On a Thursday night, the NBA playoffs resumed with another doubleheader featuring the No. 1 seeds in the Eastern and Western Conferences. In game one, the Boston Celtics were run off the court late by a Cleveland Cavaliers team that was unwilling to roll over and drop to a 0-2 deficit. While in the second game of the doubleheader, the Dallas Mavericks were also able to score a surprise road win and take back home advantage from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
With all of that in mind, let’s take a look at the biggest winners and losers from Thursday’s NBA Playoffs games.
Winner: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
Cavs superstar Donovan Mitchell is in a similar position as Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson as the undisputed top target for opposing defenses. Come playoff time that can be difficult to confront, especially against an elite team like Boston.
Nonetheless, the five-time All-Star was outstanding during his 39 minutes and was a +38 for his team while on the floor. He dropped 29 on the night as he hit 10 of his 19 shots and was not far off from a triple-double with seven boards and eight assists in the win.
Loser: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is only a loser as a teammate and not an individual player. He had a very good showing in Game 2 as he posted 33 points, pulled in 12 rebounds, and was two assists away from a playoff triple-double. Unfortunately, his best efforts were wasted and he heads to Dallas with a 1-1 tie in the series.
Winner: Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Luka Doncic is clearly not healthy but it didn’t matter as he led the Mavericks to a monster road victory to even the series at a game a piece. His 29 points were tied for the most on the team, he was one shy of the most boards, had the second-most assists, and led the team in steals. Doncic had a complete game and played a huge role in a huge win.
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Loser: Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
While top star Jayson Tatum will take some heat for being ineffective during his 38 minutes, he still led the team with 25 points. However, he got little help from his wingman Jaylen Brown on Thursday. The $286 million man was a team-worst -29 during his 31 minutes and put up a goose egg from three on six shots.
Boston can beat most teams on any night, but in the NBA Playoffs, if their two top stars aren’t playing well they become a lot more beatable.
Winner: Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
Donovan Mitchell will need all the help he can get for the Cavs to have any chance of upsetting the Celtics in the semifinals, and he got that in Game 2 — especially from Evan Mobley. The 22-year-old was fantastic on Thursday as he posted 21 points, 10 boards, five assists, and two blocks during a highly effective night where he was a game-high +38 while on the court.
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Loser: Boston Celtics fans
Boston Celtics fans were the biggest losers in the first game on Thursday night. They have seen their team be a dominant force all season long, especially at home where they have only lost four times in the regular season. However, their 118-94 drubbing at the hands of Cleveland was their second home defeat in these playoffs.
Boston fans had to watch a messy performance from their title-contending team and realize that they won’t have the home-court advantage they expected in these playoffs.
Winner: JB Bickerstaff, Cleveland Cavaliers
Obviously, the goal for Cleveland was to at least get a split in Boston to start the series. However, few expected them to do that, especially after barely surviving their series against the Magic. But Cavs coach JB Bickerstaff deserves credit for having his team ready and achieving the ultimate mission of games one and two. Now, they have the home-court advantage and a little more hope than they had a couple of days ago.
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Loser: Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks
While his team was victorious on Thursday night, it wasn’t due to an amazing game from the 10-time All-Star. Outside of his team-leading 11 assists, Irving was fairly quiet for most of the game as he only scored nine points on 2-8 shooting from the floor.
He will get credit for doing other things in the win, but if not for the efforts of players like PJ Washington and Tim Hardaway, Irving’s quiet evening would have gotten a lot more attention.
Winner: PJ Washington, Dallas Mavericks
Speaking of Washington, wow, what a night for the former Charlotte Hornets first-round pick. The rotation player had the game of his career as he was tied for the team’s most points (29) and also led the Mavs with 11 rebounds. He played a monster role in their Game 2 win, especially with Irving playing more of a traditional point guard role.
Loser: Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder
Josh Giddey was a contributor in the Thunder’s sweep of the Pelicans in Round 1 but he has struggled mightily against Dallas. After posting just two points in 17 minutes during Game 1, head coach Mark Daigneault only played him in 11 minutes on Thursday after he was a game-worst -20 when he was on the floor. OKC needs Giddey to be better if they want to advance to the Conference Finals.
