Warriors (top bracket) and Suns (bottom bracket) get first round byes and are in the 2nd round
MATCHUPS:
TOP BRACKET:
Nuggets vs 17. Lakers (Nuggets 115-98 Lakers)
Recap: Nuggets advance behind Jokic's monster 35 point, 23 rebound and 11 assist triple double as LBJ struggles.
Heat vs 25. Kings (Kings 132-115 Heat)
Recap: Sacramento has 3 players drop 25+ as their high-powered and fast paced offense takes down Jimmy Butler and the Heat.
Cavs vs 24. Blazers (Cavaliers 124-115 Blazers)
Recap: Mitchell and Sabonis combine for 59 in a major win over Dame's 27.
Nets vs 29. Magic (Magic 110-103 Nets)
Recap: In a magical game that goes down to the wire, Harden and KD struggle with below average stats while Cole and Bamba lead the Magic over Brooklyn in an upset.
Wizards vs 20. Knicks (Wizards 115-105 Knicks)
Recap: Beal carries DC with 38 and 8 assists against a struggling Randle and Knicks
Bucks vs 28. Rockets (Bucks 123-83 Rockets)
Recap: As Giannis, Jrue, Middleton and Morris have 20, they demolish the young Rockets where Green has 18 as no other Rockets score in double figures
76ers vs 21. Pacers (76ers 118-103 Pacers)
Recap: In a shocking battle of the bigs, Robinson has an insane 30 and 16 to Embiid's 30 and 13. But, at the end of the day, Curry is the X-Factor with 28 points.
BOTTOM BRACKET:
Mavericks vs 18. Timberwolves (Mavericks 111-84 Timberwolves)
Recap: Behind Luka's 28, 14 assists and 12 rebound triple double, the Mavs crush Minnesota while Edwards steps up with 26 but KAT and D-Lo take a step down combining for 28.
Grizzlies vs 26. Pelicans (Grizzlies 121-89 Pelicans)
Recap: Trae Young carries Memphis to the second round an insane 41 points as NOLA has problems from behind the arc shooting a measly 18% from 3.
Hornets vs 23. Raptors (Hornets 95-107 Raptors)
Recap: With the game tied at 83 with 5 minutes, Toronto goes on a 24-12 run led by OG Anunoby and Scottie Barnes while LaMelo and Bridges combine for a mere 16 points
Jazz vs 30. Pistons (Jazz 120-94 Pistons)
Recap: Mike Conley shows up with 29 points to lead Utah on to the 2nd round. Cade Cunningham tries to retaliate with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 11 assists but it wasn't enough.
Hawks vs 19. Celtics (Hawks 117-92 Celtics)
Recap: In this blow-out for Atlanta, Collins plays fantastic with 33 and 10 vs the opposing 4 in Tatum who was 34 and 8. But in the end, the depth of Atlanta is too much for the C's to handle.
Bulls vs 27. Thunder (Chicago 119-86 Thunder)
Recap: As the team from the Windy City blows by OKC, DeRozan and Lavine are too much for them with both having 40+. For OKC, Tyrese tries with 23 but can't stop the dynamic duo of DeRozan and Lavine
Clippers vs 22. Spurs (Clippers 107-105 Spurs)
Highlight: "Here we go. 4.2 seconds remaining, down by 1. In to Kawhi defended by Murray. Kicks it out to Love, gives to Wall for the win... BANG! BANG!! BANG!!! JOHN WALL DRILLS THE CORNER THREE AT THE BUZZER AND THE CLIPPERS MOVE ON!!!
Recap: After Dejounte's insane 4-point play that made him have 32, 15 and 12, Leonard caught the ball with 4.2 seconds, kicked it out to Kevin Love who swung 1 more pass to John Wall in the corner, who at the buzzer, sinked the buzzer beating game winning shot to advance LAC to the 2nd round.
FOR A CLEARER EXPLANATION, LOOK AT THIS LINK: https://challonge.com/tournaments/bracket_generator?ref=yD6NkQjlxD
NOW ONTO THE 2ND ROUND:
2ND ROUND:
MATCHUPS:
TOP BRACKET:
*1. Warriors vs 16. Nuggets (Denver 109-92 Golden State)
Recap: As Jokic dominates in an upset with 32 and 20, Curry struggles heavily with only 8 points.
*25. Kings vs 9. Cavs (Sacramento 119-108 Cleveland)
Recap: LaMelo and Sacramento's Cinderella story run as the 25th seed continues with Middleton having 28 and LaMelo with 26 and 13 assists. For Cleveland, Mitchell had 32 but it wasn't enough.
*29. Magic vs 13. Wizards (Orlando 110-111 Washington)
Highlight: 5.2 seconds to go. Brown finds Beal, screen by Kuzma, kicks it out, Kyle pull up 2 over Franz for the win, GOOD! GOOD! 6 tenths of a second to go, Isaac tries to get it in, stolen by Kispert and that's the ball game! Washington pulls it out thanks to Kyle Kuzma
Recap: Washington barely sneaks by the Magic on a Kyle Kuzma 2 point pull up jumper over Franz Wagner (who had 23, 5 and 5) but Kyle sinks it to give him 24 and with 6 tenths of a second left, Kispert stole it on the inbound and sealed the deal!
*5. Bucks vs 12. 76ers (Milwaukee 119-100 Philadelphia)
Recap: The 76ers plans to stop Giannis fail miserably as he drops 36 and 12 on Embiid, who had 23 and 12, and the rest of the team.
