Tonight, we’ve got a trio of Game 2s, with teams vying to bounce back from disappointing losses, or keep the pressure on their opponents. Leading things off, the Toronto Raptors, who have found themselves facing another existential crisis after their Game 1 loss to the Orlando Magic. The Raptors losing Game 1 is a time honored tradition, and tonight, they’ll have to face not only the Magic, but their copious playoff demons.
On NBA TV, we’ve got Game 2 between Denver and San Antonio, a game I will not be watching because I don’t got no NBA TV. The Nuggets seemed to have some playoff jitters in Game 1 against the the much more experienced Spurs. Their opening game struggles were understandable, but if they don’t sort themselves out real fast, they’re going to be facing an unfortunate fate.
Lastly, the second game on TNT, Game 2 between the Thunder and Blazers. Portland fended off a comeback attempt from the Thunder in Game 1. The big question out there is just how healthy Paul George is. If that shoulder keeps hampering him, it could be another early and disappointing playoff exit for OKC, in this battle between teams that have recently been all too familiar with them.
Of course this afternoon we got the very bad news that DeMarcus Cousins is out for the rest of the postseason with a torn quad. After waiting this whole time for his first trip to the playoffs, his debut run is over after just 25 total minutes played. There are few things crueler than the playoffs.
8:05 pm – Let’s check in on the mood up in Toronto before Game 2…
One fan used a pause in O Canada to yell “Hit a shot, Kyle,” so there’s that.
— (((Eric Koreen))) (@ekoreen) April 16, 2019
Lowry’s coming off an 0-7 performance in Game 1.
8:09 – Okay, here we are in Toronto, just in time for Game 2 between the Magic and Raptors on Turner Network Television. Spero Dedes will be our play by play man, with Greg Anthony providing color commentary. Jared Greenberg is patrolling the sideline, looking for things to report on.
8:11 – The Raptors win the opening tip, and it’s not long before a Kawhi Leonard jumper puts them up, 2-0.
8:13 – Kyle Lowry goes 1-2 from the line for his first point of the series. The Raptors lead, 3-0.
Kyle Lowry just received the loudest cheer I have ever heard for a first quarter free throw.
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) April 17, 2019
8:18 – Pascal Siakam gets to the hole for a layup, and we’ve got our first timeout with the score Toronto 9, Orlando 0 with 7:59 left in the first quarter. The Magic are 0-6 to begin the game, and the Raptors seem to have increased the defensive intensity. Kawhi Leonard does have two early fouls, but coach Nick Nurse is sticking with him for now.
An awful start so far for the Magic, who are 0-for-6 from the field and have three turnovers. In addition, Jonathan Isaac has two fouls, and the team as a whole already has four team fouls with 7:59 remaining in the quarter. Toronto leads 9-0.
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) April 17, 2019
8:24 – Nikola Vucevic misses two free throws, but Aaron Gordon comes flying in for an offensive rebound and two hand dunk, finally giving the Magic their first points of the ballgame. They trail, 11-2.
On the board.#BlueAndWhiteIgnite pic.twitter.com/lqfMB64FVT
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) April 17, 2019
Kyle Lowry responds on the other end by finally hitting his first shot of the series, and it’s a three to put Toronto ahead, 14-2.
8:29 – We have a timeout with the score now Toronto 20, Orlando 10 with 3:49 left in the first quarter.
Kawhi Leonard has scored or assisted on 15 of the Raptors 20 points so far
— Seerat Sohi (@seeratsohi) April 17, 2019
I am going to be mean spirited and predict that this will be a one possession game in the fourth quarter.
8:39 – We’re here at the end of the first quarter with the score Toronto 26, Orlando 18. Kawhi Leonard leads the Raptors with 12 points on 5-7 shooting. Aaron Gordon has eight to lead the Magic.
Toronto came out intent to put Game 1 behind them, particularly looking good on the defensive end. The Magic did well to end the quarter trailing by less than double digits, but if the Raptors can keep up their defensive intensity, it should be fairly smooth sailing for the rest of the night.
Strong quarter for the Raptors, but they lost 3 points off their 11-point lead in 2:17 without Leonard or Lowry on the floor to close the Q. No reason why those 2 shouldn’t be staggered, even with Kawhi’s 2 fouls.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 17, 2019
8:44 – Kyle Lowry puts in a three for the first points of the second quarter, extending the Raptors lead up to 29-18.
