The Toronto Raptors know that problem all too well, so they want to take advantage of playing from ahead for a change.
They try for their first 2-0 playoff series lead ever Tuesday night against Washington, while the Trail Blazers try to even things up in against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Boston and Milwaukee play the other Game 2 on Tuesday after the Celtics pulled out a 113-107 overtime victory on Sunday.
The No. 3 Trail Blazers were the highest-seeded team to lose so far, falling 97-95 on Saturday. Anthony Davis was dominant, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum were slow-starting, and the Pelicans got a couple big defensive plays down the stretch from Jrue Holiday to hold on after the Blazers nearly came back from a 19-point deficit.
”I think it puts some pressure on us,” Lillard said. ”You know, you come in with home court, the first two games on your floor and you lose the first one, and now they’re saying in their locker room we got one, why not go get another one. And our job is to defend the home court.
”We’ve got to tighten up, come back sharper, and take care of home floor.”
Toronto had lost Game 1 at home all six times it had home-court advantage in a series http://www.jetsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-nathan-shepherd-jersey , part of an overall 10-game losing streak in series openers, before beating Washington 114-106 dropped on Saturday. Finally, the Raptors could enjoy the start of postseason play.
”And for me, this year is finally a year I can be happy watching other games and not be like `Damn, I lost Game 1,”’ point guard Kyle Lowry said.
—
Some things to know about Tuesday’s matchups:
WIZARDS AT RAPTORS
Toronto leads 1-0. Game 2, 7 P.M., NBA TV.
NEED TO KNOW: Toronto’s only other 1-0 series lead was in the 2001 Eastern Conference semifinals against Philadelphia, which won Game 2 and ultimately the series in seven games.
KEEP AN EYE ON: The 3-point line. The Raptors made a franchise-record 16 in the opener, twice as many as Washington for a 24-point advantage behind the arc.
INJURY UPDATE: Raptors reserve Fred VanVleet (right shoulder) went through most of practice Monday after missing the opener but remains day to day. Lowry was fighting a cold but joked he was ”out tanning” Sunday during an ice storm.
PRESSURE IS ON: Washington’s bench. The Wizards‘ reserves probably aren’t going to win the battle against Toronto’s highly productive second unit, but need to produce something more after getting next to nothing beyond Mike Scott’s 14 points in the opener.
BUCKS AT CELTICS
Boston leads 1-0. Game 2, 8 P.M., TNT.
NEED TO KNOW: Giannis Antetokounmpo has scored 20 or more points in eight straight games against the Celtics after scoring 35 before fouling out in overtime of the opener.
KEEP AN EYE ON: Boston’s balance. With Al Horford (24 points) Youth Lamar Jackson Jersey , Terry Rozier (23), Marcus Morris (21) and Jaylen Brown (20), the Celtics had four 20-point scorers in a playoff game for the first time since Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Reggie Lewis and Brian Shaw did it in a 1991 game. Throw in Jayson Tatum’s 19 points, and the Bucks let too many players get hot in Game 1.
INJURY UPDATE: Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Marcus Smart is getting some shots up and working on lower body and conditioning as much as he can, but has been told by the training staff that April 27 is the earliest the guard could begin basketball activity.
”We’re still a ways away from that and a lot of games away from that,” Stevens said.
PRESSURE IS ON: Eric Bledsoe. Milwaukee needs more from its starting guard who had more combined fouls (6) and turnovers (5) than points (9) in a bit of a Game 1 dud.
PELICANS AT TRAIL BLAZERS
New Orleans leads 1-0. Game 2, 10:30 P.M., TNT.
NEED TO KNOW: Anthony Davis had 35 points in the opener and has scored 25 or more in his first five postseason games. He can tie LeBron James for the second-longest streak to begin a career, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 14 straight, according to Elias.
KEEP AN EYE ON: Rajon Rondo. A 17-assist, eight-rebound opener was another reminder of how much the Pelicans’ point guard can elevate his game in the postseason.
INJURY UPDATE: Portland’s Maurice Harkless is nearing a return from late-season left knee surgery http://www.eaglesauthorizedshops.com/authentic-avonte-maddox-jersey , but may not be available until later in the series.
