After the first game of the first round of the playoffs, TNT commentator Barkley spoke about this year's playoff situation on the show. He said: "The Raptors, Bulls, Lone Rangers will be swept away. "But today, the Lone Rangers made a tough pushback. In the absence of Doncic, the Lone Ranger used the play of Brunson and Kleber to win a set at home with the play of Brunson and Kleber, and the big score between the two sides became 1-1.
In the finale of the regular season, the Lone Ranger delivered bad news and Doncic's left calf was strained. In previous experience, calf strains generally require a break of 3-4 weeks. In the absence of Doncic, the Lone Rangers lost a set at home to the Jazz. Commentators like Barkley began to look down on the Lone Ranger, believing that the Jazz would "go down the gram" and eventually swept the Lone Ranger.
However, the Lone Ranger players did not agree. In today's game, Brunson exploded with 41 points, becoming the first player in this year's playoffs to score 40+. Substitute center Kleber also scored 25 points on 8-of-11 three-pointers. Brunson and Kleber combined for 66 points to help the Lone Rangers beat the Jazz 110-104 at home.
Now, the big score of the series between the Lone Ranger and the Jazz has become 1-1, and Barkley's "sweep prediction" has completely failed. After winning the game, the Lone Ranger also bought Doncic more downtime. Once Doncic returned from injury at G4 or G5, the balance of this series victory will tilt to the Lone Ranger!