Playoffs 2013:Day 1

The playoffs have officially begun here’s a recap of Day 1.

Boston vs New York: NYK leads 1-0

The Knicks get the win in their playoff opener, 85-78. Carmelo Anthony scored 36 points to lead his team. J.R Smith followed with 15 points and Raymond Felton finished with 13 and 6 assist. Kenyon Martin was very productive off the bench with, 10 points and 9 rebounds. Boston stayed in the game, and even led after the third quarter. However, they only scored 8 points in the fourth quarter, thanks to the great defense by the Knicks. Jeff Green had 26 points and Paul Pierce scored 21 for the Celtics. Avery Bradley added 15 points, but Boston was in need of their floor general Rajon Rondo.

Game two is on Tuesday back at Madison Square Garden. Stay Tuned  

Golden State vs Denver: Denver leads 1-0

This was a big game for veteran Andre Miller, who led his team with a career-high 28 points for the win, 97-95. The game was tied at 95-95 as he made a clutch lay-up with 1.3 seconds left to avoid overtime. Wilson Chandler had 11 points and 13 boards, and Ty Lawson scored 12 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assist. Denver did a good job keeping sharp shooter, Stephen Curry off the 3-point line in the first half, but after poor shooting he got some rhythm finishing with 19 points and 9 assist. Klay Thompson shot well with 22 points to keep the Warriors in the game, but lost their All-Star David Lee who injured his leg in the fourth quarter. Before David Lee left the game he had another double-double, 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Denver played without Kenneth Faried, still recovering from an ankle injury and Danilo Gallanari who is out for the rest of the season. Round one continues on Tuesday with game 2, back at the Pepsi center.

Chicago vs Brooklyn: Brooklyn leads 1-0

This game was all Nets, as they got the win in their first playoff debut in Brooklyn, 106-89. Brooklyn led by 25 at halftime, and Chicago never got close, as the Nets shot 56 percent from the field. Deron Williams finished with 22 points and 7 assist, including a steal that led to a reverse dunk. Brook Lopez added, 21 points, Joe Johnson had 16 and Reggie Evans grabbed 13 rebounds. As for bench production, CJ Watson had a good game against his former team with 14 points. The Bulls had no answer for the Nets, poor defense and they couldn’t get anything to drop offensively. Carlos Boozer was the Bulls leading scorer and the only consistent scorer with 25 points. The rest of the starters were quiet with the exception of Jimmy Bulter who finished with 13. Joakim Noah tried his best to play, but was limited to minutes as his foot injury continued to bother him, scoring only 5 points and 6 rebounds. Nate Robinison was productive off the bench, with 17, but his effort was in vain as they lost by 17.

After a days rest, game 2 continues on Monday in Brooklyn.

 

Memphis vs Los Angeles Clippers: Clippers lead 1-0

The rematch of last years first round series has begun, with the Clippers getting the win, 112-91. This game was a battle, led by Chris Paul who scored 23 points and 7 assist. The game stayed pretty close, but with 7 players in double figures Los Angeles came out on top. Eric Beldsoe contributed 15 points off the bench, and veteran Chanucey Billups followed with 14. Caron Butler and Jamal Crawford had 13 a piece and Blake Griffin finished with 10 points and 5 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth. The Clippers played more of a Memphis style of basketball with only one dunk in the entire game by DeAndre Jordan. The Grizzles beat the Clippers in the paint 48-46; however they never managed to get the lead as Los Angeles, dominated second chance points 25-5. Jerryd Bayless scored 19 points to lead his team, Marc Gasol had 16 and Zach Randolph added 13 points and 4 rebounds.

The battle will continue on Monday night, back at Staples Center.

-@SarahTresChic15