NBA

Previous reports indicated that Tatum would be considered “day-to-day”, so this shouldn’t be a lengthy absence for him. However, he is expected to miss this game, which will provide the Magic a chance to steal homecourt advantage. Al Horford and Sam Hauser are the likely candidates to move into the starting unit, though Payton Pritchard will certainly take one extra minutes off the bench.

Rozier’s absence stems from an ankle injury sustained during Monday’s optional workout. He fell out of Miami’s rotation before injuring his ankle, and his availability won’t have a noticeable impact on Miami’s rotation.

Tatum took a hard fall in the fourth quarter of Game 1, and though he remained in the game, he left early after looking uncomfortable. Tatum’s status for Game 2 is a monster storyline, and if the superstar forward is not able to go, his playing time could be filled with a committee approach. Guys like Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Al Horford could see bumps in playing time if Tatum is sidelined.

Lillard has not played since March 18, but he’ll be available for Game 2 after Milwaukee got smoked in Game 1. Lillard did some chirping with Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam from the bench in that one, so expect him to be fired up when he takes the court on Tuesday.

Murray struggled with his shot in Game 1 but was able to improve his shooting efficiency in Game 2. However, that wasn’t enough to help Denver defend their homecourt. Murray was able to make a strong impact and hit a triple to tie the game at 100 with 2:07 left in the fourth. However, that ended up being his final shot attempt of the night. The Nuggets ceded homecourt advantage by losing this game, and they’ll need to win one of the next two games to get it back. Game 3 will be in Los Angeles on Thursday.

After dropping 32 points in Game 1, Harden didn’t replicate that scoring in Game 2. That can mostly be attributed to Kawhi Leonard taking over this game, which led to fewer shots from Harden. The series shifts to Los Angeles, and Thursday will be the first playoff game in the Intuit Dome. Harden had 35 points and 10 assists against the Rockets in the Clippers’ last home game. Unless Kawhi goes nuclear again, expect Harden to be more involved on offense in Game 3.

It has been over a month since Zubac played a game and didn’t record a double-double. Playoff basketball hasn’t changed that. He has averaged 18.5 points and 12.5 rebounds through the first two games of this series while trying to slow down Nikola Jokic. Zubac is a finalist for the league’s Most Improved Player award, and even if he doesn’t win it, the strides that he has taken this season will help him get paid. He’s in year one of a three-year, $58.7 million contract, which is a bargain for the Clippers.

This was an unreal performance from Leonard. He entered halftime with just one brick and didn’t miss his second shot until the fourth quarter. He also ended the first half with a triple at the buzzer to give the Clippers a lead. He scored or assisted on LA’s final seven points, and he had a steal with 37.1 seconds left that helped secure the win. Kawhi played like the player that willed the Raptors to a championship in 2019. Injuries have derailed his tenure with the Clippers, but if he continues to channel the Kawhi of the past, they’ll have a chance to make a run.

When asked about how to help Michael Porter Jr. stay engaged after Game 1, Nikola Jokic said, “If you’re not going to be engaged right now, then you’re not supposed to be playing this sport.” Well, MPJ seemed to be more engaged in Game 2, and he ended up making some big plays down the stretch of this game as both a shooter and rebounder. He set a new playoff career-high for rebounds after finishing with just three points and four rebounds in 27 minutes on Saturday. Even though Denver didn’t get the win, MPJ playing better was a positive takeaway. If he keeps this up moving forward, Denver will be tough to beat.

After narrowly missing out on a triple-double in Game 1, Jokic had no problems reaching those marks on Monday. This was the 19th playoff triple-double of his career, which is third in NBA history behind Magic Johnson and LeBron James. As impressive as parts of his stat line were, this wasn’t a flawless night for Jokic. He left four points at the free throw line in a three-point loss, and he turned it over seven times, including once with 37.1 seconds left in the game. Jokic was incredible, but he will need to be even better in Game 3 on Thursday to help Denver take back home-court advantage in this series.