Thunder crush Grizzlies in their NBA Playoffs opening game
The West No. 1 seed team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, opened their NBA Playoffs campaign with a bang, whipping the No. 8 seed Memphis Grizzlies, 131–80, on Easter Sunday, April 20 (Philippine time).
Aaron Wiggins led all scorers with 21 points off the bench. He also grabbed four rebounds and issued two assists.
Besides Wiggins, all of the OKC starters also put up double-digit scoring, led by Jalen Williams, who tallied 20 points, five rebounds, six assists, three steals, and a block. He was followed by Chet Holmgren, who had a double-double of 19 markers and 10 boards, along with one deflection and two rejections.
Thunder star and MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 15 points, three rebounds, five assists, and two blocks, while Isaiah Hartenstein put up 14 markers, eight boards, five dimes, and one steal. Luguentz Dort finished with a 12-3-2-3-1 line to complete the double-digit scoring cast.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies—who had just survived the Play-In Tournament, losing to the Golden State Warriors in their first outing and then defeating the Dallas Mavericks to enter the Playoffs—were led by star Ja Morant and off-the-bench player Marvin Bagley III, who had 17 apiece.
In the other matchups, the Eastern No. 2 seed team Boston Celtics also dominated the No. 7 seed Orlando Magic, 103–68, while the East No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers overpowered the No. 8 seed Miami Heat, 121–100.
The West No. 7 seed Golden State Warriors, on the other hand, earned a win away from home after defeating the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets, 95–85.
The other Game 1 results of the Playoffs played on April 19 were:
- (4) Indiana Pacers defeated the (5) Milwaukee Bucks, 117–98, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
- (4) Denver Nuggets edged the (5) Los Angeles Clippers, 112–110, at Ball Arena
- (3) New York Knicks got the better of the (6) Detroit Pistons, at Madison Square Garden
- (6) Minnesota Timberwolves surprised the (3) Los Angeles Lakers, at Crypto.com Arena
Tomorrow, April 22, the Knicks and the Nuggets will try to take a 2–0 advantage in their series, while the Pistons and the Clippers will look to bounce back and tie theirs.
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The Golden State Warriors secured the 7th seed in the Western Conference Playoffs after a hard-fought 121-116 win against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Wednesday, April 16 (Philippine time).
Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry combined for 75 points to lead the Warriors to victory.
Butler had a game-high 38 points along with seven rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Curry followed with 37 markers, knocking down 6-of-13 from beyond the arc—including two crucial treys in the closing minutes, one near the corner and another after a triple pump fake that thrilled the home crowd. He added eight rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
Gary Payton II and Quentin Post added 12 and 11 points, respectively. Draymond Green dished out a game-high 10 assists while also contributing four points, six rebounds, three steals, and a block before fouling out with 58.6 seconds left in the game.
The Orlando Magic opened the 2024–25 NBA Play-In Tournament with a bang, dismantling the Atlanta Hawks, 120–95, on Wednesday morning, April 16, (Philippine time) at the Kia Center in Orlando.
From the get-go, the Magic set the tone, dominating the first quarter, 32–17. They dropped the second by just a point but still carried a 61–47 lead into halftime.
The Hawks responded in the third canto with a 26–18 run to trim the deficit to just six, 79–73.
Come the fourth and final period, the Magic turned up the heat again, outscoring Atlanta 41–22 to secure the 25-point victory.
Cole Anthony led the charge off the bench with 26 points on 4-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. He also added three rebounds and five assists.
Wendell Carter Jr. anchored the starting unit with 19 markers, seven boards, and two dimes, while Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner filled up the stat sheets despite their struggles from long range, going a combined 0-of-8 from downtown.
Banchero posted a near triple-double with 17 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and one block. Wagner followed with a gritty double-double of 13 markers and 13 boards, along with three dimes, two swipes, and one rejection.
On April 20 (Philippine time), the NBA postseason officially tips off, with 16 teams vying for the coveted 2024–25 NBA Championship.
But before the Playoffs begin, four remaining spots are still up for grabs through the Play-In Tournament.
In the Western Conference, the No. 9 seed Sacramento Kings will take on the No. 10 seed Dallas Mavericks, while the No. 7 seed Golden State Warriors will battle the No. 8 seed Memphis Grizzlies.
The winner of the 9-vs-10 matchup will then face the loser of the 7-vs-8 game for the right to claim the No. 8 seed in the Playoffs, earning a showdown with the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder.
Meanwhile, the loser of the 9-vs-10 game will be eliminated from contention, while the winner of the 7-vs-8 clash will secure the No. 7 seed and go on to face the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets.
Other first-round matchups in the Western Conference include:
(4) Denver Nuggets vs. (5) LA Clippers
(3) LA Lakers vs. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves
In the Eastern Conference, the Play-In pairings are:
(9) Chicago Bulls vs. (10) Miami Heat
(7) Orlando Magic vs. (8) Atlanta Hawks
The same Play-In format applies: the 9-10 winner plays the 7-8 loser for the final playoff spot. The winner of the 7-8 game becomes the No. 7 seed and will face the No. 2 seed and defending champions, Boston Celtics. The team that claims the No. 8 seed will go up against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.