NBA playoff Surprises and Results

The first round of the NBA playoffs is quickly approaching its conclusion, whilst it has already concluded for some teams. This may just be the first round, but every game has felt like a final, with every team showing their will to succeed. NBA playoff betting picks are becoming more and more difficult after each game, with so many teams proving worthy of being bet on.

The Milwaukee Bucks have had a great regular season of late, which always provides us with the idea that they may be favourites heading into the playoffs. But in the last three seasons, they have not looked like the same outfit in the playoffs that dominated the regular season. This year, however, has thus far proved to be different. 

The Bucks have kicked off their playoffs with a 4-0 series sweep against last year's finalists, the Miami Heat. Milwaukee won 120-103 in game four, led by a dominant Giannis Antetokounmpo, who recorded his first career playoff triple-double. He ended the game with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 15 assists. The man known as the Greek Freak has been in fine form, which is dangerous for the rest of the teams in the playoffs. If he continues in this fashion, he could add a finals MVP trophy next to his regular season one. 

The Bucks will now go on to face either the Boston Celtics or the Brooklyn Nets in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, which has the potential of being an all-time great series.

We have become so accustomed to the crowd in Portland chanting the name of Damian Lillard, but on Saturday night, that was not the case. Instead, the name being sung was Norman Powell. Reason being he matched a career playoff high 29 points to help the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Denver Nuggets 115-95 and even the series at 2-2. 

Powell's shooting was devastating; it was as if he could not miss. He ended the game shooting 11 of 15 from the floor, which was followed by impressive shooting from CJ McCollum, who added 21 points. The Nuggets star big man Nikola Jokic only scored 16 points and 9 rebounds, which is quite average considering his season. 

It has been evident that the Nuggets are missing Jamal Murray because they have been too dependent on Jokic. The Blazers appeared to have recognised that, by restricting Jokic, they dominate the game as they have multiple players who can score, unlike the Nuggets.

Saturday night, the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies fought it out in a scintillating encounter. The Jazz won 121-111 on the back of the returning Donovan Mitchell putting up another impressive performance. 

Mitchell ended the game with 29 points and was followed by Mike Conley's 27 points and Rudy Gobert's 15 points and 14 rebounds. The Jazz have been playing more like a team rather than relying on individual performances, making them a huge threat to make the finals. 

The Memphis Grizzlies have been doing surprisingly well against the Jazz despite many doubting their ability to keep up with the so-called superior team. The Grizzlies have been led by Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks thus far and it was evident again in game 3 when they scored 28 and 27 points, respectively. This series is far from over, and if the last few games are anything to go by then, this series could see a game seven.

The Philadelphia 76ers dictated another win on Saturday, which now leaves them one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference semi-finals. They absolutely destroyed the Washington Wizards with a 132-103 win. 

The 76ers have been too strong for the Wizards, and the critical driving force behind this has been Joel Embiid. The Wizards have had no answer for the big man so far through the entirety of the series. Embiid scored 36 points, which is his career-high in the playoffs; this feat was even more impressive because he scored that with only 18 shots. The Wizards downfall is that they refused double team Embiid, who is too strong for their defence in one-on-one situations. 

The Wizards duo of Westbrook and Beal scored 26 and 25 points, respectively, but that just was not enough with the rest of the team struggling offensively. Westbrook followed up his scoring with 12 rebounds and 10 assists, giving him another triple double. At this point, no performance appears like it would help a struggling Wizards team.

Game three looked like it would be the beginning of the end for the Los Angeles Clippers, who had an awful start to the game. At the start of the game, the Clippers had already trailed the Dallas Mavericks by 19 points. They showed why they should still be considered one of the best teams in the NBA to their credit. 

The Clippers fought back in impressive fashion and came back to win the game 118-108. This sees the Mavericks series lead now cut to 2-1 and gives the Clippers more hope to come back and tie the series. Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers fight back, scoring 36 points and was helped by Paul George, who scored 29 points. The Clippers duo inspired the rest of the team to actually not leave everything for the duo to do as Reggie Jackson finished with 16 points and Marcus Morris Sr. with 15 points. 

The star of the series thus far, Luka Doncic, scored 44 points but was not helped much offensively by the rest of the Mavs side. Doncic appears to be a doubt for game 4 with a cervical strain to make matters worse for the Mavericks. Should he miss the next game, the Clippers are highly likely to even up the series. The Mavericks can only hope that Luka returns as soon as possible.