On April 20, Beijing time, the last game day of the NBA play-offs, the Heat in the East defeated the Bulls to advance to the top 8, the first round against the Celtics, interestingly, the two teams met in the playoffs 4 times in 5 years, and last year the Heat eliminated the Celtics in the Eastern Finals 43-43 to reach the finals, so don't think that the league is 1st. The Pelicans vs. Kings in the West, the Pelicans lost to the Lakers in Game 1 of the playoffs, Zion is out injured and is expected to miss at least 2 weeks, and the Kings eliminated the Warriors in the first game of the playoffs. This time the two teams met, but I didn't expect the Pelicans to be upset, defeating the all-main Kings in Zion's absence and advancing to the top 8.
In the first quarter, the two teams battled up intensely on the defensive end, reaching playoff level, and the Kings led by two points at 24-22. In the second quarter, the Pelicans soared in a single quarter, blasting out 32-21, and after two quarters of games, the Pelicans led the Kings by 9 points. The Pelicans' Valanciunas had 12 points and 9 rebounds in the half, Marshall 9 points, Nance 9 points, and Ingram 9 points, scoring very evenly and playing good team basketball. On the Kings' side, Sabonis Jr. struggled to support, scoring 10 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in the two quarters.
In the third quarter, the two teams were tied at 29-29, and although the Kings' performance improved, the Pelicans were the leading side, with only one quarter left in the game, and if the opportunity could not be seized, the Kings would end the 23-24 season. In the fourth quarter, the Pelicans started with a 14-3 run, and the game went better and better, the point difference came to 20 points, and the game lost suspense in advance, and the Kings collapsed, and in the end, the Pelicans defeated the Kings 105-98. I didn't expect the Warriors' experience in the play-offs, and now the Kings have also experienced it for themselves, and the Pelicans are indeed a surprising team.
The Pelicans' Ingram chipped in 24 points, six rebounds and six assists, and after Zion's absence, he proved himself again. Valanciunas had 19 points and 12 rebounds and was on the fence in the restricted area, Murphy had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, and McCollum had 7 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists. For the Kings, Fox had 35 points, seven rebounds and five assists, Sabonis Jr. had 23 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and three steals, and Barnes had 17 points, five rebounds and four assists.
After the Pelicans upset the Kings, the four Western Conference matchups were also released, namely Thunder VS Pelicans, Nuggets VS Lakers, Timberwolves VS Suns, and Clippers VS Mavericks. Among them, the series between the Nuggets and the Lakers, as well as the Clippers and Mavericks, have attracted much attention, and the heat is comparable to the Finals, and the Western Conference championship should be born from these four teams. Although the Lakers have an average record in the regular season, they should not be underestimated in the playoffs, and the Nuggets do not dare to be careless, although they completed a 4-0 sweep last year, but now the Lakers are very motivated, and the two teams are talking in the air, and whoever can win the G1 victory will occupy the absolute initiative.
ESPN also updated the latest odds to win the championship, which is unexpected, the Green Army in the East is ranked first, beating the biggest favorite Nuggets, and the defending champion Nuggets are in second place, and the two teams are not far apart, and they have a chance to meet in the Finals. In the 3-10 places are the Clippers, Thunder, Mavericks, Bucks, 76ers, Lakers, Timberwolves and Suns, while the Knicks, Cavaliers, Heat, Pacers, Pelicans and Magic are in 11-16 places respectively, with little hope of winning the championship. From the current point of view, it is cautious to be optimistic that the Nuggets and the Green Army will meet in the Finals, and if the Nuggets really eliminate the Lakers, the journey to defend the title may be smooth all the way.