Ray Allen, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant - Noticeable scorers from Round 1, April 17th games
New Orleans Hornets
It seems that tougher teams tend to bring out the best from New Orleans Hornets prolific swingman, Chris Paul. And on Sunday night, he faced as tough a team as he
could imagine – the two times defending champions, Los Angeles Lakers. He didn’t seem perturbed though as marched forward to de-root Lakers in the game-1 of the best-of-seven first round playoff series. The point guard scored a game-high 33 points, dished
out a whopping 14 assists, grabbed seven rebounds and four steals in the big win.
Memphis Grizzles
Zach Randolph contributed 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies pulled out a stunning win against NBA’s best, the San Antonio Spurs. The Grizzlies
forward knocked the opposition down with a 10-for-15 shooting from the field and also made two blocks in the win to go along with 5-of-8 free throws in 40 plus minutes.
Marc Gasol also made a tremendous impact in the very first game of the Round 1 of the playoffs. He led his team with 24 points to go along with nine rebounds, leaving
him just one shy of a double-double in the big win.
However, the biggest impact on the night was made by Shane Battier. The player nailed a game winning three point shot that lifted Memphis to 99-98 score with just
second remaining in the game. The Spurs never managed to draw level after that.
Boston Celtics
Ray Allen one again proved to the NBA world that he is indeed the king of three pointers. The player pinned in a three-pointer in the last gasp seconds as the Celts
squeaked out a single point win over the New York Knicks. Allen finished with a team high 24 points on a 9-for-15 shooting from the field. The player was 3-for-5 from the long range and also grabbed six rebounds in the first playoff win for the C’s this season.
New York Knicks
Amar’e Stoudemire was showed no signs of his injury as he scooped out game high 28 points on a 12-for-18 shooting from the field. The power forward also pulled out
a team high 11 rebounds. The player made 6-of-7 shots in the final frame to provide the Knicks a boost. However, his herculean effort was overshadowed by the brilliance of Ray Allen.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Kevin Durant gave the postseason opener his All-Star touch by scoring 41 points against the Denver Nuggets. The player rallied past the opposition with 12-of-15 free throws,
3-of-6 three-pointers and a 13-of-22 shooting from the field. He also grabbed 9 rebounds in the win.
Russell Westbrook was also tremendous. The player scooped out 31 points, dished out seven assists and grabbed six rebounds in the big win. He also banged in 3-of-4
three-pointers and finished on a 12-for-23 shooting from the field.
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