What an incredible start to the 2023 Play-In! We’ve seen some amazing performances on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball over the last two days, and with the Play-In still waiting to decide the 8th seeds in the Eastern and Western Conferences, we’ve got plenty of action left to cover. Looking back on the games that have already been played, there’s a ton to discuss.

Atlanta Hawks Secure the W for the A over Miami

As Migos once said, “Welcome to New Atlanta!” Since the All-Star break, the Atlanta Hawks have had a resurgence, even if their 12-11 record since then doesn’t exactly reflect that. The team has been playing with renewed energy, and we are starting to see the new relationship formed between star Trae Young and Dejounte Murray flesh out into something great. The recent addition of former Detroit Piston Saddiq Bey has also been a great addition on the perimeter, and has allowed there to be less attention given to snipers like Young. The trio combined for a combined +16 against a tough Miami Heat team, and when it mattered most, they stepped up big. Starting off the night hot, they managed to keep Miami in the rear-view mirror all night from their excellent rebound differential (+24) and points in the paint (+18), and did so on a worse shooting night than Miami (-8% from 3, -20.7% from the line, compared to Miami’s numbers). On the other side, the Miami Heat put forth a valiant effort against the high-power Atlanta offense, but the vaunted Miami defense couldn’t make up for the poor offensive stretches that have plagued Miami all season. Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro led the starters with a combined 47 points, but the real star of the Miami Heat was no other than Kyle Lowry, who posted an impressive 33 points off the bench. Lowry, who has actually seen an increase in shooting percentage and versatility off the bench, was responsible for many of the Heat’s chances to stay competitive in the essential game for the Heat’s season. Despite the big night for those three, the remainder of the Heat were very quiet on offense, and in many instances, it seemed as though they were largely absent on that end of the court. Unable to weather the storm against the Hawks, the Heat are now slated to play the Chicago Bulls on Friday.

Dennis the Menace and King James Lock Up Minny

Ice. In. Their. Veins. The Los Angeles Lakers are once again heading to the playoffs as the 7th seed after their overtime victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves. This game was full of ups-and-downs for both teams, and it was a tale of two halves, and the 4th quarter itself was it’s own game. In the first half of the contest, the Timberwolves found themselves on fire from behind the arc, and put themselves up by double digits heading into the break. the 3rd quarter was another big push by Minnesota, who continued their success from the previous half with no deviation in rhythm. Up 15 heading into the 4th, Minnesota looked like the game was comfortably in their hands… and then something miraculous happened. The Los Angeles Lakers only allowed two field goals by the Timberwolves in the final 11 minutes of the game in what was an impressive defensive showing, and when when everything was all tied up, LeBron James once again showed us that his forte is making the right play every time when it matters most. Followed closely by defenders and with KAT under the basket, King James barreled towards the rim and seemed as though he was about to go up-and-under, only to beam a pass to Dennis Schröder in the corner for a clutch 3 to put the Lakers up. When it seemed that L.A. had their victory assured, the drama of the game continued on an Anthony Davis shooting foul on a Mike Conley 3… with 0.1 seconds left to tie the game at the line. Conley calmly sank all 3 clutch shots in a hostile Lakers crowd to send it to overtime. While the Lakers would go on to win the game, there are a few performances from both teams, both good and bad, that need mention. It was an impressive showing from several Lakers, including James (30, 10, 6), Davis (24, 15, and 4), and Dennis (21, 4, 2). Those three were the offensive and defensive engines of the game, with great defensive help provided off the bench by the likes of Rui Hachimura and Troy Brown Jr. as well. One disappointing player from the Lakers was D’Angelo Russell who did not get many minutes to shine against his former team, and shot 1/9 with 2 points in 22 minutes of action. For Minnesota, their stars of the game were Karl Anthony-Towns (24, 11, 5, and an efficient 8/12 night) and Conley (23, 4, 4, and 3 clutch FTs to send it to overtime, as well as an efficient 7/11 night). Those two didn’t seem to miss much, and if you’ve ever seen KAT’s shot, you know how smoothly he hits his jumpers. However, the disappointment of the night for both teams was unfortunately rising star Anthony Edwards, who only had 9 points on 3/17 shooting from the field, including some late-game shots that did not fall. While this game was not a good one for Edwards and the Timberwolves (along with the absence of Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels), they move on to play the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 8 seed in the Western Conference Playoffs on Friday night in what will be a battle of young talent that is hungry for a chance to compete.

