by Nick Brower | Apr 19, 2018 | SPORTS
Utah was able to tie their series up last night with a 102-95 win over the Thunder. Rookie sensation Donovan Mitchell led the charge with 28 points and Ricky Rubio had a great game with 22, 9, and 7. The deciding factor was definitely Utah’s stellar defense. That has been their identity all season and it did not disappoint last night. They held all of OKC’s big three to under 20 points and only allowed the Thunder to shoot 40% from the field and 31% from three while forcing 13 turnovers. Keeping OKC under 100 points is the key. If they can keep up this defensive pace they will be in good shape, especially as the series heads back to Utah.
Ricky Rubio has this team playing really good offensive basketball as well. He was the missing piece. He allows Mitchell to work off the ball and has become a great facilitator for Derrick Favors, who pitched in 20 and 16 boards last night as well. Utah is looking like one of the most complete teams in the playoffs right now. Especially with their ability to close out games. They looked real strong in the fourth, outscoring OKC 28-16. Mitchell is showing poise well beyond his years and OKC still can’t seem to figure out their offense. All that talent keeps getting in its own way. They better figure it out quick, because Utah definitely has their game figured out.
by Nick Brower | Apr 19, 2018 | SPORTS
The Rockets took a commanding 2-0 series lead over Minnesota with a 102-82 win. Minnesota led after the first quarter, but Houston’s defense smothered them for the rest of the night. On a night where James Harden struggled shooting the ball, this defense came up big. Not a single Timberwolve scored over 20 points. Chris Paul led the charge on offense for the Rockets, scoring 27 while dishing out 8 assists. If this is what Houston looks like when Harden goes 2-18 from the field and 1-10 from 3, watch out. This was a statement game big time. In last year’s playoffs, if Harden struggled the Rockets got spanked. CP3 has the skills to carry a game both with his scoring and his ability to get his teammates good looks. And their new and improved defense makes them a real scary team. This offense can outscore just about anybody, and if they are forcing 16 turnovers and ripping 8 steals like they did last night not many teams stand a chance. Now they have to keep the pressure on as the series moves to Minnesota. The Timberwolves are clearly overmatched here, but any NBA team can get a win at home. The Rockets need to end this ASAP and get a few days off, wasting time would just be silly.
by Nick Brower | Apr 18, 2018 | SPORTS
LeBron James put his team on his back tonight as the Cavs tie up their series with Indiana 1 a piece. King James recorded his 20th 40 point performance in the playoffs, tying Michael Jordan for most all time and finished with 46 points, 12 boards and 5 assists. Indiana played very well and even with LeBron’s huge night they were only a missed three by Oladipo late away from taking this game. LeBron is great, we all know that, but it took his absolute best game to get a win. The Cavs are in trouble here against the Pacers. Indiana has looked real good so far. The Cavs need to step their game up as a collective if they want to survive this series. You cannot depend on LeBron to pour in 40+ every night. And to make matters tougher, Kevin Love seemed to re-injure his left hand late in the fourth. If he can’t go for the rest of the series, I really don’t see the Cavs surviving. They are going to have a tough time moving on even if he is healthy. Indiana is a huge basketball state. Expect that arena to be jumping when the series moves to the Pacers home court. The Cavs may have won tonight, but they are officially on upset alert.
by Nick Brower | Apr 18, 2018 | SPORTS
The MLB traveled to Puerto Rico last night to begin a series down on the island. Baseball runs deep in Puerto Rico and many current players hail from there. The MLB has begun the Puerto Rico series to celebrate the rich baseball heritage and give back to a community that truly loves the game. Cleveland and Minnesota have the honor of playing in the series, and for Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor, that means he gets to go home. Frankie Lindor or “Paquito” is beloved in his home country, especially after he and the Puerto Rican team did so well in the most recent World Baseball Classic. Lindor was beyond excited to play at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, and he did not disappoint the packed house that came out to see him. He stepped to the plate in the fifth inning and cracked a 2-run home run to break a scoreless tie. The stadium, the city, hell the whole island erupted and you could probably hear the cheers in Florida. The hometown kid came home and delivered. The Indians would go on to hit 3 more homers and win 6-1. After the game, Lindor explained what it meant for him to be home in many interviews in both English and Spanish. “I’m in Puerto Rico in front of my family, in front of my friends, in front of this beautiful Puerto Rican crowd,” Lindor said. “I’m just excited. I touched second base and looked in the dugout. Everybody’s hands are up, so I put my hands up. I looked around the stadium, everybody’s are up, so I keep putting my hands up and running.” The MLB made its return to Puerto Rico in electric fashion and I’m looking forward to what will come next in this great series.
by Nick Brower | Apr 18, 2018 | SPORTS
The Las Vegas Golden Knights continued their historic season last night with another win over the Kings. The 1-0 victory secured the opening series and the Golden Knights became the first team in NHL history to sweep a series in their inaugural season, and just the second team to sweep the first series in franchise history (1970 Penguins). Marc Andre Fleury was the star again, stopping all 31 shots he saw for his second shutout of the postseason. Bryan McNabb delivered the deciding goal on a one-timer in the second period. The Golden Knights now wait for the winner of the Anaheim San Jose series and look to continue making history in their inaugural season. No NHL expansion team has won the Cup in their first season, but Vegas is giving it their best shot.
by Nick Brower | Apr 17, 2018 | SPORTS
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.