8:45 – Kawhi Leonard is called for his third foul. He remains in the game.
8:47 – Michael Carter-Williams is trapped at midcourt, and the Magic have to call a timeout before he’s forced into a backcourt violation. It’s not a bad time for a break anyway, as the Raptors have scored seven straight points to make the score Toronto 36, Orlando 23 with 8:20 left in the first half.
Clifford was asked how the Magic plan to adjust if/when Kawhi plays more minutes in Game 2 this morning. He said it means Aaron Gordon will play more. We’re 15.5 minutes in and Gordon hasn’t sat.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 17, 2019
This game has been a lot like Saturday’s third quarter. The Magic just cannot seem to generate many quality shots or get into their offense smoothly. Orlando is 8 for 24 from the field and has six turnovers. And there’s still 8:20 remaining in the second quarter.
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) April 17, 2019
8:51 – We’re back underway, and Kawhi Leonard is finally on the bench with those three fouls. Can the Magic take advantage and chip away a bit?
8:55 – Nikola Vucevic gets himself a dunk for his first points of the game, sending us into a timeout with the score Toronto 38, Orlando 28 with 4:56 left until halftime. The Magic really need their all star to wake up, so hopefully that dunk gets ol’ Vooch going.
🗣 VOOOOOOOOOOOCH!
📺: @FOXSportsFL | #BlueAndWhiteIgnite pic.twitter.com/Vjwg73ayCI
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) April 17, 2019
The Magic are 5 for 20 on 2-point shots and 5 for 13 on 3-point shots so far.
Toronto leads 38-28 with 4:56 remaining in the second quarter.— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) April 17, 2019
Terrence Ross has 15 of Orlando’s 28 points.
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) April 17, 2019
9:05 – Kyle Lowry dives to the floor for a loose ball and is able to control it and call a timeout with the score Toronto 47, Orlando 33 with 2:33 left in the first half.
Lots of whistles in Toronto tonight. Raptors have been called for 13 fouls, Magic have been called for seven. Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard already have three each, while Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol and Nik Vucevic all have two of them. Could become a factor later in the game.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) April 17, 2019
The Magic look completely unsettled, but the truth is, it’s the Raptors who have imposed their will on this game. Only the Raptors know whether they feel truly desperate to avoid an 0-2 deficit, but it looks like that’s been their approach tonight.
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) April 17, 2019
9:12 – The first half draws to a close with the score Toronto 51, Orlando 39.
Kawhi Leonard has 17 points on 7-9 shooting, but has three fouls. Kyle Lowry has rebounded nicely from his forgettable Game 1 with 15 points on 5-8 shooting, and Pascal Siakam has chimed in with 12 points and 5 boards. The Raptors came out swinging, as if they’re tired of hearing about their playoff demons. Lowry in particular has been aggressive as he looks to put Game 1 behind him.
Terrence Ross leads Orlando with 15 off the bench on 5-7 shooting, and Aaron Gordon’s chimed in with 12 points on 5-9 shooting. Everyone else on the Magic have combined for 3-24 shooting and 12 points. As a team, they’ve shot 8-16 from the free throw line. The bottom line is, despite how well the Raptors have played, this could be a much closer game if all but two of the Magic players had performed at their usual levels.
All that being said, I feel like the Raptors should have an even larger lead. This has been a weird game.
9:30 – A pair of DJ Augustin free throws provide the first points of the second half, and they cut the Raptors lead down to ten, at 51-41.
9:36 – Kawhi Leonard uses some fancy foot work to get into an open lane towards the hoop, where he finishes his drive with a one hand slam to send is into a timeout with the score Toronto 66, Orlando 47 with 8:04 left in the third quarter.
9:38 – DISPATCHES FROM DENVER
The Nuggets trail 26-21 after hitting just 8-of-25 shots in the first quarter. DeMar DeRozan played only 2:48 of the opening period because of foul trouble, but LaMarcus Aldridge had 12 points. Millsap had 11 points and four rebounds. Only two bench points for Denver.
— Nick Kosmider (@NickKosmider) April 17, 2019
Like the Raptors tonight, and the Sixers last night, the Nuggets are a higher seed looking to bounce back from a Game 1 loss. So far, it seems like they still have some kinks to work out.
