Mikal Bridges Again Clutch for Knicks; Thunder Strike Nuggets, Tie West Semifinal Series at 1-1

The New York stunned the Boston Celtics again with another late game comeback, this time in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series, with a 91-90 win. In Oklahoma City, the Thunder rebounded from a crushing Game 1 defeat to cruise to a near 50-point win in Game 2, 149-106 against the Denver Nuggets.

Mikal Bridges, just as he was right on time in Game 1, blocked a leaning Jayson Tatum on the baseline in the final seconds to secure the 91-90 Knicks’ win and give the Knicks a 2-0 lead heading back to New York for Game 3 on Saturday afternoon.

The Knicks outscored the Celtics 30-17 in the fourth quarter after trailing 73-53 in the second half. The Celtics, the number one 3-point shooting team in the NBA, shot 10-for-40 from deep on Wednesday after going 15-for-60 in Game 1. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown shot a combined 13-for-42 in Game 2, Tatum finishing with 13 points and Brown 20. To his credit, Tatum did have 14 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Brown had 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Derrick White, despite shooting 6-for-17 and 3-for-11 from downtown, scored 20 points with 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Jrue Holiday was 4-for-6 for 10 points, while Kristaps Porzingis after missing most of Game 1 due to illness came off the bench and scored 8 points in 14 minutes. As a whole, the Celtics were held to 36.2% shooting. 

New York shot 43% and made 9-of-31 from deep, not exactly lighting the Celtics on fire. But it was their defense late that locked in the victory as it was Jalen Brunson’s clutch play again hitting shots down the stretch. 

Josh Hart’s 23 points (9-for-15, 3-for-6 from deep) led the Knicks, with Karl-Anthony Towns going 9-for-16 for 21 points and 17 rebounds. Brunson was 6-for-19 and just 2-for-9 from downtown for 17 points and 7 assists. 

Bridges, just 6-for-18, scored 14 points and had 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, and his knock-away of Tatum clinched the win. 

Having one timeout but electing not to use it, the Celtics put the ball in Tatum’s hands, who was working against the Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson. Robinson did a quality job of staying in front of Tatum, who momentarily lost the ball, and Bridges was there as Tatum attempted a last ditch pass out to Brown for a triple. 

So in shocking fashion, the Celtics will head to New York for Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. contest down 0-2, when most people thought that they would either be leading the series or at least earn a split. After four consecutive losses to the Celtics during the regular season, the Knicks have won two in a row, locking in defensively.

The Celtics do not help themselves by insisting on the 3-point shot even when it is not falling. However, the team that leads the NBA in trifectas attempted does have a stubbornness to it in that even if the shots aren’t falling, they will continue to shoot. 

A rarity this season for this 61-win team is shooting the ball so poorly and being so lethargic offensively as they have through the first two games. If they want to get back in the series, they have two days to figure out a way to turn things around. 

In Wednesday’s late game, the Thunder pulled even with the Denver Nuggets with one of their best performances all year.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, after 33 points on 26 shots in Game 1, scored 34 on just 13 shots in Game 2, playing a much more paced, efficient game. He was 11-for-11 from the line, had 8 assists and 4 rebounds and committed just two turnovers. Jalen Williams rebounded from his awful Game 1 performance of 5-for-20 shooting by hitting on 6-for-11 in Game 2 and scoring 17 points while tallying 7 assists. After 6 rebounds in Game 1, Chet Holmgren reeled in 11, with 15 points and 2 blocks and made all seven of his free-throw attempts while shooting 2-for-3 from deep. Isaiah Hartenstein was 6-for-7 in 22 minutes for 14 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block and 1 steal, very effective in the paint with his one-handed push shot. He and Holmgren both were much better in their assertiveness against Nikola Jokic, who had his way with both in Game 1. Lu Dort shot 4-for-13 and was 2-for-9 from 3-point range for 12 points. Isaiah Joe off the bench shot 4-for-4 from 3-point range for 14 points. Aaron Wiggins was 4-for-8 from the field for 10 points. The Thunder did a terrific job getting to the line, going 33-of-36. 

Russell Westbrook played a strong game for the Nuggets once again, with 19 points and 5 assists on 5-for-11 shooting and 8-for-10 from the line in 22 minutes. In a game that is littered with 3-point heaves, Westbrook’s attacking style is refreshing. Jokic was 6-for-16 in 32 minutes with 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, fouling out in the third quarter. He was frustrated at times with a lack of foul calls. Jamal Murray shot 3-for-5 from downtown for 14 points, while Aaron Gordon, the star of Game 1 with his 3-point make, missed nine of his 12 attempts in Game 2 and finished with 10 points. 

The Thunder shot 56.2% from the field (30-for-51 in the first half) and made 16-of-36 attempts from deep and committed only nine turnovers, forcing the Nuggets into 20 giveaways. Oklahoma City’s guards did a great job of getting out in transition and finishing at the rim, and overall the team spread the ball around well, with 31 assists. 

The Nuggets shot only 37.9%, though they did make 15-of-37 shots from downtown. They shot 32 free-throws, but made 25. 

After being outrebounded 63-43 in Game 1, the Thunder rebounded the ball 44 times in Game 2 while keeping the Nuggets off the boards as the road team only managed 38. The Thunder’s 87 points in the first half of Game 2 is an NBA playoff record. 

Going into Game 3, the Nuggets will need to get something from Michael Porter Jr., who has scored 10 total points in the series and has five playoff games of less than 10 points. He averaged 10.9 points in the opening round against the Los Angeles Clippers, with games of 17 points, 14 points, and 15 points with 15 rebounds. The Nuggets will need Porter Jr. to show up, though he is dealing with a left shoulder injury and is giving effort. 

The Thunder, meanwhile, will look to continue to knock down the three ball while at the same time getting out in transition and also playing maniacal defense on the other side. One of their big advantages is their ability to get out and run in transition, which they will again look to do in Game 3.