NBA playoffs on Apr. 29: 76ers take down Raptors, tying series 1-1

World
Europe

In Game 2 of their series, the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Toronto Raptors 94-89 at the Scotiabank Arena on Monday, tying the general score 1-1 before returning home for the next two games. The Denver Nuggets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 121-113 in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals at the Pepsi Center, leading 1-0 in the series.

Raptors vs. 76ers: Butler, Embiid change the game

Jimmy Butler #23 of the Philadelphia 76ers blocks a shot by Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors in the game at the Scotiabank Arena, April 29, 2019. /VCG Photo

One of the reasons that Philadelphia suffered a painful loss in Toronto in Game 1 was that they could stop neither Kawhi Leonard nor Pascal Siakam from dominating the game. In response, coach Brunt Brown altered the team's matchup in defense: Ben Simmons, the best athlete of the 76ers took on Leonard while Joel Embiid defended Siakam.

Such arrangements had both reasons and risks. Though Philadelphia had to put a forward on 2.16-meter Marc Gasol, the Spanish center was neither known for aggressive isolation attacks nor carried a major role in Toronto's offense. Moreover, Siakam is not a steady 3-pt shooter but he kept getting better after the 2019 NBA All-Star Game. If he cannot make enough open shots, Embiid can remain under the rim comfortably; if Siakam can bury those three-pointers, then the 76ers would have some serious trouble.

Joel Embiid #21 of the 76er s defends Pascal Siakam #43 of the Raptors in the game, April 29, 2019. /VCG Photo

The truth is the 76ers betted on the right side. Siakam only made two of seven shots from the 3-pt line and his total nine for 25 field goals did not match his usual performance either. Nonetheless, even Simmons could not stop Leonard from playing another super-star game by dropping 35 points, seven rebounds and six assists. His three consecutive three-point plays in the last quarter proved that Leonard would be the unsolvable spot for Philadelphia in this series.

Embiid's knee injury apparently was worse than expected. Most of his moves in offense seemed powerless in the game, not to mention that it's already difficult enough for him to contribute under the defense of Gasol. However, he still managed to contribute to Philadelphia via setting screen, occupying the paint and earning free throws.

Jimmy Butler #23 of the 76ers roars to celebrate in the game against the Raptors, April 29, 2019. /VCG Photo

Butler is the biggest hero of the 76ers in their tough victory. He not only put down the team's highest 30 points, 11 rebounds and four three-pointers, but also scored in several key positions in the last six minutes of the game, helping the 76ers maintain their lead until the end of the game.

Toronto lost the home game solely because of their disappointing performance in the first half. They not only struggled in both offense and defense (trailing 3-8 in three-pointers), they were also outmatched in passion for the game (trailing 14-34 in rebounds). Though the Raptors launched counter strikes in the second half, trailing by 13 points (51-38) was simply too much to turn around when the team had only one reliable option (Leonard) in offense.

Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers: More choices bring victory

Nikola Jokic #15 and Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets high five each other in the game they won against the Portland Trail Blazers 121-113 at the Pepsi Center, April 29, 2019. /VCG Photo

For both Denver and Portland, the Western Conference semifinals are a totally different series compared with their opponents in the first round. Denver do not have to face intense defense and slow-paced games while Portland do not need to deal with two top stars in defense.

The Nuggets were better prepared for Game 1. Coach Mike Malone continued to keep Torrey Craig in the starting lineup to defend Damian Lillard. Since there's no way for Denver to stop Lillard and C.J. McCollum from claiming 20 to 30 points, Denver chose to take away their biggest weapon: three-pointers. Though Lillard had the court's highest 39 points, he only made four of 12 shots from the 3-pt line. McCollum got 16 points and buried two of his seven three-pointers. Compared with their over 45 percent of 3-pt rates, it's safe to call it a win in defense for the Nuggets.

Nikola Jokic #15 of the Nuggets shoots in the game against the Trail Blazers, April 29, 2019. /VCG Photo

In offense, the Nuggets had more options thanks to Nikola Jokic. His isolation attack brought him 37 points, nine rebounds and six assists. More importantly, when Jokic stood in the high block, he was such a big distraction for Portland's defense that other Denver players could easily find open shots via off-ball movement and hand-off plays. Jamal Murray, Paul Milsap and Gary Harris scored 23, 19 and 11 points respectively.

Portland's weak inside became a bigger problem in this series. Enes Kanter could only remain under the rim and watch Jokic do whatever he wanted around and beyond the free throw line. The other big men of the team, Zach Collins, Meyers Leonard, could barely make any difference either.

Damian Lillard of the Trail Blazers in the game against the Nuggets, April 29, 2019. /VCG Photo

Wing players were a big concern for the Trail Blazers too. The team's three major rotating forwards, Evan Turner, Maurice Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu in total took seven shots to get four points. Their threat in offense was so small that the Nuggets could ignore them and focus on taking care of Lillard and McCollum with 100 percent attention.