BBNBA: SGA, Thunder cruise to 2-0 lead; Julius Randle drops playoff career-high
After what Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the (1) Oklahoma City Thunder have done in the last two games, the (8) Memphis Grizzlies probably aren’t too excited about what the future holds.
SGA and the Thunder absolutely smacked the Grizzlies in Game 1 over the weekend, cruising to a 51-point win at home, the eighth-largest playoff margin in NBA history. Game 2 on Tuesday night wasn’t nearly as brutal for Memphis, but it certainly wasn’t an inspiring performance. Led by 27 points, eight rebounds, and five assists by Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC beat the Grizz 118-99 to take a commanding 2-0 series lead as the venue shifts to Memphis for Games 3 and 4.
SGA, the likely pick for league MVP, didn’t have the best shooting night, going just 10-29 from the field. This comes after he posted a season-low 15 points in Game 1’s blowout win. But when the Thunder are winning both games by a combined 70 points (the second-most ever through two games in NBA Playoff history), the former Wildcat can afford to take a back seat. Everyone else is eating right now against a team that won 48 regular-season games.
“We never underestimate our opponent, no matter what,” Gilgeous-Alexander said postgame. “Obviously they’re a very good team. They wouldn’t be here if they weren’t. And we just wanted to make an emphasis to come out and win that first quarter, set the tone for the night.”
Gilgeous-Alexander’s teammate, second-year guard Cason Wallace, finished with five points (2-4 FG), three assists, two rebounds, one steal, and one block in his 24 minutes for OKC. Game 3 in Memphis is scheduled for Thursday at 9:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
Julius Randle shines, but Minnesota struggles
The (6) Minnesota Timberwolves struggled to score all night long in Tuesday’s 94-85 Game 2 defeat to the (3) Los Angeles Lakers, but it wasn’t to the fault of Julius Randle. The former Kentucky big man led the Wolves with a playoff career-high 27 points on 9-17 shooting to go along with his six rebounds and five assists in 39 minutes. However, he was the lone bright spot. Minnesota shot just 38 percent from the field and went 5-25 from deep. Other than 25 points on 10-22 shooting from Anthony Edwards, no other Timberwolf scored more than nine points.
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The Lakers jumped out to a big first-quarter lead and leaned on that advantage for the remaining three periods. Minnesota was able to trim the deficit down to nine points on a handful of occasions in the fourth quarter, but LA always came up with timely stops/buckets. 84 points was easily a season-low for the Wolves.
Jarred Vanderbilt saw seven minutes of action for the Lakers, managing just one rebound and one steal while missing his only shot attempt. Luka Doncic went for 31 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists while LeBron James added 21 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists. This series is now tied 1-1 as we go to Minneapolis for the next two games. Game 3 will take place on Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
More NBA Playoff Notes
The (4) Indiana Pacers had the (5) Milwaukee Bucks’ number in a 123-115 Game 2 win at home. Giannis Antetokounmpo (34 points, 18 rebounds, 7 assists) is doing all he can for the Bucks, but he’s receiving very little help from his supporting cast. Bobby Portis came through with 28 points, but a combined 26 points on 9-23 shooting from Damian Lillard and Kyle Kuzma simply isn’t going to cut it.
Tyrese Haliburton (21 points, 12 assists) and Pascal Siakam (24 points, 11 rebounds) helped Indiana lead wire to wire as the Pacers take a 2-0 series lead. Chris Livingston was a DNP-Coach’s Decision for the Bucks. Game 3 in Milwaukee is set for Friday at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
Tonight in the NBA Playoffs
| TIME/TV | MATCHUP | SERIES |
| 7:00 PM ET (TNT) | (7) Magic @ (2) Celtics | BOS leads 1-0 |
| 7:30 PM ET (NBA TV) | (8) Heat (Adebayo, Herro) @ (1) Cavaliers | CLE leads 1-0 |
| 9:30 PM ET (TNT) | (7) Warriors (Knox) @ (2) Rockets (Sheppard) | GSW leads 1-0 |
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