victory, scoring 35 and grabbing 14 boards. I just don’t see anyone on the Blazers being able to stop Davis. If they have any chance, Dame Lillard and McCollum have to play better. They both shot the ball pretty poorly. The good news is that they only lost by 2. If Lillard and McCollum can find their strokes, they can probably outscore Davis and the Pelicans. This is big one for them, you can’t afford to lose both games 1 and 2 at home. They need this one bad.