Playoff basketball returned this weekend. All eight series began with their Games 1 on Saturday or Sunday, and we have a slightly better idea of what to expect from these teams.
There were some great games, led by the last one of the night: a 94-92 Thunder win on Sunday. That Thunder win was far from the only interesting thing that happened over the weekend.
Here are the winners and losers from a list packed with series openers.
Winners of Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs
Winner: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The young Thunder came out a little shaky to start Game 1. Their first game against the eighth-seeded Pelicans was an up-and-down affair, including 20 lead changes and a thrilling final two minutes.
However, Gilgeous-Alexander came out ahead, leading OKC with 28 points and scoring what ended up being the biggest basket of the game.
SGA AND-1 IN THE CLUTCH TO PUT OKC UP 93-90 WITH 32 SECONDS LEFT IN THE 4TH QUARTER ON TNT ? pic.twitter.com/nc7hWeBxBq
—NBA (@NBA) April 22, 2024
The Pelicans swarmed SGA throughout the game, throwing multiple bodies at them to close down the driving lanes and forcing the rest of the Thunder to beat them. He still found ways to score, including acting as a screen creator towards the end of the game to create imbalances for himself.
The Pelicans were playing without Zion Williamson, and Brandon Ingram still isn’t looking all that good (credit to Lu Dort too for his incredible defense). This probably shouldn’t have been as close as he was, but the Thunder’s MVP took it home in the end.
Winner: Celts
Remember those “WE WANT BOSTON!” Heat fan chants on Friday? The Celtics must have done it. They blew the doors off the Heat and took a 14-0 lead to start the game. They led throughout the game, increasing the score to 34 in the fourth quarter.
The Celtics reminded everyone why they were the best team of the regular season, shooting 3-pointers at a 44.9 percent clip and playing suffocating defense. Four of their five starters scored between 17 and 23 points.
Boston has too many weapons to block and five good-to-excellent defenders on the floor most of the time. These guys will breeze through the first round.
Winner: JB Bickerstaff and Donovan Mitchell
Bickerstaff was greatly out-coached by Tom Thibodeau in the Cavs’ disastrous first-round exit last year. He has had to thread a difficult needle with the non-shooting duo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen as co-starters.
The Cavaliers found a way to create enough offense to overcome a great defensive Magic team, beating them handily 97-83. It helps to have one of the best point guards in the league in Mitchell, who had 30 points. The Magic tested everyone with him, starting with Gary Harris and moving through all-defensive block Jalen Suggs, Jonathan Isaac and Franz Wagner. Nobody was stopping him.
Winner: Miles “Deuce” McBride
Jalen Brunson had a rare offside game for the Knicks, shooting just 8 of 26. The Knicks still beat the 76ers by a score of 111-104.
When asked in the postgame interview what it took to make it in the fourth, Brunson gave a two-word answer.
“Deuce McBride.”
Casual fans may not be familiar with Deuce, but he quickly earned Thibodeau’s trust this season, and the world saw why on Saturday. McBride is a gritty defender who can hit the 3-ball: he went 5-for-7 from deep en route to 21 points off the bench.
McBride has one of the best deals in the league, signed for just $13.0 million over the next three years. The little-known third-year guard exploded to finish the season, solidifying an already deep Knicks bench.
Winner: Ivica Zubac
Zubac must have nightmares about playing against the Mavericks. He had gone completely crazy in that matchup in the past, particularly when he had to switch to Luka Doncic.
The last time these two teams met in the playoffs, back in 2021, Zubac averaged just 14.0 minutes per game in that seven-game series. He stood out in Game 1 of this year’s meeting, scoring 20 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in 33 minutes of play.
Kawhi Leonard sat out the first game, but Zubac helped lead the Clippers to a 109-97 victory that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. He was too big for the Mavs, he posted up, sealed defenders inside and made good hooks and layups. Instead of being a liability, he was one of the best guys on the court.
Losers of Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs
Loser: Lakers
The first game had to be a disheartening loss for the Lakers. They seemed to have a chance to do the impossible, controlling the first half and building a 12-point lead midway through the second quarter. Then the Nuggets got to work, taking the game and winning comfortably 114-103.
This matchup has been a particular nightmare for D’Angelo Russell, who was so bad in last year’s playoffs that he was removed from the starting lineup. The Lakers absolutely needed him to get going. Instead, he scored a stinking 6-for-20.
Los Angeles still had no answer for the two-man game between Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. And putting Aaron Gordon there as a lob threat was unfair.
Jamal Murray ➡️ Nikola Jokić ➡️ Aaron Gordon alley-oop an appearance pic.twitter.com/ZOKNLGKExx
– Matt Brooks (@MattBrooksNBA) April 21, 2024
It looks like this is going to be a repeat of last year. The Lakers could steal a game or two, but the Nuggets have their number.
Loser: Popular surprise picks (Suns, Pacers)
The Suns had dominated the Timberwolves during the regular season, handily winning all three matchups. That didn’t matter at all in the first game. The Wolves defeated the Suns 120-95, eliminating everyone not named Kevin Durant.
For the Wolves, Anthony Edwards did his thing, scoring 33 and talking trash to Durant. Nickeil Alexander-Walker was the unexpected star of the game, playing incredible defense and contributing 18 points on just 12 shots.
The No. 3 Bucks were similar underdogs against the No. 6 Pacers entering this series. Someone forgot to tell Damian Lillard, who dropped 35 points in the first half to lead the Bucks to a 109-94 victory. He was held scoreless in the second half as the Pacers changed their game plan and pressured him intensely.
Pascal Siakam had a great game, scoring 36 points, but Tyrese Haliburton continued his struggles late in the season and no one else on the Pacers showed up.
Loser: Josh Giddey
Giddey had played much better to close the season, but still looks like the odd man out among the Thunder’s starting five. His shaky jump shot and his below-average defense are the team’s weak point.
Giddey played 20 ineffective minutes in the first game, scoring just two points on 1-of-6 shooting and turning over twice. He relies too much on his floater instead of trying to make contact, and he missed both of his 3-point attempts.
The Thunder may have to look for another option if this continues. Cason Wallace played excellent defense down the stretch and has been an excellent 3-point shooter this season. Aaron Wiggins is another good two-way player with little usage.
Loser: Daniel Gafford
The Mavs’ big man duo of Gafford and Dereck Lively II were completely ineffective in the Game 1 loss. They combined for 2 of 7 field goals.
“In all honesty, there were guys that came out ready to play and then guys like me that were on the court running back and forth.” Gafford told Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News. “I felt like I couldn’t commit to anything, give anything to the team at that time.”
The Mavs were previously 18-3 with Gafford in the starting lineup. Gafford was invisible, Doncic did most of his damage after the game was under control, and the Mavs will have to go to the drawing board to figure out how to stay competitive for the rest of the series.
