- PAS DE LUKA, PAS DE PARTY
Dallas and Utah had the honor of opening the playoffs 2022, but a man missed the call: Luka Doncic. The Slovenian magician, injured in the calf during the last game of the regular season, sat on the bench to watch his teammates lose from the start to the advantage of the field. The absence of the point guard weighed heavily on the Mavs, who compensated with their defense in the first period. Utah, still just as disturbing in its collective game, narrowly returned to the lead in the locker room thanks to a late three-pointer from Bojan Bogdanovic, excellent on this match (26 pts) and an unparalleled domination on the rebound (53-34 on the match).
But on returning from the locker room, it’s Donovan Mitchell who will take matters into their own hands. Ghostly in the first period (2 1/8 pts shooting), the back will catch fire and will finish with 32 points, playing a big role in the victory to come for his team. Opposite, the attack of the Mavs crumbles little by little, and the address three points is really not there (16/54 in accumulation for the two teams). It’s finally the unexpected Royce O’Neale who will crucify Dallas with a murderous long-range shot less than a minute from the end. In the absence of Luka, the duo Spencer Dinwidie – Jalen Brunson (46 pts 15/39 in total) will not have completely succeeded in carrying the team, and the Mavs must hope for a rapid return of their genius, under penalty of seeing their adventure end quickly.
On the heels of their success over the Clippers at play-in, the Wolves struck a blow by winning Memphis in a warm atmosphere. Unimpressed for their return to the playoffs, the Wolves let go of the entry horses with a first quarter won 41-33! Anthony Edwards et Karl-Anthony Towns pounded from between the opposing defense (25 pts in the first quarter in total), facing the too lonely And Morant (15 pts). With the support of the public, and a good Dillon Brooks, Memphis picks up in the second quarter, but Years Jackson Jr, yet impressive in defense (7 blocks!) is too quickly handicapped by faults, and does not weigh in attack.
The Wolves do not release their grip and choke the Grizzlies, fighting for every ball. The FedEx Forum believes in it, however, when Ja Morant (32 pts in the end) awakens his people with a furious dunk, and it seems that the match could turn after some clumsiness from the Wolves. But Anthony Edwards (36 pts) hits the gas in the third quarter, and Minnesota will end up hearting Memphis thanks to a great success (50% shooting, 39% three-pointers) to win a scoring success, which allows them to recover the advantage. ground. This is the big performance of this first evening, as we did not give much of the skin of Wolves before this meeting. Memphis will have to resume in game 2, under penalty of immense disillusion which would ruin a magnificent season.
- MAXEY AND POOLE WEAR THEIR
Sixers-Raptors is billed as a tight streak, but that wasn’t the case in Game 1. Philly won without a blow at home, thanks to an immense Tyrese Maxey (38 pts 14/21 shooting, 5/8 three points). The young leader notably put 21 points in the third quarter, while the 76ers were already leading 69-51 at the break! An easy victory therefore, despite a duo Jol Embiid – James Harden in halftone (41 pts 11/32 in cumulative shooting). The height of bad luck for the Raptors, Scottie Barnes, quite impactful on this match, injured his foot, and could see his first playoffs already finished. Without having deserved, Toronto bows largely, and will have to offer something else in game 2 to hope to upset its opponent.
In San Francisco, the Nuggets were in the game until late in the second quarter, when the Warriors stuck to them at 18-4 to take the lead and never let go. They even increased their lead and led by 20 points after 36 minutes, ensuring a quiet last quarter. It is Jordan Poole who shone alongside Warriors (30 pts 9-13 shooting, 5/7 three points) in a match marked by the expected return of Stephen Curry, however limited to minutes (21). The Nuggets went through with a Nikola Jokic uninspired (25 pts 0/4 three points, 10 rebounds), and will have to correct their long distance address (31% against 46 for the Warriors) to exist in this series.