Dallas Mavericks (4) vs. Utah Jazz (5) — Jazz Win 99-93
Mavericks Cannot Survive Without Luka Doncic: The Mavericks deployed a starting backcourt of Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie in Game 1 as Luka Doncic continues to recover from a left calf strain. It didn’t work out well, which was probably expected.
It’s difficult to expect a backcourt that doesn’t pose a threat as pull-up 3-point shooters and relies on short-range to get the job done at a high enough level against a defense anchored by Rudy Gobert. The Jazz were able to stay home on shooters often within the half-court — further adding pressure on Dinwiddie and Brunson to rise to the occasion.
From a play style standpoint, the Mavericks are essentially at an inherent disadvantage against the Jazz without Doncic. Even with the Jazz playing a rough offensive game, it wasn’t enough for Dallas to steal a victory. The degree of excellence required on tough floaters and short-range jumpers is too significant for the Mavs to achieve consistent success.
Memphis Grizzlies (2) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (7) — Timberwolves Win 130-117
Timberwolves’ Offensive Firepower Shouldn’t Be Slept On: Finishing with 130 points in their playoff opener, the Minnesota Timberwolves showcased why they are a real threat to upset the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs.
Anthony Edwards finished with 36 points and six assists in his first-ever playoff game — leading all scorers in the game. With his co-star, Karl-Anthony Towns, chipping in an efficient 29 points, Minnesota showed they have a duo that can set the tone.
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What proved to be a difference-maker was the Timberwolves shooting 16-41 (39.0%) on 3s while the Grizzlies were limited to just 7-27 (25.9%). Minnesota held a 116.2 offensive rating (4th) since the start of 2022 with the ability to get hot from deep being a key reason.
Philadelphia 76ers (4) vs. Toronto Raptors (5) — 76ers Win 131-111
Raptors Are Severely Overmatched Offensively: Much was made before this series about how the Toronto Raptors have the tools to make things hard on James Harden — resulting in a real chance for the Philadelphia 76ers to be sent home early. There is too much talent on the Sixers for Harden’s scoring production to hold that much weight.
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There is a clear emphasis from the Raptors to load up on Joel Embiid and players like Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris will be able to capitalize. A good indicator of how much a team trusts their individual defenders against top players is how routinely efficient spot-up shooters get clean looks.
The speed and big shot-making of Tyrese Maxey is the ultimate X-factor for the 76ers because there’s nothing the Raptors can do to strategize to take it away. With the Raptors being such an inefficient offensive team, they do not have the half-court firepower to keep up.
