NBA playoffs round-up: Wins for Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers and LA Lakers
With the NBA playoffs underway each day brings more drama as each game pushes towards lifting the coveted Larry O'Brien trophy.
Sports News Blitz writer Oliver Carter brings all the news together into one place after Games 2 of three separate series featuring the Philadelphia 76ers v Boston Celtics, the Portland Trailblazers v San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets v LA Lakers.
Philadelphia 76ers v Boston Celtics
Game two of the Eastern Conference series between the seventh-seed 76ers and the second-seeded Celtics is a rematch of two franchises with plenty of history playing one another.
Boston took Game 1 in a blowout win, beating the 76ers by 32 points in a 91-123 victory.
Game two was expected to be a similar wash in favour of the hosts but Rookie of the Year candidate V.J Edgecombe had different plans as he had one of the best games of his young career to lead the Sixers past Jaylen Brown and the Celtics.
Philadelphia won 111-97 coming back from a 13-point deficit in the first quarter.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics in scoring with 36 points, the second-highest scoring game of the playoffs so far.
Jason Tatum also managed 19 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, however poor scoring games from the rest of the supporting cast let the side down.
Despite former MVP Joel Embiid missing the series to recover from surgery, the 76ers had five players in double digits including the aforementioned Edgecombe.
29 points from All-Star Tyrese Maxey, 19 points from former superstar Paul George as well as 12 points from Kelly Oubre and 10 from Andre Drummond were added.
A big road win for the 76ers as the two sides now travel to Philly for games three and four, Boston will hope to bounce back to their Game 1 form and make up for the home loss.
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Portland Trailblazers v San Antonio Spurs
Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama was named an NBA MVP finalist this week as well as winning his first Defensive Player of the Year award - an award he is expected to win many more times.
Alongside his incredible week for awards, Wembanyama also managed a Spurs playoff debut record as he recorded 35 points in his first-ever playoff appearance as the Spurs won Game 1.
However, midway through the second quarter, Wembanyama hit his head on the ground and sustained a concussion, an injury that kept him out the rest of the game and could possibly keep him out of future games of the series.
The Spurs held a two-point lead when Wemby went down injured, but the Blazers seized the opportunity as they started to turn a close game in their favour, eventually winning the game 106-103, tying the series at 1-1.
Scoot Henderson, the player taken second overall behind Wemby in 2023 led the game in scoring with 31 points, the only player in the game with over 20.
Robert Williams III also stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists, a steal and two blocks.
The San Antonio supporting cast all struggled to shoot, with Stephen Castle, Devin Vassell and De’Aaron Fox all shooting less than 40% from the field and less than 35% from three-point range.
The Spurs will hope that Wembanyama is cleared to play as soon as possible, Game 3 and 4 back in Portland could go either way with the Defensive Player of the Year watching from the end of the bench.
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Houston Rockets v Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James vs Kevin Durant, two of the greatest basketball players of all time, meet again in the playoffs for the first time since the 2018 NBA Finals.
With the Lakers missing two of their three best players, superstar Luka Doncic and offensive spark plug Austin Reaves both injured, the Rockets were expecting an easy ride to the second round.
However, with Durant missing Game 1 and James seemingly winding the clock back to his prime years, the Lakers won 98-107.
Durant was cleared of his injury and returned to the Rockets roster for Game 2, but even with the Rockets at full strength they still couldn’t stop the 41-year-old James.
Houston led for most of the first quarter, their biggest lead being only four points. The Lakers took the lead late in the first quarter and only gave the lead back for one possession in the third quarter.
James led the game with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, gaining help from former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, who managed 25 points, eight assists and five steals.
Three-time NBA three-point percentage leader Luke Kennard added 23 points of his own as the Lakers cruised to a 2-0 series lead with a 94-101 win at home.
With the series headed down to Houston, the Rockets will look to re-gain some control with their home crowd behind them.
The Lakers are a team to watch out for in the playoffs as both Doncic and Reaves have returned to practice and are both expected to make a return to the hardwood soon.
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