Golden State Warriors (3) vs. Denver Nuggets (6) — Warriors Win 123-107
Warriors Have More Firepower: There were two members of the Golden State Warriors who made five 3s in their Game 1 win over the Denver Nuggets, and Stephen Curry wasn’t one of them. Jordan Poole dropped a game-high 30 points as a starter with Curry coming off the bench in his return from injury.
The Warriors received just 16 points in 22 minutes from their superstar guard in Curry, but still managed to win. It’s safe to say, Poole has arrived as a lethal scoring threat and Golden State now has a lot of options to account for — making them a dark-horse contender.
Nikola Jokic had a strong outing with 25 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and three steals, but he didn’t have enough from his supporting cast. Surprisingly, Will Barton had 24 points, and even still there wasn’t enough help. Without Jamal Murray or Michael Porter Jr., Denver is in trouble.
Miami Heat (1) vs. Atlanta Hawks (8) — Heat Win 115-91
Hawks Are Severely Overmatched: Much is made about the heroics that Trae Young is capable of pulling off when he has a big night. However, there are a lot of convenient excuses made when he doesn’t live up to expectations — even after being contained to a season-low eight points on 1-12 from the floor and 0-7 from 3.
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The Miami Heat often switch everything and sent traps at premier players on the opposing team. Young is not going to get comfortable opportunities using ball screens as a result. Without even receiving much for clean isolation chances either, most of how he makes his impact was neutralized.
The Hawks need Nate McMillan to adjust their half-court offense to get his best player the basketball in favorable positions. Young’s lack of size makes that more challenging, though. Also, that’s partly why they’ve been so reliant on high ball screens and isolation in the regular season, too.
Boston Celtics (2) vs. Brooklyn Nets (7) — Celtics Win 115-114
Nets Need Ben Simmons Back: There’s a lot riding on Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant to carry an underwhelming Brooklyn Nets team to wins. However, things would change significantly if Ben Simmons were available given his defensive versatility and playmaking skills.
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Irving was highly efficient in his 39-point outing but Kevin Durant was not on his way to 23 points. Despite that, Brooklyn was still in a position to win Game 1 had they gotten a stop on the final play of the game against one of the NBA’s top teams.
The Celtics have a much more talented supporting cast and it was on display with four players reaching the 20-point threshold. Simmons’ defensive versatility would help and would enable the Nets to go small and switch everything as opposed to giving minutes to Nic Claxton.