Lavine and the Bulls Charge Through the Raptors

Talk about heart and hustle. The Chicago Bulls were playing from behind for most of the game, and due to some late game heroics, and some assists from a very valuable audience member, the Bulls managed to knock the higher seeded Raptors out of the playoffs, and in doing so, became the first 10 seed to upset a 9 seed in the NBA Play-In Tournament. The Raptors held on to the lead for much of the game, and their starters almost exclusively played the whole game, beating the Bulls back with their starting 5, whose great chemistry seemed apparent on their early runs. Defensively, the Bulls were hounding the Raptors all night, especially as the game reached its curtain call, posting more blocks, steals, and creating more turnovers while limiting their own. This isn’t even to mention the great game by Lavine, who poured on 39 points in the contest. Perhaps the Bulls greatest asset of the game was an MVP found in the crowd, whose screaming during free-throws had frustratingly limited the Raptors to a 50% conversion on shots, and it was none other than Diar DeRozan, the young daughter of Bulls star Demar. Despite Diar and the Bulls best efforts, the team still found themselves down double digits at halftime and nearly going into the 4th, but some great defensive plays by Chicago had halted the Raptors down the stretch, and after a big bucket by DeMar late in the game, the Bulls had managed a historic feat in their upset over the Raptors, and did so in a ravenous Toronto crowd. The Bulls did great on the defensive end down the stretch, thanks to Pat Williams, their pesky backcourt of Patrick Beverly and Alex Caruso, and DeMar even came to play with a couple blocks of his own. With the game over, Chicago had some bright spots on their roster with Lavine (39, 6, 3), DeRozan (23, 7, 3), and Vucevic (14, 13, 4). While the Raptors seemed to break down as the game neared its end, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise if you look at the minutes played by their starting 5, with all but 1 starter playing 40+ minutes. With what the Raptors may have lacked in depth, their starters had shined in their early cohesiveness. Siakam (32, 9, 6), VanVleet (26, 12, 8) and Barnes (19, 10, 2) all had great games, and made a majority of the impact. Some disappointment was shouldered by OG Anunoby, who only posted 13 points on 4/13 shooting for the night. With this victory, Diar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls are heading to South Beach to take on the Miami Heat in what will be the deciding game for the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference.

OKC Thunder are Giddey over their win Vs. Pelicans

21.6 years old on average. Young superstars put together with Presti-Magic. The Oklahoma City Thunder are on the rise, and they fully intend on letting the league know that they’re going to stick around for a while. This was an unfortunate message for many, including the New Orleans Pelicans, who fell out of the playoffs after their loss to OKC, and now have no chance of seeing if their generational talent in Zion Williamson will be able to come back in time to lead them in the postseason. Words can’t properly describe how exciting it is to watch this young OKC team, especially with the knowledge of their treasure trove of draft picks that will certainly be used to draft or acquire other stars in the near future. In their matchup, they managed to win by 5 over a much more experienced Pelicans team, and they took advantage of every opportunity that came their way to do so. This was exemplified by OKC’s guard play, and their ability to out-duel New Orleans in the second half. After trailing at the half, OKC came out firing on all cylinders in the third quarter, outscoring Nola 39-24. Holding onto this edge, they narrowly came out with the victory due to the valiant efforts of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32, 5, 3) Josh Giddey (31, 9, 10), Lu Dort (27, 5, 1) and Jaylin Williams (8, 8, 8, and an impressive +/- of +20, the highest of both teams). Shai’s ability to score in isolation is the best in the league, and is something to behold when you see him approach the top of the key. Giddey is every coach’s dream, and always tries to make the right play, plays fundamentally, and seems to outwork everyone on the break for easy buckets at the basket. Lu Dort, sometimes referred to as “The Dorture Chamber”, was playing his usual brand of high-level defense, and did well to antagonize the opposing backcourt. Both J. Williams on the roster are impactful as well, and to be as important as they are to this roster as rookies (Jalen being a ROTY candidate), is a marvel of roster construction. On the other bench, the Pelicans also played a great game that unfortunately ended up short due to some late-game mismanagement, and scoring droughts by important figures in the team’s offense. Brandon Ingram (30, 6, 7), Trey Murphy III (21, 4, 2), Herb Jones (20, 5, 5) and Jonas Valanciunas (16, 18, 3) all had big nights for New Orleans, and were largely responsible for the team’s competitiveness and early-game success. The de-facto leader of the Pelicans since Zion’s sidelining has been CJ McCollum, and unfortunately for him and his team, he only managed 14 points on 5/15 shooting despite playing 40 minutes. Had he managed to covert a shot or two more, we may be looking at a different outcome. The Pelicans’ off-season begins now, and much will have to be said about Zion Williamson and his inability to se the court for long stretches, and seeking additional depth will be needed to help with playoff scenarios where his presence is seemingly not guaranteed. The OKC Thunder move on from this 10 seed upset win and move on to play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night for a chance to secure the 8 seed in the Western Conference Playoffs.