Bucks, Pistons Square Off in Game 4
By Oscar Heanue
The Milwaukee Bucks will visit the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference first-round playoffs on Monday. Milwaukee currently leads the series, 3-0.
The Bucks (3-0) steamrolled the Pistons for a third straight double-digit win in Game 3. After winning by a combined margin of 56 points in the first two games of the series, Milwaukee earned a 119-103 victory in Detroit on Saturday. The Bucks saw six double-digit scoring performances, including 20 points from All-Star forward Khris Middleton. MVP hopeful Giannis Antetokounmpo notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Overall, the Bucks, who boasted the league's top-ranked defense during the regular season, held Detroit to just 38.5 percent shooting from the field in the Game 3 win. If Milwaukee sweeps the series on Monday, they will gear up for a playoff rematch against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Malcolm Brogdon (foot) and Pau Gasol (ankle) remain out for the Bucks, while Tony Snell (ankle) is a game-time decision.
Detroit (0-3), meanwhile, has seen little change despite the return of injured superstar Blake Griffin. Griffin led all scorers with 27 points in Game 3, but his contribution made little difference as his team took a commanding loss. A lack of three-point shooting has been a major problem for the Pistons, and Game 3 was no exception to that trend. Detroit shot just over 30 percent from deep in Saturday's loss. The Pistons will hope to turn it around and avoid being swept on their homecourt as they suit up for Monday's contest.
Despite playing in Game 3, Blake Griffin (knee) is considered questionable to suit up in Game 4.
The Bucks (3-0) steamrolled the Pistons for a third straight double-digit win in Game 3. After winning by a combined margin of 56 points in the first two games of the series, Milwaukee earned a 119-103 victory in Detroit on Saturday. The Bucks saw six double-digit scoring performances, including 20 points from All-Star forward Khris Middleton. MVP hopeful Giannis Antetokounmpo notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Overall, the Bucks, who boasted the league's top-ranked defense during the regular season, held Detroit to just 38.5 percent shooting from the field in the Game 3 win. If Milwaukee sweeps the series on Monday, they will gear up for a playoff rematch against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Malcolm Brogdon (foot) and Pau Gasol (ankle) remain out for the Bucks, while Tony Snell (ankle) is a game-time decision.
Detroit (0-3), meanwhile, has seen little change despite the return of injured superstar Blake Griffin. Griffin led all scorers with 27 points in Game 3, but his contribution made little difference as his team took a commanding loss. A lack of three-point shooting has been a major problem for the Pistons, and Game 3 was no exception to that trend. Detroit shot just over 30 percent from deep in Saturday's loss. The Pistons will hope to turn it around and avoid being swept on their homecourt as they suit up for Monday's contest.
Despite playing in Game 3, Blake Griffin (knee) is considered questionable to suit up in Game 4.
Rockets Go For Jugular Against Jazz
The Houston Rockets take on the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on Monday night in Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series. The Rockets lead the series, 3-0.
The Rockets (3-0) had a much tougher time in Game 3 than they experienced in their first two games on their home court. However, when all was said and done, Houston still walked away with a 104-101 win on Saturday night to take a commanding 3-0 series lead. Perhaps most impressive was the fact they did it with a particularly poor performance from James Harden, who scored 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and shot just 3-for-20 from the field. With another similar performance highly unlikely, the Jazz will presumably need to hit on all cylinders to have a chance of sending the series back to Houston for a Game 5.
Harden's 22 points did represent a team high, and he supplemented them with 10 assists, four rebounds, six steals and one block. Chris Paul supplied 18 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals. P.J. Tucker generated a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double that also included three assists. Eric Gordon matched Tucker's scoring total and added five rebounds, one assist and one block. Clint Capela and Austin Rivers turned in 11 points apiece, with Capela notably also pulling down 14 rebounds.
The Rockets come into Monday's game with a clean bill of health.
Donovan Mitchell bounced back from two poor efforts to open the series, pacing the Jazz with 34 points. He added six rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block. Derrick Favors led the second unit with 13 points and also offered four rebounds and two blocks. Rudy Gobert and Ricky Rubio had matching 10-point tallies. Gobert also pulled down eight rebounds and recorded seven blocks, while dished out six assists and hauled in four rebounds.
The Jazz also come into Monday's game without any short-term injuries.
The Rockets (3-0) had a much tougher time in Game 3 than they experienced in their first two games on their home court. However, when all was said and done, Houston still walked away with a 104-101 win on Saturday night to take a commanding 3-0 series lead. Perhaps most impressive was the fact they did it with a particularly poor performance from James Harden, who scored 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and shot just 3-for-20 from the field. With another similar performance highly unlikely, the Jazz will presumably need to hit on all cylinders to have a chance of sending the series back to Houston for a Game 5.
Harden's 22 points did represent a team high, and he supplemented them with 10 assists, four rebounds, six steals and one block. Chris Paul supplied 18 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals. P.J. Tucker generated a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double that also included three assists. Eric Gordon matched Tucker's scoring total and added five rebounds, one assist and one block. Clint Capela and Austin Rivers turned in 11 points apiece, with Capela notably also pulling down 14 rebounds.
The Rockets come into Monday's game with a clean bill of health.
Donovan Mitchell bounced back from two poor efforts to open the series, pacing the Jazz with 34 points. He added six rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block. Derrick Favors led the second unit with 13 points and also offered four rebounds and two blocks. Rudy Gobert and Ricky Rubio had matching 10-point tallies. Gobert also pulled down eight rebounds and recorded seven blocks, while dished out six assists and hauled in four rebounds.
The Jazz also come into Monday's game without any short-term injuries.