9:45 – Kyle Lowry gets himself another bucket, and it’ll bring us into a timeout with the score Toronto 81, Orlando 58 with 4:06 left in the third quarter. Whatever notion this game had of maybe being close and interesting has long since dissipated.
9:55 – The third quarter comes to an end with the scoreboard reading Toronto 90, Orlando 66.
Kawhi Leonard scored 17 in the third quarter alone, and he’s up to 34 on 14-18 shooting. He’s also wreaking his usual havoc on the defensive end. It’s been, dare I say, a virtuoso performance by him this evening. Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam have each chimed in with 19 points.
Aaron Gordon leads the Magic with 20 points on 8-12 shooting, but aside from Terrence Ross, the rest of his teammates have been anti-virtuosos.
Kawhi Leonard has 34 points through 3 quarters. That’s already the 13th-highest scoring playoff game in Raptors history, and he has a quarter to add to it. His playoff career-high is 43. Raps playoff record is 50 (Vince Carter).
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 17, 2019
10:00 – Serge Ibaka makes a little shot from close range, and it’s the first points of the fourth quarter to push the Raptors lead up to 92-66.
10:08 – Michael Carter-Williams and Kyle Lowry engage in some mouthing off with one another. Carter-Williams appears to have given Lowry a pretty solid elbow to the face after Lowry had him wrapped up while grappling for position near the hoop. The play is now under review.
10:10 – DISPATCHES FROM DENVER
The Nuggets trail the Spurs 59-49 at the half, nearly the same deficit as Game 1 (59-51). DeRozan and Aldridge scored 33 points in the half, the same total they had in all of Game 1.
— Nick Kosmider (@NickKosmider) April 17, 2019
Sounds like Denver is in serious danger of having to head to San Antonio down 2-0.
10:11 – After a long review, it’s revealed to be a common-ass foul on Carter-ass-Williams, plus a dead ball technical for the elbow. Lowry hits the free throw, and the Raptors lead expands to 102-69.
10:14 – We’ve got a timeout with the score Toronto 102, Orlando 73 with 5:52 left in the game.
10:18 – During a TNT game break Ernie Johnson gives us an update on Nuggets-Spurs, then reminds us that Blazers-Thunder is coming up next before sending us back to Toronto for “the rest of the nail biter.”
10:22 – Michael Carter-Williams makes a shot from close range, plus a foul to send us into a timeout with the score Toronto 107, Orlando 75 with 2:36 remaining. It’s nice to finally see the Raptors on the giving end of a mammoth playoff beatdown. Kawhi’s performance tonight reminds me of some of the stuff LeBron used to do to them.
10:26 – We’re back and Carter-Williams misses his free throw, but the Magic got the offensive rebound, and eventually, Khem Birch hit a little floater, and the Magic are making some noise here and have the deficit down to 30! As we saw last night, if you’re within 31, you’re still in the game!
10:29 – The final buzzer sounds, and our final score is Toronto 111, Orlando 82. It’s the Raptors largest victory in their playoff history.
Kawhi Leonard finished the night with 37 points on 15-22 shooting. Kyle Lowry added 22 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists on 8-13 shooting, erasing memories of his 0-7 in Game 1. Pascal Siakam added 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Aaron Gordon led the Magic with 20 points and 5 boards on 8-12 shooting, but the less said about the rest of their box score, the better.
That was just what the doctor ordered for the Raptors. They started the game focused and determined to make a statement, and they never let up. It’s funny how we can get carried away after one game. We all do it to various degrees. Part of it is it’s more exciting when the unexpected happened. Tonight, the Raptors brought us back into reality, reminding us that they’re one of the best teams in the league. Because of that, they’re heading down to Orlando with the series even at 1-1, and most importantly, with all of the momentum.
10:36 – We’re in between games now as we await Game 2 between the Thunder and Blazers up in Portland. The Blazers jumped out to a big lead in Game 1 on Sunday, as I streamed the game at the office after I was called into work. The Thunder battled back, but the Blazers were able to fend them off. Concerns about Paul George’s shoulder have been floating around ever since his crummy shooting performance in the opener. With the added pressure that both teams face after each have suffered through a couple of years of disappointing and early playoff exits, tonight’s Game 2 should be quite the contest.
10:39 – We’re welcomed to the Moda Center out in Portland, Oregon by Brian Anderson and good ol’ Kevin McHale, who will narrate tonight’s action. Stephanie Ready will be our roving reporter on the sidelines.
