BBNBA: Jamal Murray shoots past Karl-Anthony Towns in Game 1 win

Playoff Jamal Murray was in full effect during Game 1 of the Denver Nuggets’ first-round matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Blue Arrow scorched the nets all night on his way to a team-high 24 points in just 33 minutes.

The reason head coach Mike Malone did not need to play him more? The Nuggets dominated the entire game and won by 29. Murray’s +/- was +24 and he nearly had a triple-double, finishing with eight rebounds and eight assists.

Murray’s national coming-out party was in the 2020 Disney bubble playoffs and after missing significant time due to injury since then, he appears to have switched back into that familiar playoff gear.

On the opposite side of that scoreboard, however, was Karl-Anthony Towns. After dragging his team through the Play-In game to secure the 8th seed, Towns struggled with this shot on Sunday, shooting just 1-7 from behind the arc and 5-15 overall. Though he did have a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards, Towns’ Wolves were overmatched the entire game.

The Timberwolves expelled a lot of emotion in the last three outings, so let’s hope that this game was simply a hangover from that and the rest of the games will be more competitive.

Tyler Herro breaks hand in Heat’s upset win

The Heat’s upset win over the Milwaukee Bucks was overshadowed by two high-profile injuries. First, the Bucks’ do-everything MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, left the game with a back issue, drastically damaging their chances for a win. But more impactfully, especially since there is optimism Giannis will return for Game 2, Tyler Herro will miss 4-6 weeks with a broken hand.

Herro has been tremendous for the Heat all season, and conventional wisdom would tell you he needed to catch fire for the Heat to have any chance to beat the (healthy) Bucks.

However, as much of a bummer as it is to see Herro sustain such an ill-timed injury, the man left the court like a king. After breaking his hand and holding it in pain in the corner, he still launched a 3-pointer, then went right back to grimacing in discomfort.

That’s right, he broke his hand and then still shot a 3. If you’re going to go out, go out like a legend.

Tyler Herro shooting a corner 3 pointer with a broken shooting hand might be the craziest thing you see today. pic.twitter.com/VP6vaJ8ZRh

— V̷a̷t̷o̷r̷ (@Vator_H_Town) April 16, 2023

Bam Adebayo stepped up in Herro’s absence and carried the Heat to victory. Adebayo had a near triple-double with 22 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists in this typical well-rounded game.

Despite the win, the Heat have an uphill road to climb if Giannis is able to play even at 90%, but a Game 1 victory on the road is a strong start to the series.

Booker and Suns lose Game 1 to Clippers

Entering Game 1, the Phoenix Suns were 8-0 in games where Kevin Durant played. Now they are 8-1 as they let the LA Clippers steal the first game on their home court. Devin Booker had a strong outing, especially on the defensive side of the ball, but the Clippers out-hustled the Suns throughout and it cost them the win.

Booker had a drive late in the game to give the Suns a chance to win, but Russell Westbrook blocked the ball and threw it off Book’s legs out of bounds to secure the win. Upon replay, Westbrook clearly fouled Booker on the play, but the officials chose to swallow their whistle in crunch time.

Book finished with 26 points, but more impressively, he also had four steals and three blocks. He was originally credited with four steals, which would have made him the only guard in the last 40 years besides Michael Jordan to record 20+ points, 4+ steals, and 4+ blocks, but the statistician subsequently adjusted it down to three in an incredibly apropos move for how the night ended.

Lakers upset Grizzlies behind Davis’s 22 points, seven blocks

Speaking of impressive defensive performances, Anthony Davis looked like he did at Kentucky playing against a mid-major. The Brow rejected seven shots to go along this usual stat line of 22 points and 12 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers upset the Grizzlies in Game 1.

This makes Davis the first player to have 20+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 7+ blocks in the playoffs since Tim Duncan.

Jarred Vanderbilt got the start and had four points to go along with four rebounds. Though Vando’s stat line has looked meager lately, his defensive prowess is what the Lakers love about him, as he has the ability to guard anyone on the court.

The big news out of this game, however, was just another injury to a superstar. Ja Morant fell awkwardly in the fourth quarter and promptly exited the game. His status for Game 2 is in jeopardy after describing his pain level as a 10.

Between him, Giannis, and Herro, NBA executives must be shaking their heads at such an unlucky start to the playoffs when it comes to injuries. For basketball’s sake, let’s hope they all recover quickly.

4/16/2022 Statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	MIN	+/-
Devin Booker (PHX)	110-115 L vs. LAC	26	10-19 (0-3)	1	3	4	3	5	43	-6
Jamal Murray (DEN)	109-80 W vs. MIN	24	9-22 (4-10)	8	8	0	1	1	33	+24
Bam Adebayo (MIA)	130-117 W vs. MIL	22	10-18 (0-0)	9	7	2	0	5	4	+4
Anthony Davis (LAL)	128-112 W vs. MEM	22	10-17 (0-0)	12	3	3	7	3	37	+27
Tyler Herro (MIA)	130-117 W vs. MIL	12	5-9 (2-4)	2	2	0	1	1	19	+13
Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN)	80-109 L vs. DEN	11	5-15 (1-7)	10	2	0	0	4	30	-11
Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL)	128-112 W vs. MEM	4	2-4 (0-1)	4	0	0	0	0	23	-4
Wenyen Gabriel (LAL)	128-112 W vs. MEM	0	0-0 (0-0)	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC)	115-110 W vs. PHX	DNP-CD

Tonight in the NBA

Round 1, Game 2 (76ers lead 1-0)
7:30 (TNT): Nets @ 76ers (Maxey)

Round 1, Game 2 (Kings lead 1-0)
10:00 (TNT): Warriors @ Kings (Fox, Monk, Lyles)