Tag: NBA

NBA Playoffs: Toronto Raptors vs. Philadelphia 76ers Game 5 and the continued brilliance of Kawhi Leonard

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The Toronto Raptors faced off against the Philadelphia 76ers Tuesday, May 7th in a pivotal game 5 matchup in Toronto.

The Toronto Raptors came up with a new load management plan for Kawhi Leonard. It was to make sure their star forward didn’t have to shoulder the entire offensive burden.

Leonard, who had scored 33 or more points in each of the first four games of the series, shot 7 for 16 from the field and 7 for 8 at the line before checking out with 7:22 to play and Toronto up 103-73. He had four assists and two steals.

Leonard had 21 points and 13 rebounds, Pascal Siakam scored 25 points and the Raptors used a balanced attack and a huge second quarter to rout the Philadelphia 76ers 125-89 Tuesday night and take a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Toronto can advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in four seasons with a victory in Game 6 at Philadelphia on Thursday night. The Raptors lost in six games to Cleveland in the East finals in 2016.

The 36-point margin was the largest in Toronto’s postseason history, and marked Philadelphia’s worst playoff defeat since a 40-point loss to Boston in Game 1 of the 1982 Eastern Conference finals.

NBA Playoffs: Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets Game 4

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The Houston Rockets tied their second-round series vs. the Warriors 2-2 after a 112-108 victory in Game 4 on Monday, May 6 2019. It came down to the wire, with Houston surviving a pair of great looks from beyond the arc from Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry in the last 11 seconds of the game with the Rockets clinging to a three-point lead to preserve their victory.

James Harden came up big despite a blood-filled left eye (an injury he suffered in the first game of the series) as he finished with 38 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Harden’s huge double-double was enough to offset Durant’s 34-point effort and Curry’s own 30-point performance. Now that the Rockets have defended their home court, they’ll look to take control of this series as they travel to Oracle Arena in Oakland for a pivotal Game 5.

Some key takeaways from the game include lackluster Golden State Warriors effort compared to the more aggressive mindset of the Houston Rockets. The Rockets out-rebounded the Warriors 50 to 43 and 13 to 8 on the offensive glass which alludes to the lackluster effort on behalf of the Warriors.

Looking ahead to the 5th game of the series, the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets both need to improve their shooting and staying out of foul trouble. If the Houston Rockets can maintain their domination on the offensive glass they should be able to overcome the firepower of the Golden State Warrior offense. Additionally, if the Golden State Warriors can get their superstars going early then they will be a great position to maintain home court advantage and win the 5th game.