NBA playoffs: The key factors behind three first-round Game 6s
Despite some early lopsided matchups, the first round of the NBA playoffs is rolling — upsets! comebacks! whatever it is the Lakers are doing! — and there are some crucial Game 6s over the next two days.
The New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons have played arguably the most competitive and chaotic first-round series so far, and on Thursday night, upstart Detroit has a chance to even the series at three games apiece in front of its home crowd.
It’s been a high-strung matchup from the opening tip, and the competition has grown only more intense as the series has played on. The teams are coming off three consecutive games that have been decided by three points or fewer. And each of the past four games in the series has been resolved in clutch time, when the score is within five points over the last five minutes of play.
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets have pushed the LA Clippers to the brink after some magic from Aaron Gordon in Game 4 and a Game 5 rout. Gordon’s buzzer-beating dunk evened the series on Saturday before Denver defended its home court with a resounding 131-115 victory on Tuesday.
The series now shifts back to Los Angeles as Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers try to extend their season.
The Houston Rockets became the third team in the first round to force a Game 6 following a 131-116 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night. The teams will meet on Friday night in San Francisco with the Warriors holding a 3-2 lead.
So what do the Pistons, Clippers and Rockets need to do to stay alive and force Game 7s? And what can the Knicks, Nuggets and Warriors do to close their series out in six? Our NBA insiders answer both.
New York Knicks at Detroit Pistons
How can the Knicks close out the series Thursday?
New York simply needs to take care of the ball, especially in what figures to be a hostile environment in Detroit .
The Knicks lost the turnover battle, albeit narrowly, for the first time in the series during Game 5. Looking to avoid the Pistons’ half-court defense, they played at a faster pace that seems to play into Detroit’s hands. Beyond that, New York uncharacteristically forced a number of passes into backup center Mitchell Robinson, and a handful resulted in giveaways.
“Offensively, I didn’t make good decisions personally,” star guard Jalen Brunson said.
There’s little room for error at this point for the Knicks; especially with Brunson tweaking his bothersome ankle nearly every time out now. New York took both games in Detroit earlier in the series, and by limiting unforced errors, it can take Game 6 Thursday, too.
What do the Pistons have to do to force a Game 7?
We got a glimpse of Detroit’s clearest winning blueprint in Game 5: Second-year forward Ausar Thompson — the team’s best defender on Brunson — simply has to play well enough on offense while also staying out of foul trouble.
Thompson played his best game offensively by far on Tuesday, logging 22 points on just 10 shot attempts over 29 minutes — the most he has played all series. He took better care of the basketball than he had previously in the series, and he did it all while hassling Brunson into a 4-for-16 shooting performance for 16 points — a meaningful accomplishment, as Brunson had scored 30 points or more in each of the first four contests.
The Pistons got considerable mileage out of Thompson’s connective passing as a short-roll man Tuesday, so expect to see more of that in Game 6 when things pick back up. If he’s useful there, it’s a game changer because it allows Bickerstaff to use him on Brunson as opposed to Dennis Schroder, whom Brunson has given fits throughout the series. — Chris Herring
Denver Nuggets at LA Clippers
How can the Nuggets close out the series Thursday?
By continuing to put the Clippers on their heels physically and taking care of the ball. Denver is plus-5 in the turnover category in its three wins and minus-14 in its two losses.
Denver looked defeated just two games ago — beat up, demoralized and hopeless after a blowout loss in Game 3 at Intuit Dome that left Russell Westbrook and Michael Porter Jr. injured. But the Nuggets responded in Game 4 and kept it going into their home game Tuesday.
They are also doing a much better job defending the Clippers on the perimeter, forcing someone other than James Harden or Kawhi Leonard to score. Despite strong performances from Ivica Zubac, that hasn’t happened.
What do the Clippers have to do to force a Game 7?
Harden dubbed himself “the system” when he first came to the Clippers, and he has to start playing like that again. When Harden is cooking, the Clippers control the pace of the game. But Christian Braun has been winning that matchup the past few games, completely taking Harden out of what he — and the Clippers — want to do.
Since Game 1 — when he scored 32 points on efficient 11-for-22 shooting — Harden has averaged just 16 points per game on 41% shooting. Coach Tyronn Lue has to find ways to get Harden more engaged, or it’ll be a system failure in Game 6. — Ramona Shelburne
Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors
How can the Warriors close out the series Friday?
If Golden State can continue to lock down Jalen Green the way it has in every contest except for Game 2 of this series, it will take away a significant portion of Houston’s scoring punch.
Green averaged 21 points per game in the regular season, but in Houston’s three losses in this series, he has averaged 8.0 points while shooting 29% from the field and 14% from 3-point range. Green did light up the Warriors for 38 points in Game 2, as the Rockets dominated paint scoring 46-28. Limiting Green’s effectiveness is paramount to Golden State closing out this series.
The Warriors also need to do a better job of taking care of the ball. In Game 2, Houston scored 14 points off 15 Golden State turnovers. The Rockets scored 18 points off turnovers in Game 5.
What do the Rockets have to do to force a Game 7?
If Golden State continues to limit Green’s effectiveness, Houston needs Fred VanVleet to continue shooting lights out from 3-point range. VanVleet has drilled 12 of 18 from deep in the past two games.
Meanwhile, Alperen Sengun, Dillon Brooks and Amen Thompson need to be aggressive and knock down the open shots that all the attention on Green should provide. Houston can further help itself by continuing to dominate on the offensive boards for a shot at valuable second-chance points. Rockets coach Ime Udoka has long said that the team’s mantra is to turn defense into offense.
Houston did that in the first half of Game 5, and it needs to continue for the Rockets to push this series to a Game 7. — Michael C. Wright
Source: espn.com