As all teams have played in their second game of the “best of seven” game series, teams including Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and Cleveland Cavaliers have all secured a 2-0 record. Their opponents have not won any games yet, going into the third games of the series.
In Game Three of the Cavaliers and Magic series, the game was taken to Orlando, where the Magic had a home court advantage for the first time in the first round series against Cleveland. As viewers expected Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers players to blow out the Magic for the third time, Paolo Banchero and the Magic team did the opposite. The Cavaliers experienced a blowout with an ending score of 121-83, putting the record at 2-1, as the Magic got a win on the scoreboard.
With the 76ers and Knicks, the matchup was moved to Philadelphia. But as many people wouldn’t have expected, the majority of the fans in the stands consisted of New York fans overcrowding the arena, causing the 76ers to lose their home court advantage. However, the ending of the game went in Philadelphia’s favor, as they won with an ending score of 125-114.
Once more, the Los Angeles Lakers attempted to end their drought of losses against the reigning champions, the Denver Nuggets, while they were 0-11 against them. The game started with both teams battling it out, shooting buckets over buckets from around the post and outside the three-point area. However, the Lakers eventually lost their small margin of a lead, putting their record against the Nuggets to 0-12 as the Nuggets won Game Three with a score of 112-105. This put the Nuggets’ record at 3-0 in the first round of the playoffs, with one more win meaning they may possibly eliminate Los Angeles and advance to the second round. However, the Lakers are holding their breath for one last hopeful run to get a win and end the drought in Game Four.
During an exciting matchup with the Indiana pacers and Milwaukee Bucks, NCAA (National Collegiate Athletes Association) women’s basketball shooting star, Caitlyn Clark, who recently drafted to the Indiana Fever in the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Associations), made an appearance at the beginning of the game and pumped up the fans for their first home court game in the first round of this playoff series. With a few seconds left in the fourth quarter, Pacers star, Tyrese Haliburton, made a phenomenal floater game winner with one foul to seal the win for the Pacers. This put the score as 2-1, Milwaukee leading by one game. The final score of the game was 121-118.
With a close win for the Dallas Mavericks in Game Two, Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving hoped to lead their team again to another victory as the series headed to Dallas, Texas. While the game was a close matchup during the first half and third quarter, the Mavericks went off, shooting incredible shots over Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and the rest of the Clippers defense. They won the game 101-90 with the Clippers versus Mavericks’ series record now standing as 2-1, Dallas leading.
As many people expected Kevin Durant, the Phoenix Suns recent trade player, to make a comeback against Anthony Edwards’ defense and the Minnesota versus Phoenix matchup, the Timberwolves again were too good for the Suns to control as they beat the Suns again with a blowout score of 126-109. The Suns, getting nervous, are still hoping they can pull off a win in the seven-game series in Game Four. However, the Minnesota Timberwolves are now one game away from advancing to the second round of the 2023-2024 playoffs.
The number one seed, Oklahoma City Thunder, who was expected to sweep the New Orleans Pelicans, won their third game in a row. This put the final score as 106-85 as they led the first round with a 3-0 record. With Zion Williamson still out for the series, the Pelican still hope to succeed in winning three more games to take it to Game Seven, giving them one more chance to save their spot in the playoff series. However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder need only one more game to eliminate the number 8 seed and move on to the second round.
After the Miami Heat’s incredible win over the Celtics in Game Two, the series moved over to Miami’s home court for Game Three which gave them an advantage over Boston. Although the beginning of the first quarter was close, the number one seed was able to sweep the Heat with an ending score of 104-84, risking Miami’s chance of moving forward without their star player, Jimmy Butler.