10:41 – The Thunder win the opening tip, and Game 2 is underway up in the Pacific Northwest. OKC immediately gets the ball to Steven Adams for a hook shot in the paint to get themselves on the board first, up 2-0.
Everyone looks mad. Let’s play Game 2.
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) April 17, 2019
10:44 – Al-Farouq Aminu gets the Blazers on the board with a three, and they trail early, 4-3.
10:50 – Steven Adams is found in the paint, and he banks in a shot, plus he’s fouled! Before he heads to the line, we’ll have a timeout with the score Oklahoma City 18, Portland 13 with 5:49 left in what’s been a lively first quarter.
Thunder lead 18-13 at the first timeout. Neither team shooting well from three, but the Thunder are 8-of-8 on two-pointers to start the game.
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) April 17, 2019
10:54 – Back from the timeout, Adams misses his free throw, keeping the score at 18-13, Thunder.
10:56 – DISPATCHES FROM DENVER
End of the 3Q.. #Spurs 82 #Nuggets 75 .. SA has done well so far handling DEN runs.. gotta do it for another 12 mins…
— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) April 17, 2019
The Nuggets trailed by 19 points with 4:30 to go in third quarter. They will enter the fourth trailing by seven.
— Nick Kosmider (@NickKosmider) April 17, 2019
10:58 – We have a timeout after the ball goes out of bounds, and since we’ve last spoke, the Blazers have gone ahead with a 9-2 run to make the score Portland 22, Oklahoma City 20 with 2:59 left in the first quarter.
11:06 – We’re here at the end of the first quarter with the score Oklahoma City 31, Portland 26.
CJ McCollum leads the Blazers with 11 points, while Steven Adams and Paul George have each scored six to lead the Thunder. Both teams are playing with a lot of energy, each wanting, and needing to head into Game 3 with a win. We could be in for a fast paced, razzle-dazzle game of runs as we continue on long into the night.
11:08 – Sounds like a ruckus is transpiring during the commercial break!
Collins and Morris getting into it, as you would expect.
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) April 17, 2019
Double technicals after the buzzer on Markieff Morris and Zach Collins.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) April 17, 2019
11:10 – We see a replay of Collins and Morris jawing at each other. Seemed relatively minor, but they both earned technicals.
11:11 – Rodney Hood buries a jumper, and the second quarter scoring is underway with the Blazers cutting their deficit down to 31-28.
11:13 – We’ve got a timeout as Thunder coach Billy Donovan seems displeased with what he sees from his squad. They do have the lead, however, with the score Oklahoma City 33, Portland 28 with 10:27 left in an increasingly intense first half.
11:22 – Paul George fights his way to the hoop for a bucket, and we’ll have a timeout with the score Oklahoma City 39, Portland 30 with 7:07 left until halftime. The Thunder are attempting to settle in to a nearly double digit lead with Damian Lillard resting on the bench. Will it be maintained?
The Blazers’ offense had as many turnovers as points (four apiece) in the first 4:53 of the second quarter with Damian Lillard on the bench.
— Kevin Pelton (@kpelton) April 17, 2019
11:26 – We’re back in action with Lillard back on the floor for the Blazers.
11:28 – Apparently the Nuggets rallied back to even their series and perhaps save their season behind some fourth quarter heroics from Jamal Murray, who had missed all of his shots before going nuclear in the fourth. It’s pretty upsetting I couldn’t watch it since it was on NBA TV, and was instead stuck with that boring Raptors blowout. Okay, “pretty upsetting” might have been a bit hyperbolic, let’s call it “mildly annoying”.
11:30 – Meanwhile, back in Portland, Damian Lillard cans a three, plus he’s fouled! It inspires a timeout with the score Oklahoma City 46, Portland 41 with 4:26 left in the first half.
Sheesh, Dame. pic.twitter.com/VvrzByuzC4
— Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) April 17, 2019
11:32 – Back from the timeout, Lillard hits his free throw to convert the four point play, and the Blazers inch closer, trailing 46-42.
11:33 – Ernie Johnson interrupts with a game break to tell us that going into the fourth quarter in Denver, Jamal Murray was 0-8 from the floor, and then he proceeded to shoot 8-9 in the fourth to lead the Nuggets to an improbable come from behind victory. I was right the first time, I am pretty upset that I didn’t get to see that happen live.
