Both quarterfinal games offered some great performances. Let's revisit the key plays from Tuesday night.
With two matchups on Tuesday night, the NBA had an action-packed encounter. All four teams fought hard to claim the ticket of Las Vegas. A combined Giannis-Lillard show countered Jelen Suggs’ career-high points, and the Bucks secured the semifinal berth for the second successive year.
On the flip note, the Thunder overcame the Dallas Mavericks to become the first team to reach the semifinals from the West. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stole the show with 37 points and Isaiah Hartenstein contributed a double-double.
So let’s dive into the top five plays from Tuesday night:
During the final phase of the opening quarter, Goga Bitadze threw down a 1-foot alley-oop dunk over Giannis Antetokounmpo. It was a dominating quarter for the Magic, where they held a 34-26 lead at the end.
While running a pick-and-roll, Bitadze rolled to the basket through Wendell Carter Jr.’s assist. Giannis, who was in the last line of defence, didn’t try to jump. It could have added an action, but it was too late. Giannis replied with a 4-foot layup and reduced the lead to 5 points.
OKC’s Isaiah Joe made a 28-foot three-point jumper through Alex Caruso’s assist, and it was a stunning show on the buzzer-time. His 3-pointer helped Thunder to take the third quarter 33-19. It was an eye-pleasing attempt from the Oklahoma City center, who finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds while shooting 5-for-11.
Damian Lillard was the standout performer in the second half when the game was pretty intense. It’s a DAME time – the NBA responded when he was scoring points for the Bucks in the fourth quarter. He made a driving dunk with 32 seconds to play to break the lead.
Damian Lillard had 11 of Milwaukee’s last 13 points. Lillard now has the 4th most clutch 3PM in NBA history, passing Paul Pierce.
Also Read:
In the initial minutes of the first quarter, Dallas were leading 9-2, and Cason Wallace showed one of the best possessions. He blocked Luka Doncic’s jumper and clamped on the drive. Luka Doncic shot 25% field goal when defended by Cason Wallace.
Thunder point-guard tallied 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three 3-pointers over 31 minutes.
During the third quarter, Jalen Suggs was looking to stretch the lead for Magic. However, his two-point shot was blocked by Giannis. A few seconds later, the Greek Freak also got his revenge on Goga Bitadze as he slammed it home for a posterising jam. Antetokounmpo finished with 37 points and seven rebounds and become a strong contender to win his third MVP award.
NBA 
