Toronto 104 Brooklyn 99
Two-Point Pct: Brooklyn 43%, Toronto 56%
Three-Pointers: Brooklyn 14/41, Toronto 9/35
Free Throws: Brooklyn 19/27, Toronto 19/28
Rebounds: Brooklyn 46, Toronto 44
Turnovers: Brooklyn 17, Toronto 8
Pace: 100.5 possessions
Spread Decision: Brooklyn +11.5, Under
Toronto takes a 2-0 series lead in a much more competitive game than the 134-110 series opener two days ago. That was largely due to the Raptors’ regressions in multiple offensive categories.
As spoke about this morning on The Edge, if you were going to lay 11.5 with the Raptors you had to ask yourself if the 3P shooting was going to continue at a high clip, and sure enough it fell off and they failed to cover. Their shooting dipped from 50.0% in Game 1 (22/44) to 25.7% (9/35) in Game 2. Toronto’s offense is going to be worth tracking for this postseason run. Remember, the Raptors finished 18th in the bubble in offensive rating (106.9) despite posting the 6th best shooting percentage (39.1%). If their shooting was going to dip, would they be able to still cover a number like this? The answer for Game 2 is no. he Nets need Toronto to shoot poorly from long range for games to be close. Raptors will win big at 33% or better on treys.
Toronto’s free throws fell off as well, from a 32-11 edge in makes to a 19-19 dead heat.
Brooklyn will likely take the worst of it in the turnover department through the series. Pace has been consistent (101.5 and 100.5) despite the big changes in scoring totals (244 and 203). Twelve fewer made treys in Game Two (35 combined in the opener, just 23 Wednesday). That’s 36 of the 41 points that disappeared.
By the way, to those who laid 7.5 with Toronto in the second half, I’d like your luck. This sequence gave second half bettors the cover.
Utah 124, Denver 105
Two-Point Pct: Utah 58%, Denver 44%
Three-Pointers: Utah 20/44, Denver 13/27
Free Throws: Utah 14/17, Denver 18/23
Rebounds: Utah 36, Denver 41
Turnovers: Utah 6, Denver 10
Pace: 87.6 (extremely slow)
Spread Decision: Utah +3.5, Over
This is the second straight meeting where a slow pace was hidden on the scoreboard by excellent long range shooting. Possession estimate fell from 94.9 in the opener to a glacial 87.6 here. Both teams were insanely efficiency overall. Utah posted a ridiculous 140.9 offensive rating, Denver was on pace to score 119.3 points in 100 possessions.
It was Utah cranking up its shooting percentage in Game 2. The Jazz hit 45.4% of their from deep today (20/44) after shooting 34.0% on Monday. This is a red flag considering how bad Denver’s perimeter defense has been in Orlando. Is this a sign of things to come for Utah in the remainder of this series? By the way, remember how after Denver nailed 53.7% of their attempts from beyond the arc in Game 1 we noted here that there should be some regression for the Nuggets? Well, the volume cutdown as I expected, they only shot 27 triples, but at 48.1% the efficiency did not drop off.
The Jazz only turned the ball over six times. Denver must intensify its defensive effort from this point forward. The pre-series favorite has yet to win a game in regulation in three games against Utah in the bubble.
Boston 128, Philadelphia 101
Two-Point Pct: Philadelphia 48%, Boston 58%
Three-Pointers: Philadelphia 5/21, Boston 19/43
Free Throws: Philadelphia 30/37, Boston 21/29
Rebounds: Philadelphia 39, Boston 43
Turnovers: Philadelphia 9, Boston 6
Pace: 94.4
Pointspread: Boston by 4.5, total of 215
In two games, Boston has scored 109 points on 90.4 possessions, and 128 points on 94.4 possessions. The Celtics continue to get great looks all over the floor with minimal risk of turning the ball over (7 and 6 thus far). Boston is well-positioned in the Eastern brackets given dominance in this series at a slow pace in a way that won’t overburden starter minutes. Though a flat performance is always possible, the Celtics clearly control their own destiny in this series. Philadelphia’s defense doesn’t seem interested in changing that narrative.
Hardwood Handicappers 