Basketball Daily Dose: Dose: OKC wins Game 2 on road
After the Thunder were humiliated by the Spurs in Game 1 they bounced back and got a tough win on the road in Game 2 on Monday, while the Hawks put a scare into the Cavaliers as they kicked off their series in Cleveland. Follow me on Twitter by clicking here!
Cavaliers 104, Hawks 93
I think everyone expected the Cavaliers to win Game 1 in Cleveland, but I doubt many folks thought it would be this close. The Cavaliers were in control for most of the game, but blew an 18-point lead in the second half and saw the Hawks take a 80-79 lead late in the game. The Cavs led 72-54 at one point, but despite the final score, this one came down to the final few minutes as the Hawks gave their fans a bit of false hope. Kevin Love hit just 1-of-10 shots in the first half, but finished with 17 points 11 rebounds, a steal, a block and three 3-pointers on 4-of-17 shooting. Love may have suffered a right shoulder injury and also sprained his left ankle, but should be out there again for Game 2. The Cavs went on a 17-5 run to finish out the game and are now 9-0 against the Hawks in the postseason. You have to think the Hawks aren’t going to really have a chance to win a game in this series until Games 3 and 4 in the ATL.
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LeBron James led the Cavaliers with a massive line that included 25 points, seven boards, nine assists, five steals, a block and two 3-pointers on 11-of-21 shooting. Tristan Thompson had eight points, 14 rebounds and two blocks in 40 minutes, and Kyrie Irving added 21 points, eight dimes, a steal, two blocks and three 3-pointers in the win. J.R. Smith came through with 12 points, five boards, three assists, a steal and four 3-pointers in 38 minutes, and Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson led the bench brigade with eight points apiece off the pine. Thompson dominated the Hawks on the boards a year ago in the playoffs, and it appears that he’s ready to do it again this year.
For the Hawks, Al Horford appeared in a team-record 71st playoff game and his team has appeared in the playoffs in nine straight seasons. Horford hit just 4-of-13 shots and didn’t even score in the first half. In fact, he and Paul Millsap combined to hit just 2-of-16 shots in the first half last night, and the Hawks shot just 32 percent for the game. Dennis Schroder caught fire off the bench in the third quarter and the Hawks went on a run that got them to a 74-70 spread entering the fourth quarter. The Hawks took the lead at 80-79 and then Kyrie Irving took over for the Cavs and J.R. Smith hit a big 3-pointer that allowed Cleveland to put the Hawks away. Kyle Korver attempted just one shot last night and finished with three points in the loss, as the Cavs focused on shutting Korver down.
Millsap had 17 points, 13 boards, two steals and four blocks, and Kent Bazemore added 16 points, 12 rebounds, two steals and three 3-pointers in the loss. Schroder played 29 minutes and hit 10-of-20 shots and five 3-pointers for a playoff career-high 27 points to go along with six assists off the bench. He also had five turnovers, which hurt Atlanta, but he was a key instrument in the Hawks’ comeback. Horford finished with just 10 points, six boards, two steals and three blocks, and Jeff Teague hit just 2-of-9 shots and a 3-pointer for eight points and four assists. Schroder was the DFS play of the night and you have to think that he’s going to continue to see heavy minutes in this series. Horford is going to have to get things figured out and the Hawks are going to have to shoot it better if they’re going to have a chance to win a game or two in this series.
Thunder 98, Spurs 97
This game was completely different than Game 1 and Dion Waiters appeared to hit Manu Ginobili with an elbow as Waiters was taking the ball out of bounds late. The officials missed the call, but even Ginobili said it was a rare play and didn’t blame the officials for the loss, much to his credit. The Thunder stole home-court advantage as Russell Westbrook went off for 29 points, seven rebounds, 10 assists, two steals, a block and a 3-pointer on 11-of-25 shooting. Kevin Durant added 28 points, seven boards, four assists, a 3-pointer and five turnovers, and Serge Ibaka had 12 points, five rebounds, a steal, two blocks and two 3-pointers. Steven Adams had a sweet double-double with 12 points, 17 rebounds, a steal and a block, while starter Andre Roberson didn’t even score. Enes Kanter had 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks off the bench, while Dion Waiters was highly disappointing with three points on 1-of-5 shooting off the pine. Playing Danny Green was a much better choice than Korver or Waiters in DFS on Monday.
The Spurs never gained control of this game and the Thunder put the game away late. A call against Waiters on the inbounds play near the end of the game may have changed the outcome, but it didn’t happen. LaMarcus Aldridge was a beast again, hitting 15-of-21 shots for 41 points, eight boards, two blocks and a 3-pointer, and he also hit 10-of-10 free throws. He’s hit 33-of-44 shots in two games so far. Kawhi Leonard had 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 36 minutes, while Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Danny Green all struggled. Green hit three 3-pointers, but also missed eight of his 11 shots. Duncan was just 1-of-8 and Parker hit 3-of-9 shots in the loss.
The Spurs got 11 points and a full stat line from Manu Ginobili in 22 minutes, and Patty Mills hit 2-of-9 shots for five points, two assists and a 3-pointer in the loss. This series just got very interesting and it will be fascinating to see how both teams prepare for Game 3 in Oklahoma City on Friday at 9:30.
Tuesday
Tuesday brings us two games, with the Heat visiting the Raptors for Game 1, and the Trail Blazers visiting the Warriors for Game 2 (Warriors lead 1-0). Both games are on TNT.