11:37 – A minor ruckus occurs down in the corner as Russell Westbrook slips and Damian Lillard tries to swipe the ball from him. The attempts for the ball turn into pushes and shoves between the two, and both teams arrive on the scene to get in between their respective stars. Not much else happens, but it does bring us into another timeout with the score Oklahoma City 52, Portland 45 with 2:43 to go until halftime.
They’re gonna review this for a hostile act and they’re going to see right away it was nothing other than some poor acting/flailing.
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) April 17, 2019
11:40 – As Casey Holdahl predicted, nothing comes from the review, and we return to action with the Thunder inbounding the ball.
11:47 – Damian Lillard drives and kicks the ball out to CJ McCollum for a buzzer beating three to close out the first half! It sends us into the break with the score Portland 54, Oklahoma City 54.
BACKCOURT MAGIC IN ACTION pic.twitter.com/0d7C7ACiRt
— Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) April 17, 2019
Lillard and McCollum (16 points apiece) have been leading the way for the Blazers, while Paul George also has 16 on 7-12 shooting for the Thunder. I guess that shoulder’s not bothering him tonight.
Throughout much of the first half, the Thunder were ahead, but they were never able to build their lead up to anything too substantial, and now here we are at halftime all tied up after an intense first half which featured many the foul called, and lots of players flying around with reckless abandon. Remember that earlier tweet from the start of the game where Casey Holdahl said everyone looked mad? That’s exactly the vibe that’s persisted throughout the game. Hopefully the anger sustains itself throughout the second half as well.
Nice close to the half for Portland. Blazers haven’t gotten anything easy on offense since the first quarter of Game 1.
Game 1 Q1: 12-20, 60%
5 Quarters since: 44-111, 40%— Mike Richman (@mikegrich) April 17, 2019
12:02 am – Important question heading into the second half: do I have enough gas left in the tank to not fall asleep during this game after last night’s excitement?
12:05 – Steven Adams kicks off the second half scoring with a little shot in the paint, putting the Thunder ahead, 56-54.
12:06 – Russell Westborok saves a ball going out of bounds…straight to Portland’s Al-Farouq Aminu. The ball then finds its way to Enes Kanter for a layup, and we’re tied up at 56.
12:07 – CJ McCollum hits a long two pointer, and the Blazers pull ahead, 58-56. Meanwhile, we’ve got a Gary Payton sighting in the stands!
The Glove’s in the house in Portland! #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/JkB54Q5fco
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 17, 2019
12:08 – McCollum hits another jumper, and the Blazers lead balloons to 60-56.
On the other end of the court, Paul George gets to the bucket for a layup to keep this one close with the Thunder down, 60-58.
Al-Farouq Aminu takes the ball away from George and gets it ahead to Damian Lillard for a layup, and Portland’s back up by four at 62-58.
12:09 – Now Maurice Harkless takes the ball from George. He’ll take it himself to the hoop for a basket off the glass, but Terrance Ferguson answers on the other end with a three, and the Thunder trail, 64-61.
Hey Steven. I’m over here.
Redirect to TFerg for 3. @FOXSportsOK pic.twitter.com/glEIaBcZlm— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 17, 2019
12:10 – CJ McCollum goes along the baseline for a floater, pushing the Blazers lead up to 66-61.
Steven Adams answers by getting good position under the hoop and a basket to keep this a one possession affair with OKC behind, 66-63.
12:11 – Damian Lillard hauls off and launches a ridiculously deep three, and it’s good! It’ll take us into a timeout with the score Portland 69, Oklahoma City 63 with 6:48 left in an exciting third quarter. Only Steph Curry is better at pulling up and canning those long threes.
.@dame_lillard is that dude. pic.twitter.com/DJDqetOwza
— Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) April 17, 2019
12:20 – Russell Westbrook works his way to the hoop for a layup, and we’ll have a timeout with the score Portland 75, Oklahoma City 69 with 3:50 left in the third quarter.
Scoop. Score. @russwest44 pic.twitter.com/s5hXLvFZVO
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 17, 2019
12:32 – The third quarter ends the same way the second quarter did, with a buzzer beating three, this time from Damian Lillard, and it punctuates a quarter in which the Blazers outscored the Thunder, 37-21 to make the score Portland 91, Oklahoma City 75.
