Grayson Allen knocked down five 3-pointers and scored 22 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks.
Bucks bounce back without Middleton, rout Bulls to take 2-1 series lead — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports
Chicago Bulls fans were ready to rock Friday night before Game 3 at the United Center. But they also were ready to boo and got it out of their system in the second half of the Bulls’ embarrassing 111-81 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. A night that began with so much anticipation turned ugly early…
Column: Chicago Bulls fans were ready to rock the United Center — but Grayson Allen plays the villain to perfection — Twin Cities
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Scottie Barnes is OUT for tonight’s Game 3.
• The Toronto Raptors continue their first round playoff series Wednesday night when they host the Philadelphia 76ers at Scotiabank Arena. The Raptors dropped Game 2, 112-97, on Monday in Philadelphia. OG
Anunoby led Toronto with a postseason career-high 26 points (10-14 FG, 4-7 3PT, 2-2 FT) in 38 minutes after matching his then playoff career best with 20 points in Game 1. Through two games, Anunoby is
averaging a team-high 23.0 points and shooting .655 (19-29) from the field.
• Pascal Siakam finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in Game 2 at Philadelphia. With his first basket, Siakam (752) moved into third place on the Raptors’ all-time postseason scoring list – behind only Kyle Lowry (1,435) and DeMar DeRozan (1,117). Siakam has now scored 20+ points in six straight
games played (Apr. 3-18), averaging 28.3 points during this stretch.
• This series marks the third time Toronto and Philadelphia have met in the playoffs. The previous two series
both went seven games. The 76ers edged out Toronto in second round in 2001, while the Raptors prevailed in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2019 en route to the franchise’s first NBA title. Four players
remain from Toronto’s 2019 roster – OG Anunoby, Chris Boucher, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet.
• Chris Boucher recorded postseason career highs of 17 points and eight rebounds, including six offensive
boards, in 30 minutes off the bench in Game 2. Boucher became just the third Raptors reserve to grab five
or more offensive rebounds in a playoff game, joining Bismack Biyombo (Apr. 29, 2016 at Indiana) and
Jerome Williams (May 9, 2001 at Philadelphia). Boucher topped all reserves in the NBA during the regular
season with 155 offensive rebounds.
• Toronto won three of four regular season games against Philadelphia this season. Pascal Siakam averaged a team-high 30.3 points and shot .507 (35-69) from the field in three games vs. the Sixers this year.
He recorded his third career triple-double Apr. 7 with 37 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists. In four regular
season games, Toronto outrebounded Philadelphia 187-158 (+29), including 57-28 on the offensive end
(+29). Reserve Chris Boucher led the attack on the glass averaging 10.5 rebounds.
• Pascal Siakam averaged 22.8 points, and career bests of 8.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists, in 68 games this
season. Siakam was one of just five players in the NBA to average at least 22.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and
5.0 assists, along with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Nikola Jokic.
• Toronto ranked second in the NBA in offensive rebounds (13.4) and second chance points (16.5) this season. The Raptors had five different players collected more than 100 offensive rebounds: Scottie Barnes
(195), Chris Boucher (179), Precious Achiuwa (146), Pascal Siakam (128) & Khem Birch (122).
• Fred VanVleet earned his first All-Star selection, becoming the first undrafted All-Star since Ben Wallace
in 2006. VanVleet averaged career highs of 20.3 points, 6.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds in 65 games. He is
averaging 19.0 points, 6.5 assists and 2.0 steals through two games against the Sixers.
PROBABLE STARTERS
F – OG ANUNOBY #3
• Averaged a career-high 17.1 points and shot .363 (115-317) from three-point range in 48 games this season.
• Scored 20+ points in 19 games; something he did 13 times in 43 games last season.
• Missed three-of-four meetings against the Sixers this year.
F – PASCAL SIAKAM #43
• Recorded a career-high 30 double-doubles – the most by a Raptor since Chris Bosh (49) in 2009-10.
