The 2014 NBA Playoffs raged on with three good games on Thursday night. The Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies kicked off the night by taking unlikely 2-1 leads in their series with the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, respectively. Atlanta controlled the game at home for much of the second half, while the Thunder stormed back from a big deficit to force a second straight overtime thriller in Memphis.
The final game of the night showcased the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State, as the two went to battle in Oakland. The Clippers looked to be in control for the majority of the contest, although they barely fended off a late Warriors charge. Ultimately they would get the win, joining the Hawks and Grizzlies with two playoff wins.
The intensity only rises for Friday’s NBA Playoff action, as the Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets both aim to avoid 0-3 holes, while the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors look to break a 1-1 tie.
To get a better idea of what to expect in tonight’s games, let’s break each matchup down and come away with a pick:
The Raptors and Nets have combined for two fantastic games, but the series switches over to Brooklyn now, where the Nets have become a tough team to face. Amir Johnson was non-existent in game one and borderline dominant in game two, which could mean the Raptors will go as far as he can take them. Improved play from DeMar Derozan will also go a long way in helping the Raptors go on the road to try to go up 2-1 in the series.
The Nets simply need to keep doing what they’re doing, as they’ve been very consistent on both ends of the floor. Their aggressiveness on defense should see a spike with their home crowd backing them, however.
Pick: Nets 93, Raptors 88
Chicago has inexplicably fallen into an 0-2 hole to the Wiz despite playing their first two games. Not having a true go-to scorer and enduring dry spells on offense has crippled the Bulls, while their usually sound defense has failed them through the first two games.
Washington is simply the more athletic and more talented team at this point, while their size down low with Marcin Gortat and Nene Hilario has clearly affected the Bulls. Unless Chicago’s defense can return to form in game three, the writing could very well be on the wall that a sweep is coming.
Pick: Wizards 97, Bulls 94
Easily one of the most entertaining series of the playoffs so far, the Rockets and Blazers have put up one insane overtime game and a second that largely went down to the wire. LaMarcus Aldridge followed up his insane 46-point effort in game one with another 43 points in game two, as the Rockets have zero answer for him on defense.
On the flip-side James Harden has been absolutely atrocious on offense and the Rockets have somehow dropped the first two games of the series on their own floor. It’d be easy to write Houston off at this point, but they’re much too talented to go down 0-3. Look for them to return the favor as they stay alive with a game three win.
Pick: Rockets 107, Blazers 100
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