BBNBA: Suns, Heat take 2-0 leads in Conference Semifinals

A very productive night of NBA Playoff basketball from our former Kentucky boys as the Suns and Heat each won Game 2 to take 2-0 leads in their respective series. And though his 76ers lost, Tyrese Maxey still played exceptionally when most of his teammates did not. Here’s your Thursday morning NBA recap:

Wednesday’s Results

(4) Mavericks 109 @ (1) Suns 129 | PHX leads series 2-0

(4) 76ers 103 @ (1) Heat 119 | MIA leads 2-0

Booker & Paul decimate Mavericks in second half

Most great modern NBA teams rely on the overwhelming talent of a superstar player to carry them in the postseason. The Suns succeed on the back of a perfectly harmonious backcourt that executes flawless offense with the ball in their hands. Chris Paul and Devin Booker are in just the second year of their partnership, and they play halfcourt patty-cake like two dudes that spent an entire career together. It’s a perfect yin and yang.

In Game 2 against Dallas, the Maps led at the half and kept the game close until the fourth quarter. Dallas hit a 3-pointer to make it 89-86 to kick off the final period, then Phoenix’s guard tandem took over.

Chris Paul single-handedly pushed the lead out to 15. These were the Phoenix scoring possessions following the Mavericks triple to start the fourth quarter (score in parentheses):

Chris Paul 3-pointer (92-86)
Chris Paul assists Cameron Johnson 3-pointer (95-88)
Chris Paul layup (97-88)
Chris Paul jumper (99-90)
Chris Paul assists Mikal Bridges dunk (101-93)
Chris Paul floater (103-93)
Chris Paul jumper (105-93)
Chris Paul and-one layup (108-93)

A total masterclass from the 36-year-old “Point God.” Sheer and surgical domination from a six-foot guard in his 17th season at the highest level of the game. Don’t take CP3 for granted — one of the great point guards in basketball history.

A couple of possessions later, Booker emerged to put the game away for good by hitting a pair of impressive triples to put Phoenix up by 21, 116-95. Game, set, match. 2-0 start for Phoenix as they head east for a pair of games in Dallas.

Sit back, watch and admire the fourth quarter brilliance from Booker and Paul. Basketball poetry right there:

Maxey plays great but Heat top 76ers

Both teams were neck-and-neck in the first quarter, but Miami took a late lead heading into the second and never gave up the ropes. They didn’t blow Philly out of the water, but kept the lead and extended it little by little throughout the course of the game, eventually winning by a final score of 119-103 to take a 2-0 lead before everybody heads north for the next two matchups. Hopefully, Joel Embiid will try to give it a go next time out. Because otherwise, there’s not a lot of hope.

I wrote in my second-round preview that the Sixers absolutely needed James Harden to revert to the former MVP-level player he was over the previous five seasons. Unfortunately, he just hasn’t stepped up. So far in this series, he’s shot just 11-28 for 36 total points. Not getting it done.

Tyrese Maxey dropped 34 points on Wednesday to lead all scorers. He’s been substantially better than James Harden in the postseason, which feels like an insane sentence to be writing. But it’s the truth. As he has all year, Maxey continues to improve and prove there’s no ceiling on the level of player he can be. The second-year gadget guard is stepping up in the absence of his star teammate and playing excellent basketball.

On the other sideline, Bam Adebayo led the way for Miami in scoring with 23 while playing his typically superb defense. Especially since Erik Spoelstra is deploying him all over the court rather than anchoring him in the post if Embiid was playing.

Tyler Herro enjoyed 33 minutes of action off the bench, as he always does. The Bucket racked up 18 points and made 6-10 shots. The one-seeds are rolling in both conferences thus far in the semifinals.

🪣 @raf_tyler x 💥 @Bam1of1 pic.twitter.com/wDhz6tq8eM
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 5, 2022

Statistics

Player	Result	Points	FG(3PA)	Rebounds	Assists	Steals	Blocks	Turnovers	Minutes	+/-
Tyrese Maxey (PHI)	119-103 L @ MIA	34	12-22 (1-4)	3	1	2	0	0	43	-10
Devin Booker (PHO)	129-109 W vs. DAL	30	11-19 (5-8)	4	4	0	1	2	36	+21
Bam Adebayo (MIA)	119-103 W vs. PHI	23	7-11 (0-0)	9	3	1	0	1	33	+15
Tyler Herro (MIA)	119-103 W vs. PHI	18	6-10 (3-5)	7	3	0	1	2	33	+9