• Ranked 15th in the NBA in scoring; Toronto was 12-2 when he scored 30+ points.
• Became first player in franchise history to averaged 22+ points, 8+ rebounds and 5+ assists for an entire season.
C – SCOTTIE BARNES #4
• Was the only rookie to rank in the top-five in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and minutes.
• Scored 20+ points in 17 games this season – the most by a Raptors rookie since Vince Carter (23) in 1998-99.
• Led the Raptors with a franchise rookie record 195 offensive rebounds (15th in the NBA).
G – GARY TRENT JR. #33
• Ranked third in the NBA in steals per game, fifth in total deflections (237) and 17th in three-pointers made (209).
• Matched his career high with five steals six times (last: Feb. 28 at Brooklyn).
• Scored 30+ points in five straight games (Jan. 25 – Feb. 1), tying the franchise record set by DeMar DeRozan.
G – FRED VANVLEET #23
• Was the first undrafted player to be named an All-Star since Ben Wallace in 2006.
• Ranked sixth in the NBA in steals per game, second in total deflections (254) and third in threes (240).
• Set the single-season franchise record for made three-pointers
Doncic could make a massive difference in this series.
Report: Optimism Luka Doncic will return for Mavericks-Jazz Game 3 or Game 4 — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports
The Chicago Bulls defense stood out in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks, holding the reigning NBA champions 22.5 points below their regular-season average despite the 93-86 loss. Coach Billy Donovan believes this level of physical buy-in is“ just the price of admission” for guarding the Bucks. “You don’ t do that, you have no…
Chicago Bulls stepped up defensively in Game 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks. Here’s what worked. — The Denver Post
First-round NBA playoff games have a few different potential television destinations. Most first-round games are aired on each team’s respective regional sports network — hence why you can catch every Timberwolves-Grizzlies game on Bally Sports North this series, if you have it. Then there’s the national broadcasts. The games deemed to be the most attractive […]
Armed with their young, bright stars and fun style of play, Memphis and Minnesota don’t belong on NBA TV — Twin Cities
The Timberwolves made 16 three-point shots in Saturday’s NBA playoff victory in Memphis, while the Grizzlies hit just seven. That’s 27 additional points in Minnesota’s column before considering anything else that takes place on the floor. The math problem that befuddled the Timberwolves’ organization for the better part of a decade is working distinctly in…
Timberwolves have massive 3-point shooting advantage over Grizzlies — Twin Cities
MEMPHIS — The Timberwolves got off to a lightning-quick start in their NBA playoff opener Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies, opening up a 9-2 lead on the strength of an Anthony Edwards surge just moments into the game, causing the Grizzlies to call timeout. Immediately after that whistle, veteran Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley looked at […]
Patrick Beverley seems to be shifting gears for playoffs, turning into Timberwolves’ calming force — Twin Cities
BOSTON — Offensive rebounds, turnovers, poor transition defense, and touches for Seth Curry, all underscored by a particularly poor shooting night for Kevin Durant. The film from the Nets’ one-point, buzzer-beating defeat in Game 1 shows a team that fought hard for about 44 minutes. But a three-minute stretch at the top of the third…
After Game 1 loss, four ways Nets can adjust to Celtics’ punishing defense and rebounding — Boston Herald
SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors needed just four minutes to win. All it took was a lineup they’d never used. Of course, that lineup featured Golden State’s Big 3 — Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. 767 more words
In Curry, Thompson and Green’s return to the playoffs, a new ‘death lineup’ is created — East Bay Times
Lucky number eleven? The Knicks draft lottery position moved up a spot and is set at No. 11 after the Clippers lost Friday night to the Pelicans in the final play-in game. It means the Knicks have a two percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick and a decent 9.4% chance of cracking the…
Knicks have 2% chance of No. 1 pick after landing lottery position No. 11 — Boston Herald
The view from left field 