BOTTOM BRACKET:
*2. Suns vs 15. Mavericks (Phoenix 127-104 Dallas)
Recap: The Suns complete history in this win with having 3 players with a triple double! (D-Book, CP3 and Vucevic). The defense of Bridges was elite as they shut down Luka to 18 points on 6/23 shooting.
*7. Grizzlies vs 23. Raptors (Memphis 121-95 Toronto)
Recap: The Grizzlies' elite defense holds the Raps to 95 points while Trae stars with 35 and 14 assists. For the Toronto fam, Scottie plays well with 21 points, 16 assists and 5 rebounds.
*3. Jazz vs 14. Hawks (Atlanta 115-85 Utah)
Recap: In a unexpected surprise, Buddy Hield pops off with 9 threes and 6 in the first quarter finishing the night with 35 as Ja Morant dimes 21 assists to him. For the Jazz, Garland has 22 and Conley chimes in with 20 off the bench
*6. Bulls vs 11. Clippers (Bulls 96-94 Clippers)
Highlight: Down to 9 seconds. Derozan isolating, Davis defending him. Demar drives, tough shot over Gobert and AD, puts it up for the lead..., YES! YES! DEMAR LAYS IT UP AND IN. 3 seconds to go, Leonard gets it down to Rose, Rose drives for the tie... REJECTED BY GAFFORD! And that does it, the Bulls advance
Recap: In a shocking turn of events in the tightest game of the tournament, Derozan has a memorable night with 44 points as the Bulls zone holds AD to 8 points and the Bulls shock the whole world heading to the Elite 8.
Note: Due to inactivity of Denver GM, they will forfeit their spot in Elite 8 and will be replaced by LAC
NOW ONTO ELITE 8:
ELITE 8:
TOP BRACKET:
Clippers vs 25. Kings (Clippers 120-110 Kings)
Recap: Anthony Davis dominates in a win with 35 points while Kawhi chips in 23. For Sac-Town, LaMelo has 23, 11 and 13 assists and Middleton catches fire in the 4th with 20 of his 25 in the 4th to try and lead the Kings back.
Wizards vs 5. Bucks (Bucks 120-99 Wizards)
Recap: The Wizards miraculous run ends at the Elite 8 as Reggie Jackson leads the Bucks to a dub with 26 points off the bench! Giannis adds 17 and 13 in limited minutes due to the blow out and Holiday adds necessary defense. For Washington, Beal tries his best with 32 and Kuzma with 28 but it's not enough as Milwaukee earns themselves a Final 4 spot.
BOTTOM BRACKET:
Suns vs 7. Grizzlies (Grizzlies 114-108 Suns)
Recap: After Shai got in to foul trouble, Desmond Bane stepped up with 35 points as Trae added 29 points and 8 assists. For Phoenix, Vucevic had 20 and 11 and CP3 had 23 and 13 but Hayward's incredible defense forced Book into bad shots and only 13 points. At the end of a down-to-the-wire game, it was the never-ending depth of Memphis that got them the win.
Bulls vs. 14. Hawks (Bulls 123-111 Hawks)
Recap: Despite being down 12 at one point in the 4th, the Bulls rallied back after DeMar dominates with 28 and Lonzo chips in 28 and 7 whilst Lavine adds 18 and 6. For Atlanta, Ja carries with 34 and 8 assists but Buddy Hield struggles with 6 points on 3/14 shooting.
NOW ONTO FINAL 4:
FINAL 4:
TOP BRACKET:
Clippers vs 5. Bucks (Clippers 108-102 Bucks)
Recap: In a down to the wire game, the Clippers pulled it out led by Derrick Rose with 23 and 7. Kawhi chipped in with 18 and AD had 16 and 16 rebounds with 10 blocks! For Milwaukee, Giannis had 35 and 15 but the rest of the team shot poorly with 8/30 from behind the arc.
BOTTOM BRACKET:
Bulls vs 7. Grizzlies (Bulls 115-119 {OT} Grizzlies)
Highlight: 6 seconds left. Ball, looking, looking... get it into LaVine. LaVine guarded by Shai, he drives, steps back, puts it up and he's fouled and IT GOES!!! LaVine a chance to send it to OT. Hits the free throw, Trae from 64 feet to win it, no good and we head to OT in Chicago!
Recap: In a thrilling OT finish, the Grizzlies pull it out 119-115 led by Trae's 43 point performance with helpful additions such as Hayward with 23 and 6, Bane with 24 and Shai with 18. For the Bulls, we can't say LaVine didn't try as his miraculous 45 and 10 rebound game kept them in it. But outside of Zach and Demar's 23, the team struggled heavily as Memphis advances to the Finals.
NOW ONTO THE FINALS:
THE NBA FINALS:
Grizzlies vs 11. Clippers (Clippers 105-102 Grizzlies)
Highlight: Here it is with 7 seconds to go. Love gets it in to Kawhi guarded by Ja. Ja steals it, Kawhi gets is back. It's a loose ball, Simons picks it up with a 3 for the win... BANG!!! BANG!!! ANFERNEE SIMONS WINS THE CHAMPIONSHIP ON A LOOSE BALL 3 AT THE BUZZER!
Recap: After Ja Morant dropped a 36 point triple double and almost stole the ball from Kawhi, Anfernee Simons picked it up, as Derrick Rose had fouled out, and to give him 28 he sank the buzzer-beating 3 pointer for the championship!