Top Stories

• Clippers stun Mavericks

• Bucks crush Pacers

• Thunder-Pelicans comes down to final buzzer

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Games of the day

Last Night’s Top Games! (link to the box scores of every game from yesterday)

Harden scored 28 points in his playoff debut for the Clippers, Zubac had a playoff-career high 20 points to go with 15 rebounds, and Los Angeles defeated Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks 109-97. Harden hit 6 of 11 3-pointers and had eight assists. George finished with 22 points after the Mavs slowed him in the first half. The Clippers outdid the Mavs at their own 3-point game, making 18 of 36 from long range compared to 10 of 33 for Dallas. The teams were meeting in the playoffs for the third time in five years, with the Clippers having won both previous series. Doncic and Irving were a combined 5 of 19 from the floor in the half. Doncic had all of his 11 in the first quarter; Irving had two of his six points in the second.

Damian Lillard’s sensational start ensured the Milwaukee Bucks would fare just fine without Giannis Antetokounmpo in their playoff opener. Lillard scored all 35 of his points before halftime and the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Indiana Pacers 109-94 on Sunday while Antetokounmpo watched from the bench. The Bucks needed Lillard to step up without Antetokounmpo, and Lillard came through by setting a Bucks record for points in either half of a playoff game. He didn't score at all and attempted only five shots in the second half as the Pacers focused on slowing him down, but the damage was done by that point. Game 2 of the playoff series is Tuesday in Milwaukee.

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Around the League

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points, including the go-ahead basket in the final minute, and the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder edged the New Orleans Pelicans 94-92 in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series. New Orleans' CJ McCollum missed an off-balance 3-pointer in the closing seconds and the Thunder held on to win their first home playoff game since 2019. Jalen Williams scored 19 points and Chet Holmgren added 15 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks for the Thunder, who will host Game 2 on Wednesday night. Trey Murphy III scored 21 points and McCollum added 20 for the Pelicans.

• Injury Updates: Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) could miss 2-4 weeks. Jimmy Butler (knee) will miss multiple weeks. Zion Williamson (hamstring) will be re-evaluated in 2 weeks. Julius Randle (shoulder) is out for the season. Christian Wood (knee) plans to return Game 3 vs Denver. Benedict Mathurin (shoulder) underwent surgery and is out for the season. Josh Richardson (shoulder) had surgery and will be out for the season. Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) will miss at least 1 more week. We wish all these guys speedy and successful recoveries.

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NBA Playoff Matchups

Eastern Conference

(1) Boston vs (8) Miami: Series is 0-0

Jimmy Butler will likely miss most, if not all of this series.

Boston punched Miami in the mouth in Game 1, winning by 20 points. without Butler, the Heat don’t have the #1 option needed to carry their offense. Tyler Herro is too inconsistent and Bam Adebayo isn’t aggressive enough. This series might end up a sweep.

Prediction: Boston in 5

(2) Knicks vs (7) 76ers: Series is 1-0

Joel Embiid’s knee is a concern, as are the non-Embiid minutes for Philly. If they don’t find a way to at least stay even with New York without Joel on the floor, they won’t last long.

Prediction: Knicks in 6

(3) Milwaukee vs (6) Indiana: Series is 0-0

Giannis will miss at least Game 1, Dame can keep that team afloat in his absence.

Milwaukee showed the importance of experience when it comes to the playoffs. For Indiana, Pascal Siakam (the only one with playoff experience) had 36 and 13. Dame scored 35 in the first half and didn’t have to play much in the 2nd half.

Prediction: Bucks in 7

(4) Cleveland vs (5) Orlando: Series is 1-0

Orlando has the defense to keep the Cavs in check, but their lack of playoff experience in Game 1 was obvious. They will need to improve their 3 point shooting while cutting down the turnovers drastically. Cleveland has expectations Orlando doesn’t, so the 2 teams are playing for completely different reasons. (Cavs want Donovan Mitchell to stay)

Prediction: Cavs in 6

Western Conference

(1) OKC vs (8) New Orleans: Series is 0-0

Zion Williamson will miss at least some of this series, which changes things dramatically.

Game 1 came down to the final buzzer. The size and versatility of the Pels made things tough for OKC all game. Count on every game this series to be close.

Prediction : New Orleans in 6

(2) Denver vs (7) Lakers: Series is 1-0

Denver beat LA for the 9th straight game, continuing to be a problem the Lakers can’t solve. No matter who LA throws at Joker he continues to dominate, so LA’s strategy should be to make him a scorer and shut everyone else down. Denver needs to push the pace in transition and keep LA in rotation in the halfcourt.

Prediction: Nuggets in 5

(3) Timberwolves vs (6) Suns: Series is 1-0

Minnesota had the #1 ranked defense all year long for a reason. They shut every Sun but KD down completely, with Beal and Booker COMBINING for 32 points. A shutdown like that is unlikely to happen again to that extent, but with Anthony Edwards elevating like he always does in the Playoffs, and KAT playing as a legit second option, this series could be quick. Phoenix needs to get Booker and Beal going, as well as use Nurkic as a post playmaker. Both teams lost key pieces, as Kyle Anderson and Grayson Allen both sustained injuries that kept them from returning.

Prediction: Wolves in 4

(4) Clippers vs (5) Mavericks: Series is 0-0

No matter what the Clippers have thrown at Luka, he’s always cooked them worse than most teams. This year, LA added Harden and brought Westbrook back, and while they won’t really help guard Doncic, Dallas can’t stop all the weapons LA has now. In the end, it will all come down to Luka and Kyrie vs Kawhi and PG. Whichever duo elevates their team more will win their team the series. With Kawhi likely missing Game 1, Dallas might get a headstart.

LA came out hot, Russ and Harden having the same amount of points as the entire Maverick squad in the 1st half. Luka and Kyrie struggled, and Dallas was not good on either end of the floor. Don’t count on Luka continuing to struggle though.

Prediction: Clippers in 7

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Overtime Thoughts

Hoopgrids

Hoopgrids is a daily basketball trivia game. You cross match each category to find a player that fits both. The rarer the player, the lower the score. The goal is to get the lowest rarity score possible.