Thunder, Raptors Cruise To 2-1 Leads In NBA Playoffs

For the NBA Playoffs, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Toronto Raptors enjoyed a relatively stress-free night on Thursday, April 21.

Oklahoma City And Toronto Breeze To 2-1 Leads In NBA Quarterfinals

The Thunder easily dispatched the Dallas Mavericks 131-102 in Game 3 of their matchup in the Western Conference Best-of-Seven series.  Oklahoma  City bounced back from a subpar performance on Monday, when they dropped Game 2, 85-84 after Steven Adams‘ game winning tip-in was a fraction of a second too late.

OKC was lead by Kevin Durant, who scored a game-high 34 points on 11-25 shooting, he also recorded seven rebounds and three assists. He was able to shake off his horrible performance in the previous game where he shot just 7-33, tying Michael Jordan’s record of 26 missed field goals in a playoff game.

Russell Westbrook also provided a stellar performance.  The dynamic point guard scored 26 points with a strong 9-16 from the field.  Westbrook also contributed 15 assists but failed to record a rebound.  It was the first game this season (both regular and postseason) where Westbrook failed to secure a rebound, he averaged 7.8 rebounds per game.

“I don’t know the last time I did that,” Westbrook said with a smile. “But maybe next time, I’ll get one.”

The Thunder also got strong performances from Serge Ibaka (16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks), Enes Kanter (21 points, 8 rebounds), and Dion Waiters (19 points).  OKC will likely need those types of contributions from those players if they want to contend with the San Antonio Spurs or Golden State Warriors.

The only positive take aways for Dallas were Wesley Matthews‘ 22 points and Dirk Nowitzki passing Wilt Chamberlain for 16th all-time in playoff scoring.

Nowitzki finished with 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists for Dallas. Raymond Felton and J.J. Barea 18 and 15 points respectively, but it was all for naught, as the Mavericks were supremely outmatched by the Thunder’s athleticism.

“The way we won Game 2 was it was a slower-paced game for us, kind of grind it out,” Nowitzki said Monday’s victory. “It’s going to be tough for us to win a game if they score 131 points. I don’t think we can score 131 right now with the team we roll out there, the injuries.”

Game 4 of this Western Conference Quarterfinals matchup will be tomorrow, April 23 at 8 p.m. EST and broadcasted on ESPN.

Over in the Eastern Conference, the Raptors routed the Indiana Pacers 101-85 to take a 2-1 lead in their Quarterfinals matchup after dropping Game 1, 100-90.

DeMar DeRozan was able to get out of his scoring rut by adding 21 points to tie for the team high with Kyle Lowry.  Despite his scoring total, DeRozan only shot 7-19.  Lowry added eight assists and center Jonas Valanciunas scored nine points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

“We’re playing more to our identity,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “I don’t think in Game 1 we played to our identity and even Game 2. There’s so many things we can do better. I won’t be happy until we (advance).”

It was a poor shooting game for both teams with the Raptors shooting 41.2% and the Pacers only shooting 38.2%.  It only got worse from the three point line, where Toronto shot 31.3% to Indiana’s 27.3%. The only starter from either team to shoot over 50% was Pacers’ center Ian Mahimi, who went 3-5.

Paul George led the Pacers with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, leading the team in each category.  However, he only shot 6-19 (1-8 3pt).  Rookie center Myles Turner came off the bench and played well with 17 points and eight rebounds.

Toronto led 24-17 after the first quarter, but seized the game in the second, leading by as many as 21 and entered halftime up 53-36.

“Too many times we’re playing passive, not being aggressive and not being assertive. That’s playing right into their hands,” George said. “Our best offense is when we’re in attack mode, and I don’t think we’re doing that enough.”

Game 4 will take place Sunday, April 24 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

PHOTO: DALLAS, TX – APRIL 21: Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks dribbles the ball against Serge Ibaka #9 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during game three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2016 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Center on April 21, 2016 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Article by Nick Vigliotti