NBA Playoffs 2011: Game 1 Roundup (Part 1)
Sixteen National Basketball Association (NBA) franchises qualified for the playoffs. Four games took place on Saturday, 16th April, in the first round of the best-of-seven conference quarter-final series. The Dallas Mavericks, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat and
Atlanta Hawks came out on top in their matches.
Here is an overview of the matchups:
Dallas Mavericks 89 – Portland Trail Blazers 81
The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 89-81 in Game one of their Western Conference first-round series at the American Airlines Centre on Saturday night.
Dirk Nowitzki scored a game-high 28 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in the victory. Guard Jason Kidd played one of his best games of the season, hitting six three-pointers on the way to a 24-point spurt for the victors.
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle appreciated the fantastic performance of the 38-year-old Kidd. Carlisle said, "We had some guys who didn't play their best games, but Jason Kidd played the game of his year to this point. Every shot he made, every play he made
was absolutely essential for us."
LaMarcus Aldridge led the Trail Blazers with 27 points and six rebounds while Marcus Camby had 18 rebounds in the defeat. Andre Miller added 18 points and six rebounds while forward Nicolas Batum scored 14 points for Portland.
Portland, who are seeded sixth in the Eastern Conference, got off to a fast start and held a 22-21 lead after 12 minutes.
The third-seeded Mavericks turned it on in the second quarter and outscored the Blazers 26-15. Dallas then managed to take a ten-point lead at 47-37 going into the locker room.
Trailing by ten points at half time, the Blazers made a marginal comeback in the third quarter. Portland cut the deficit to just four points after three quarters.
Portland fought hard in the fourth quarter and managed to make it a two-point game, 80-78, with just two minutes to go in the quarter. However, Dallas then went on a 9-3 run to seal the victory.
Atlanta Hawks 103 – Orlando Magic 93
Joe Johnson finished with 25 points, five assists and five rebounds, as the Atlanta Hawks thrashed the Orlando Magic 103-93 in the opener of their Eastern Conference quarter-final series at the Amway Centre.
Jamal Crawford came off the bench with 23 points and five assists while centre-forward Al Horford posted 16 points and six rebounds in the victory. Josh Smith had 15 points and eight rebounds, while guard Kirk Hinrich totalled 13 points and five rebounds
for the fifth-seeded Atlanta.
Only two Orlando players managed to reach double-figures. Magic star Dwight Howard did all he could as he tied a career-high with 46 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in the defeat.
Guard Jameer Nelson joined Howard in double-figures with 27 points and six rebounds for the Magic. Both teams played the first quarter at crisp pace but Orlando managed to take a 19-17 lead into the second.
The Hawks came out strongly in the second quarter and converted the two-point deficit into a 55-48 advantage at half time. Atlanta continued to play offensively in the third quarter and extended their lead to 85-71 heading into the final stanza.
The Hawks maintained their lead throughout the fourth quarter and walked away with a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
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