Lillard has 27 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, and CJ McCollum’s right with him with 25 points and 6 rebounds. Paul George has 20 points and 6 rebounds, but Russell Westbrook is having one of those games. He’s 4-17 from the floor with just 11 points.
Throughout that third quarter run, the Blazers ramped up the defense, coming up with several steals and on top of that, they hit six three pointers to pull away. Now, they’re 12 minutes away from being on their way to OKC with a 2-0 series lead.
The Letter O Show. pic.twitter.com/e3F17fyApz
— Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) April 17, 2019
Damian Lillard looking like the best player on that side of the West bracket. Portland…with a realistic path to the conference finals.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 17, 2019
Thunder didn’t do anything particularly well in the third.
Blazers light it up for 37 points on 14-of-23 FGs, 6-of-9 from 3.
Thunder wasted too many possessions. As many turnovers (8) as field goals made in the third quarter.
Blazers lead 91-75 after three quarters.
— Erik Horne (@ErikHorneOK) April 17, 2019
12:37 – CJ McCollum heads to the hoop for a layup and the first points of the fourth quarter, pushing the Blazers lead up to 93-75. The Blazers are in the midst of a 14-2 run as they continue to put more distance between themselves and the Thunder.
12:39 – We’ve got a review after Evan Turner fouls Markieff Morris hard enough to send Morris to the floor. It’s eventually deemed a common-ass foul. Does every little hard foul have to be reviewed?
12:45 – Paul George fouls Meyers Leonard battling for a rebound, and it’ll bring us into a timeout with the score Portland 95, Oklahoma City 81 with 7:55 to go.
I am a:
⚪️Man
⚪️Woman
🔘Thunder fanSeeking a:
⚪️Man
⚪️Woman
🔘made basket from literally anywhere— Autumn Mathews (@autumnmathews) April 17, 2019
Game 1 the Thunder shot 5-33 from 3 and it was abysmal and we all thought no way they’d be THAT bad again.
They’re 4-24 right now.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) April 17, 2019
12:55 – Damian Lillard and Steven Adams are in the midst of a less than friendly chat, after the big New Zealander got Lillard with a big screen. The chat doesn’t get unfriendly enough for technical fouls to be called, but it’s been an extended discussion.
Lillard and Adams are talking now. Unusual to see Adams that engaged with another player. I think Adams is telling him it was a completely clean screen (which it appeared to be).
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) April 17, 2019
Adams may be telling Lillard to blame his guy for not calling out the screen. Which would be correct.
— Raphielle Johnson (@raphiellej) April 17, 2019
12:58 – Two CJ McCollum free throws send us into a timeout with the score Portland 112, Oklahoma City 91 with 3:31 to go.
1:02 – Another timeout after a Dame Lillard layup attempt is blocked out of bounds. The score’s the same with 2:49 left on the clock.
1:08 – The game is over with a final score of Portland 114, Oklahoma City 94. CJ McCollum ends the night with 33 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, and Damian Lillard went for 29 points and 6 assists. Maurice Harkless contributed 14 points and 9 rebounds.
Paul George led the Thunder with 27 points and 8 rebounds, and Russell Westbrook added 14 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists, but he shot just 5-20. As a team, OKC was a yucky 5-28 from downtown.
That was quite the second half for the Blazers. Not only did they catch fire from beyond the arc, shooting 40.6% on threes for the game, they turned up the defense as they ran away with the game to become the first team in the playoffs to get their second win. They came into these playoffs having been swept out of the first round the previous two seasons, and having just lost their starting center to a broken leg. Now, they head to Oklahoma City in command of the series.
OKC is now 10-for-61 from 3 so far in this series (16.4 percent). Wow.
— Marcus Thompson (@ThompsonScribe) April 17, 2019
Things continue to get interesting here in the playoffs. The Raptors and Nuggets, two home teams facing the unenviable prospect of going down 0-2 each got big wins tonight. While the Raptors grabbed control of their game right off the back, the Nuggets needed a memorable comeback to even their series. Regardless of how they pulled it off, things are looking better for fans of those teams.
As for the Thunder, things are looking dire. They can’t hit a shot and while they’re due to perform better in front of their home crowd, they find themselves in an 0-2 hole, against a team that is eager to put recent playoff failures behind them, while OKC is in serious danger of adding to their own current streak first round exits.