PRESSURE IS ON: The Blazers’ backcourt. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum combined to shoot just 13 for 41, and their three combined points on 1-for-15 shooting in the first half doomed Portland to a big hole from which it could not recover.
—
AP Sports Writer Kyle Hightower in Boston and freelance writer Ian Harrison in Toronto contributed to this report.
—
Celtics coach Brad Stevens has said what has carried his team through the NBA postseason is its ability to make ”winning plays” with the game on the line.
And more times than not, it’s been Marcus Smart making them.
Since returning from thumb surgery late in the first round, Smart has been unflappable and Boston’s unquestioned deacon of toughness.
From sacrificing his body diving for loose balls or keeping plays alive with a rebound , to causing deflections on defense, to popping up out of the crowd for a timely rebound or tip-in, Smart is the proud everyman for a once underdog Celtics team that has outworked the Cavaliers through the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals.
”That’s me. That’s how I was raised,” said Smart, who was Boston’s top performer off the bench in the Celtics’ 107-94 Game 2 win with 11 points, nine assists, five rebounds and four steals. ”I’m the youngest of four boys. My whole life I had to fight.
”I had to get down and do things in order to secure my spot in the household. So coming onto the court it’s nothing different.”
Boston took a 2-0 series lead on the Bucks in the first round before dropping back-to-back games in Milwaukee. Smart came off the bench when the series swung back to Boston for Game 5. He finished that one with nine points, five rebounds, four assists and three blocks to help the Celtics pull out a five-point victory.
Boston is 8-2 since Smart’s return and has the Cavaliers facing their first 2-0 series hole since 2008 Ronnie Harrison Color Rush Jersey , when they lost 4-3 to the Celtics in the conference semifinals. Boston went on to win the NBA title that season.
Not bad for a guy taken sixth overall by Boston in the 2014 draft despite being criticized coming out of Oklahoma State for being undersized at 6-foot-4, having questionable ball-handling and poor 3-point shooting, and at times displaying uncontrollable emotions.
”I think he’s as tough as they come,” Stevens said. ”He matches his intensity with a physical toughness. … People talk about him all the time. Sometimes they focus on things that don’t matter, and the other times they focus on that he impacts winning.”
Smart showed all those attributes late in the fourth quarter Tuesday night against the Cavs, when he came to the defense of Al Horford after JR Smith shoved him in the back on a layup attempt. Smart got in Smith’s face, prompting Smith to shove him. Both received technical fouls. But having a teammate’s back is second nature to Smart.
He said he felt like Smith was being a bully . That has never played well in Smart’s orbit.
”One of my guys was down, and I took offense to it,” he said.
From a basketball standpoint, Cleveland has taken note of Smart’s impact.
LeBron James called Smart’s creativity on the court ”uncanny,” and Kevin Love said the Cavs can ”definitely learn” from what Smart and Boston are doing to them.
”I think Marcus always makes plays at the right time,” James said. ”They put the ball in his hands and they trust him to make plays for others.”
Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said Smart’s impact is clearly something they must combat as they try to hold serve at home beginning with Game 3 on Saturday.
”If it’s 50/50 balls, he’s going to get it. If it’s a loose ball Manny Pina Milwaukee Brewers Jersey , offensive rebound they need to have, he’s going to get it,” Lue said. ”We’ve got to be able to find someone who can match his toughness.”
The most impressive thing about Smart’s run might be that he’s doing it while his mother, 63-year old Camellia Smart, is battling bone marrow cancer.
Smart learned of her diagnosis during a visit to see her in Texas back in April.
”We’re just trying to preserve life,” Smart said recently of how she’s doing. ”At her age a transplant would probably be more harmful than good. … It’s tough, but my mom’s a tough cookie.
”As long as she’s fighting I’m going to continue fighting.”
It’s the kind of toughness that has always run deep in the Smart family. His mother also has been through quadruple-bypass surgery on her heart.
She wants her son exactly where he is.
”She told me she’d rather me be here than back there, doing what I love to do,” Smart said, ”because she loves watching me play. She said it puts a smile on her face.”
Along with a lot of other Boston fans.
—
.
