The second night of NBA Playoff action featured some lopsided victories, with the home team again winning out in all four games. At this rate, these first round series will be done in no time.
Here is the recap of Sunday night's games.
Indiana Pacers, 107 - Atlanta Hawks, 90
Pacers lead series, 1-0
Paul George made an early impression in this series, posting what was only the second playoff triple-double all-time in Indiana Pacers franchise history. He put up 23 points, 11 boards and 12 assists, leading his team to a comfortable 107-90 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
The Pacers were in control for most of the game, which allowed them to rest their starters towards the end and prepare for Game 2 of this series. Atlanta had their starting point Jeff Teague lead the team in scoring with 21 points plus seven assists.
Atlanta trailed by only eight points at the half but lost the 3rd quarter by another seven and could not recover. The Hawks will have to rethink their strategy, because this one never seemed to be within their reach.
San Antonio Spurs, 91 - Los Angeles Lakers, 79
Spurs lead series, 1-0
When your Big Three goes for a combined 52 of the team's 91 total points, good things are bound to happen. This was the case for the San Antonio Spurs, who easily dismantled the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, 91-79. The Spurs were led by 18 points from Tim Duncan and received another 17 from both Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
The experience of this San Antonio team proved to be the deciding factor in Game 1. They looked calm and poised from the very start. They held the Lakers to a mere 15 first quarter points, setting the tone for the rest of the game.
Dwight Howard did what he could to keep L.A. in the game, putting up 20 points and 15 rebounds. Pau Gasol also had a strong showing with 16 points and another 16 rebounds. They make for quite a big man duo in the post when they are both clicking, but it was not enough this time to overtake the Spurs.
Miami Heat, 110 - Milwaukee Bucks, 87
Heat lead series, 1-0
Brandon Jennings pre-playoffs prediction allows one more loss on behalf of the Bucks before they have to sweep the Miami Heat out of the playoffs. His team was controlled in the entire game by the Heat on Sunday evening.
The result was a 110-87 trouncing by Miami, where they were led by a near triple-double effort by LeBron James (27 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists). Ray Allen also had 20 points off the bench to make matters worse for the Bucks.
Though Jennings’ prediction will not come to fruition, who can blame him for having hope and showing his city and his team that he thinks they have a chance? And what’s more is that he did his part in this game, pouring in 26 points. He also can’t help the fact that outside of him or Monta Ellis, no one else on the team scored more than six points.
The Bucks role players will have to be more aggressive to make larger contributions in Game 2 and the rest of this series. Unfortunately for the Bucks, that may be only three more games.
Oklahoma City Thunder, 120 - Houston Rockets, 91
Thunder lead series, 1-0
This series should just be called “The Revenge Series” for every reason known to man.
James Harden, who now plays across from Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, would like nothing more than to come back to his old stomping grounds and beat the franchise that refused to pay him what he is worth. Conversely, the Thunder want to show Harden what he is missing out on all because he was driven by the dollar-signs in a max contract.
The Thunder are one step closer to their goal after winning Game 1, 120-91. From the start, it was clear that OKC was in control of this game. Durant led all scorers with 24 points and his running-mate in Westbrook just missed a triple-double with 19 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Their bearded nemesis from Houston scored 20 points on his way to a loss.
