The action-packed NBA playoffs continue Friday with the other pair of Conference Semifinals matchups. In Toronto, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan will try to stop the bleeding against the Cavaliers, while in Houston, the run-and-gun Rockets will attempt to once again blast the always cool, calm, and collected Spurs.
Read on below to see which teams are good to put some dough on!
For these two squads, it’s deja vu all over again. They are in a similar position from their playoff clash last season, as the Cavaliers again crushed the Raptors in Games 1 and 2. The Cavs are putting up 120.5 points and 16 threes per game on the series, with LeBron James leading the pack, courtesy of his whopping 37.0 points on 62.2 percent shooting.
The Raptors, meanwhile, have been written off by almost everyone, which is fair despite being premature. Kyle Lowry (20 PPG, 8 APG) and Serge Ibaka (15.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG) are doing decent, but DeMar DeRozan is being erratic as of late, and he’s just scoring 12 per game and only making 33 percent of his shots in his last two.
Excluding the unfortunate, season-ending leg injury of Tony Parker, things got more interesting in this series. It’s now tied at one apiece, with both teams being able to show great offense and defense on their respective wins.
In Game 1, the Rockets hung 126 points, sunk 22 threes, dished 30 assists, and had six players score in double-digits, while also holding the Spurs to under 37 percent shooting.
In Game 2, the Spurs returned the favor, as they piled up 121 points and made over 54 percent of their shots. Kawhi Leonard, who had 34 points and shot 13-for-16 from the floor, helped limit James Harden to an ugly 3-for-17 shooting night.
