Round of 16 - Nets 76, Suns 40
The Suns had final chance to pick up a win in the Fall 2021 Season, but it wasn't meant to be, as the Nets bounced them from the playoff tournament in convincing fashion, winning 76-40 to open up the Fall 2021 Playoff Tournament. Despite a relatively slow start to the game scoring-wise, the Nets began to pull away about ten minutes into the half, thanks to a deep bench, and steady play from the league's leading scorer, Red Binion. Binion led all scorers - as he so often does - with 20 points on 9/17 shooting. Mook Lawrence had 15 points, Ronnie Jackson had 11 points, and Jerry Wills had 10 points, as the Nets got back to the .500 mark (7-7). More important that that, the Nets advanced to the quarterfinals to face the Warriors (11-2) at 3:00 pm, the tournament's top overall seed and the winners of the West Division. The Suns meanwhile see their season end with a record of 0-14, as they were led in this contest by 12 points from Ferra Johnson and 10 points from Devonte Barnes.
Round of 16 - Mavericks 68, Celtics 67
In one of the best games of the season, the Mavericks edged the Celtics by one point in an instant classic 68-67, to advance to the quarterfinals. The Mavericks avenged a three-point loss from October with the win, thanks to Braijon Thomas' late-game heroics and a game-high 29 points. The Mavericks were leading 61-60, before the game saw five different lead changes in the final 75 seconds of the game. Following a Donald Ellis three pointer for the Celtics, Thomas would go on to score the final seven points of the game for the Mavericks, including a pair of free throws with nine seconds remaining to go up by one. Jamari Washington chipped in 15 points, and three other Mavericks - Antwan Peterson, Jordan Houston, and Patrick Allen - all had seven points. Peterson was the game's leading rebounder, hauling in 11 rebounds. The Celtics were led by Ellis and his 21 points, in one of his best games of the season. Mendi Naylor was also rock solid, scoring 17 points. Jonathan Townsend had nine points, and Jay Slone led the team with six rebounds. The Celtics end their season with a 3-11 record, while the Mavericks improve to 3-11 on their way to the quarterfinals, where they would take on the East's top team in the Bucks (9-4) at 4:15 pm.
Quarterfinals - Warriors 69, Nets 55
In the first of four highly anticipated quarterfinal matchups on the day, the top overall seed Warriors flexed their muscles and showed off their depth, pulling away from the Nets to win 69-55. In a rematch of a game from just one week ago, the Warriors made sure to keep their foot on the gas pedal for 40 minutes, knowing just what the Nets were capable of. The Warriors' four superstars all scored in double figures, led by Tyree Mosley's 24 points on 10/18 shooting. Sammie Hines and Latrell Tidwell had 13 points, and Martavias Laster had 12 points. Tidwell led the Warriors with 11 rebounds. In the loss for the Nets, Red Binion finished his superb sophomore season scoring 19 points, to take home the individual scoring title. TJ Wicks had 13 points, and Jerry Wills had 11 points. The biggest difference in the game took place on the glass, as the Warriors won the rebounding battle 36-23, enabling them to take an extra 15 shots in the contest. Wills and the Nets finish the season at 7-8, bowing out in the quarterfinals, and in a much different way than they did a year ago. The Warriors meanwhile improve to 12-2 and advance to next Sunday's semifinal matchups starting at 2:00 pm.
Quarterfinals - Bucks 73, Mavericks 64
The Bucks survived a second half surge of three pointers from the Mavericks, winning 73-64 and making their first ever trip to the semifinals. The Bucks jumped out to a 25-9 lead to start the game, but the Mavericks slowly chipped away, and got hot from the long line in the second half, connecting on 8/15. Darien Bosby continued his scorching hot play, scoring 23 points on 8/13 shooting to lead the Bucks. Coming off his 34-point performance and POTW honors in Week 11, the Bucks rode his play, as he connected for six of the team's 12 made three's. Jaquan Boxley and Caleb Johnson each had 13 points, and Christian Straw chipped in nine points for the Bucks. The Mavericks appeared to be a bit fatigued out of the gate, coming off their Round of 16 win against the Celtics. They picked things up in the second half though, sparked by Jamir Hinds who hit four three pointers in a several minute span. Braijon Thomas led the Mavericks with 19 points, while Hinds had 16 points. Jamari Washington had 12 points, as Antwan Peterson led the charge on the glass with 10 rebounds. Despite turning over the ball 16 times, the Bucks were slightly more efficient, making four more shots, despite having 13 fewer attempts. The Mavericks season ends in the quarterfinals with a record of 3-12. The Bucks improve to 10-4 and will play in next Sunday's semifinal matchups.
Quarterfinals - Spurs 61, Heat 47
In a rematch of perhaps the most surprising outcome of the entire regular season, the Spurs got their revenge in the game that mattered, knocking off the Heat 61-47 and sending them home for the year. In a game that felt very similar early on to their matchup from September 19th, the Spurs finally figured out the Heat's zone, and held them to just 50 shot attempts, while forcing 18 turnovers. Despite leading by just three points at the half, the Spurs went 6/14 from three point in the second half and pulled away down the stretch. Trey Johnson was the player of the game, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Chris Green led all scorers with 16 points, while Ryan Kvasnicka was effective with 11 points and nine rebounds. Ray Lawrence also contributed with 10 points and six rebounds. The Heat were led by Terrell Hendrix who had 15 points, and finished the season averaging exactly 20 points per game in another outstanding campaign. Octavius Jefferson had 11 points, while Alonzo King and Ke'Sean Williams led the Heat with five rebounds a piece. This was definitely the key to the game, as the Spurs dominated on the boards, winning the rebound battle 43-27, including a mammoth 25 offensive rebounds. The Heat's season ends at 7-7, while the Spurs improve to 11-3 and will play in the semifinals next Sunday.
Quarterfinals - Bulls 65, Lakers 62
In the marquee matchup of the day, the Bulls and Lakers went back and forth for 40 minutes in a physical, chippy contest, before the Bulls came out on top in the end by a score of 65-52. In a game that saw three technical fouls, including two on the same play by the Lakers, the game seemed to take a momentum swing from this, propelling the Bulls in a second half where they outscored the Bulls 34-26. The Bulls were a bit better on the glass (45-36), but turned the ball over 14 times compared to just three for the Lakers, who came away with eight steals. Seth Johnson led all scorers with 24 points, while Benito Munoz had 21 points. Bobby Crivokapich had 18 points and led all players with 11 rebounds. The Bulls "Big 3" scored a whopping 63 of the team's 65 points. For the Lakers, they never really found their groove offensively, despite the stellar play of point guard Andre Robertson Jr. who had 18 points and three assists. LJ Harris led the team with 19 points, while Tone Brooks was held to just eight points, and Quon Shaw to just seven points. Despite being the final undefeated team in the league, and knocking off both the Spurs and the Warriors this year, the Lakers seemed to struggle down the stretch, particularly with ball movement and their team chemistry. They logged just eight assists in this game, as they finish their season with a record of 9-5. The Bulls meanwhile improve to 9-5 as they were the first team to knock off the Lakers twice this year. They will play in next Sunday's semifinal matchups at 2:00 pm.