Jeff Green scored 20 points in the first half, leading Boston to a 53-49 lead at halftime. The tempo was upbeat for the opening game of the playoffs. Carmelo Anthony had 19 points for the half. Then the second half began. With both teams sharing missed shots. The Celts went on to an 11-2 run with 5 minutes left in the third. After that it looked like the basket had a lid on it for both teams. Both teams looked very tired from there. The Celtics managed only 8 points for the final 17 minutes of the game. You can’t win games like that. The NY crowd gave the Knicks a great boost leading them on to victory 85-78.
The sports book picked the game right on the number at –7. The game was far under the total of 191 ½, at 163.
Nuggets (3) vs. Warriors (6)
Stephen Curry got off to a very slow start because of extra effort by Denver’s team defense. He didn’t
make a field goal until very late in the first half, but he kept the Dub’s close by distributing the ball. Klay Thompson had a good first half with 13 points, picking up the slack for Curry. Kenneth Faried was missed by Denver with a severely sprained ankle. The Nuggets fast paced style worked well in the regular season but was slowed down giving the Warriors a 48-44 lead at the half. Both teams started off the second half ice cold. The scoring picked up a little with 6 minutes left in the third quarter because both teams got hit with the high altitude. Denver finished strong in the third with a 14-2 run giving them the lead 71-64. Golden States All-Star forward, David Lee injured himself on an early fourth quarter drive. He has a torn right hip flexor muscle and will be out for the rest of the playoffs. The Warrior’s switched to zone defense and mounted a comeback, until Andre Miller took over the game. Scoring 18 points in the fourth quarter, including the final shot with less than 2 seconds left. Final score 97-95, Nuggets win.
The Warriors covered the spread of 7 ½. The game went under the total of 210 ½ @ 192.
Nets (4) vs. Bulls (6)
The Nets came out quickly, but the Bulls recovered with tough D and rebounding. Then the Nets had
another surge leading them on to a 25-14 lead at the end of 1 quarter. The Nets continued their stellar play in the second quarter took over the game with good defense, and an up tempo offense, giving them a halftime lead of 25, at a score of 60-35. With Joakim Noah having a right foot injury, he was noticeably limping. With Noah’s injury, the inside match up will favor the Net’s Brook Lopez the rest of the series. In the second half both teams traded baskets for the rest of the game, with the Net’s maintaining their lead of 25. Halfway through the fourth quarter both teams got to empty their benches for some garbage time.
Brooklyn got their first playoff in their new city with a final score of 106-89, covering the 4 ½ point spread. The first over of the day’s total of 182 ½, with the final total being 195.
Right off the bat the Clippers hit the boards hard. They were trying to beat the Grizzlies at their own game. Zach Randolph had early foul trouble and had to be taken out of the game. This caused Memphis to be out of rhythm and they got behind early and could never get over the hump. The rebounding difference for the game was 47-23, and on the offensive boards 14-4.“ Their wing people come in and get offensive rebounds ” quoted Memphis head coach Lionel Hollins. Chris Paul has a size advantage over Mike Conley which allows him to get anywhere he wants on the court. Memphis may want to try defensive stopper, Tony Allen on him to maybe slow him down. The game was closely contested through the first three quarters with the score after three 76-69, Clippers. That’s when the bottom fell out on Memphis, being outscored 37-22 in the fourth giving the Clippers a 112-91 victory.
The Clippers covered the 5 point spread and the game went over the 179 total with the final combined tally of 203.
Paul George went 3 for 13 from the field, yet he still wound up with a triple double. He went 17 for 18 from the foul line. The Indiana Pacers seemed to get every call and outscored the Hawks 30 to 7 from the foul line. The Pacers out rebounded the Hawks, 48 to 32, which led to a 19 to 7 second chance points. Paul George was horrible from the three point line in the last five games of the regular season going 6 for 28 (.214). So today he decided to take the ball to the basket and get to the foul line. The Hawks were able to keep the score close whenever Roy Hibbert went to the bench. Al Horford was able to get a lot of his points from the inside without the shot blocker in the game. With 4:56 left in the game the Hawks were with in 9 points with the score 95-86, Pacers. A 3 point play by David West stopped the Hawks come back and the Pacers went on to win 107-90.
The Pacers covered the 6 ½ point spread, and the under/over of 185, went over with a combined score of 197.
Spurs (2) vs. Lakers (7)
The Spurs took an early lead in this game and never looked back. Although the Lakers kept the game close from time to time, the Spurs were in total control. Tim Duncan is just an amazing team leader and performer even though he is getting up there in age. Coach Popovich limited Tim’s minutes during the regular season so he would be fresh at the end of the year. Manu Gonobli missed 9 games at the end of the season and came back to provide his all around great play, as if he never missed a game. For the Lakers, Kobe Bryant’s absence because of his Achilles injury really is going to hurt the team because the Lakers relied on him so much. Their lack of scoring is clearly going to be their downfall. Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol both had double doubles, but it wasn’t enough. If they are to win even one game someone else is going to have to step up.
Heat (1) vs. Bucks (8)
Brandon Jennings needs to learn what to say during an interview. His comment of “I think we will win in 6” will give the Miami Heat enough motivation. Not that they need it. The Heat let their play on the court do the talking. The Heat jumped off to a 21-9 lead and it looked like this was going to be a quick kill. Then the Bucks had a 16-5 run to end the first quarter only trailing by 2. The Bucks hung around for the remainder of the first half, with the Miami lead just 52-45 going into intermission. The Heat methodically took control of the second half turning the game into a blowout. "All I care about is the win," James said. "I didn't even know my stats. I just knew that we were playing efficient offensively besides the turnovers. We want to try to keep that going." The final score was 110-87, Heat easily covering the 13 point spread.
The over/under of 199 was as close as you can get, short by just 1 basket.
Thunder (1) vs. Rockets(8)
How ironic, James Harden going up against the team that traded him earlier in the season. "It felt a little awkward just looking across there during the national anthem and seeing him with another team, but we've got to get past that. We're competing against his team, and he wants to win so badly," Durant said. "We know him personally, so we know how hard he competes and he knows how hard we compete." The Thunder took control of the game midway through the second quarter and it was all Thunder from there. The Thunder had the lead at the half 60-47. The second half saw The Thunder having a lead of 35 at one point, allowed both teams to go to their bench for some extensive garbage time. Interesting note, a fan hit a half court shot, winning 20,000 dollars during the third quarter intermission. "Believe it or not, I think this was good for us," Harden said. "Losing like this was definitely good for us. Now we know how to play." It was an impressive playoff opener for Oklahoma City, which made it to the NBA Finals last season before losing to the Miami Heat in five games.
The Thunder covered the 10 point spread with ease, while the bettors had an extreme interest in the blowout because of the under/over. The u/o was 212 ½, with the final being 211, falling short by one basket.
All 8 home teams won Game 1 of their series. Let’s see if there can be an upset in a Game 2 to change home court advantage. Everyone knows that a series doesn’t really start until someone wins on the road.
