Tuesday night in the 2023 NBA Playoffs saw two close finishes with the Knicks able to even the series with Miami, who missed Jimmy Butler, and the Lakers took Game 1 in Golden State in impressive fashion.
Knicks Find Their 3 Ball While Miami Misses Jimmy Butler
For not having Jimmy Butler, the Heat still played well on the road in Game 2. They just did not have that clutch finisher to take them over the top as the Knicks found success at shooting the three.
The Knicks were 16-for-40 from three. Jalen Brunson (30 points) went from 0-for-7 in Game 1 to 6-for-10 in Game 2. He got help from Julius Randle, who returned to action and scored 25 points. RJ Barrett (24 points) also made five 3s, giving the Knicks a great trio of scorers. Josh Hart was one assist shy of a triple-double.
The Heat made 17 3s too, but veteran Kyle Lowry was 0-for-4 and unable to make any big shots in the fourth quarter. Caleb Martin led the Heat with 22 points, but that loss of Butler showed up late when no one was there to take over the game late.
Miami actually led 93-87 with just under 7:00 left, but that was when Brunson stepped up to quickly tie things. Brunson’s sixth 3 put the Knicks ahead for the remainder of the game for the 111-105 win.
Miami played well with only 6 turnovers, but a minus-16 rebound differential is a lot to overcome on the road without your best player.
Anthony Davis Turns in Dominant Game 1 as Lakers Win on the Road
A lot of pre-game attention was on Anthony Davis, because he is crucial to giving the Lakers an edge in this series. In Game 1, he delivered with 30 points, 23 rebounds, and 5 assists – only the fourth player in NBA playoff history to hit those numbers in a game.
Davis paced the Lakers to a 117-112 win in a game that was mostly close until the Lakers seemed to pull away with a 14-point lead with half a quarter left. But the Warriors got back in it with the 3-point shooting by Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Jordan Poole, who all hit six 3s in the game, and soon a 14-0 run tied the game with 1:38 left.
But the Lakers scored the final 5 points as the Warriors missed their final 4 shots. Poole took a very deep 3 to try to tie the game with 9.7 seconds left but missed.
LeBron James had 22 points on 24 shots as his 3-point shooting was off again (1-of-8). Curry was quiet for long stretches but finished with 27 points. Klay Thompson started hot and finished with 25 points on 25 shots.
It was a wild game with the Warriors making 15 more 3s than the Lakers, but the Lakers making 20 more points at the free throw line. Expect a great series as these teams clash in style.
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