Di second round of NBA playoffs don start with two different stories for East and West. For East, New York Knicks use di fact say Philadelphia 76ers don tire from seven-game war with Celtics. Jalen Brunton score 35 points to lead Knicks to 137-98 win. Di game don end by halftime as Knicks lead by 23 points. Dis na di second-biggest playoff loss for 76ers franchise history, just one point away from 1982 record.
For West, di Minnesota Timberwolves steal Game 1 from San Antonio Spurs with 104-102 win. Julian Champagnie miss potential game-winning three-pointer at di buzzer. Victor Wembanyama make history with first-ever playoff triple-double wey include blocks: 11 points, 15 rebounds, and NBA playoff record 12 blocks. But im shooting struggles cost di game. Anthony Edwards come off di bench to score 11 of im 18 points for di last quarter.
Tonight, di world go focus on di top seeds. Detroit Pistons go host Cleveland Cavaliers, while Oklahoma City Thunder go welcome Los Angeles Lakers. Vegas oddsmakers dey treat dis matchup as foregone conclusion. Di spread be historical anomaly. For more than 1,900 games wey LeBron James don play for im 23-year career, e never face underdog spread dis large. Not even wen e dey down 3-1 against di 73-win Warriors or battle di Big Three Celtics.
Di reasoning dey twofold. While numbers point to blowout, na why dem dey play di games. Lakers dey come from physically demanding, slow-paced defensive series wey dem show say dem fit grind games to halt. Thunder don rest since last Monday. History show say high seeds fit come out flat after long layoff. Lakers fans fit look to last season for hope. OKC sweep dem first-round opponent, sit for over week, and then drop Game 1 at home to Nuggets as double-digit favorites. While dese Lakers no get healthy Nikola Jokic, dem get LeBron James wey still fit manage game tempo to perfection.
Di objective for Los Angeles na simple: win di battle of physicality and drag di series out. Di team dey desperate to buy time for Luka Doncic, wey last postseason encounter with Thunder end with am eliminating dem for six games while with Dallas. If Lakers fit steal one on di road and get di NBA scoring leader back for Game 3 or 4, dis impossible mission go become legitimate series.
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