The NBA playoffs tipped off Saturday with four games pitting the No. 3 seeds versus No. 6 seeds and No. 4 against No. 5 in each conference.
Here is the slate of Game 1 matchups for Saturday. The first three games are broadcast on ESPN, with ABC televising the nightcap.
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Check back here for takeaways from each of Saturday’s games, which are available below.
And check out Yahoo Sports’ predictions for each first-round series, in addition to Kevin O’Connor’s ranking of the top 40 players in the NBA postseason.
Game 1 between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers lived up to the hype.
The Clippers took early control with a 15-point first half lead. But the Nuggets rallied in a thrilling second half before securing a 112-110 win in overtime, fueled by several big plays by Russell Westbrook.
The start of Saturday’s game played out as a highlight reel of everything predicted to go wrong for the Nuggets in this series.
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James Harden had his way with a porous Nuggets defense en route to 15 first-quarter points. Ivica Zubac lived up to his status as the anti-Joker with a strong start on both sides of the court in his matchup with Nikola Jokić. And Jokić got little help from a supporting cast absent a fellow All-Star.
The Clippers opened a 51-36 second-quarter lead, stunning a Denver home crowd that two seasons ago cheered on Jokić and the Nuggets to the franchise’s first NBA championship.
But the Nuggets closed the half on a 13-2 run to cut their deficit to 53-49 at the break, and the game was a battle throughout the second half. Denver cut its deficit to one point on multiple occasions before a Jamal Murray 3 tied the game at 81-81.
A Westbrook putback gave Denver its first lead of the second half at 93-92 with 3:37 remaining. Another Westbrook layup retook the lead for Denver at 95-94. Then, with the Nuggets trailing 96-95 in the final 30 seconds, Westbrook hit a corner 3 to give the Nuggets a two-point lead.
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But Harden answered with a layup in traffic to tie the game with 18.7 seconds remaining, ultimately forcing overtime after Denver failed to get off a shot on its final possession of regulation.
Aaron Gordon opened the extra session with a dunk on Denver’s next possession, and the Nuggets never trailed again.
A Christian Braun 3 extended the Denver lead to 108-104 with 59.1 seconds remaining, and the Nuggets held on for victory from there.
Westbrook, who played with Denver’s starters down the stretch in regulation and for the entirety of overtime, came up with the final big play, forcing a turnover out of bounds off of Harden on a failed Clippers inbounds play.
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Jokić extended Denver’s lead to 112-107 with free throws on the ensuing Nuggets possession to ice the win.
– Jason Owens
Milwaukee and Indiana are matched up again after facing each other in last year’s first round. The Pacers won that series in six games as the Bucks dealt with injuries to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. If Game 1’s result is any indication, the Bucks will have difficulty pushing this year’s rematch that far.
Giannis Antetokounmpo can’t do it alone
This is surely no surprise, but Milwaukee will need Lillard back in its lineup to provide Giannis Antetokounmpo with some help. (Lillard is reportedly expected to return for Game 2 or 3 in the series.) The Bucks star scored a game-high 36 points with 12 rebounds, but no one else in a Milwaukee uniform was a threat when it mattered on Saturday.
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Kyle Kuzma took five shots and recorded a 0-0-0 in points, rebounds and assists in 21 minutes of action.
Pacers’ depth is again a major advantage
Just as it was last season when Indiana made a run to the Eastern Conference finals, the team’s depth is its strength. The Pacers are at their best when Tyrese Haliburton plays well, but they can also win when he shoots 3-of-13 for 10 points. Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 25 points, hitting 3-of-5 3-pointers.
Picking up where he left off in last year’s playoffs, Andrew Nembhard scored 17 points, while Bennedict Mathurin and T.J. McConnell each scored in double-digits off the bench to complement the starters’ efficient attack.
– Ian Casselberry
