Did Somebody Say Bubble?

04/20/2023 Did Somebody Say Bubble?

By: Matthew Cahill

Grizzlies (Lakers) and Bucks (Heat) Pick up Huge Wins with Ja and Giannis Out; Jamal Murray Shines in Nuggets Victory over Timberwolves. 

Another great night of playoff basketball. Both Ja Morant and Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered injuries on Sunday that kept them out of action last night. Fortunately, their teammates stepped up in a huge way to pick up victories without the franchise cornerstones. Jamal Murray also reminded us of his playoff brilliance with a performance straight out of 2020.

 

#2 Grizzlies def. #7 Lakers (103-93)

The Xavier Tillman game! On a night where both teams shot in the low 40s from the field, Tillman had a monster game, putting up 22 points on just 13 shots to provide a huge spark for Memphis. On top of that, he soundly outplayed Anthony Davis, who scored just 13 points on 4-14 from the field. Los Angeles was down double digits most of the night before making a late surge in the final minutes, but a dagger three from Dillon Brooks shut the door on any potential comeback. Series Tied (1-1)

 

#1 Bucks def. #8 Heat (138-122)

Brook Lopez is just about as good insurance as you can get. Nowadays he is known for being a supreme rim protector and not much of a scorer, but he turned in a vintage performance (25 points) to lead the Bucks past Miami to even the series. If you remember Milwaukee’s championship run in 2021, Lopez stepped up in a big way when Giannis went down with a hyperextended knee during the Conference Finals. If the Greek Freak is going to miss extended time, look for Brook to remain aggressive on offense to fill the void. Series tied (1-1)

 

#1 Nuggets def. #8 Timberwolves (122-113)

This game was quite a roller coaster. Denver blitzed Minnesota early, jumping out to an early 20-point lead. However, Anthony Edwards (41 points) and the rest of Minnesota got scorching hot in the third, coming all the way back to briefly take the lead heading into the fourth. However, Jamal Murray (40 points) took over the down the stretch to give his Nuggets a commanding 2-0 series lead. This is the Nuggets guard’s first playoff run since 2020 where he infamously played like a superstar and helped lead Denver alongside Jokic to a surprise Conference Finals run. Most people chalked up his bubble run as a fluke, but it’ll be hard to deny the greatness of Playoff-Murray if he keeps pumping out 40-point performances like this. Den Leads Series (2-0)

 

Tonight’s Schedule

Gm 3: #3 76ers at #6 Nets (7:30 pm ET)

Gm 3: #3 Kings at #6 Warriors (10:00 pm ET)

Gm 3: #4 Suns at #5 Clippers (10:30 pm ET)

 

Photo: AAron Ontiveroz / Getty Images