The 2024 NBA Playoffs are officially here. With the Play-In Tournament concluded and the 16-team postseason bracket set, four first-round series started Saturday. It will be a heck of a ride from start to finish, and Saturday’s contests proved just that. 
The playoffs got going with a Cavaliers’ victory, as they defended their home court with a low-scoring win over the Orlando Magic. The Timberwolves, looking for their first playoff series victory since 2004, got off to a strong
start as well with a lopsided win over the Suns. The Knicks, fresh off their first 50-win regular season in 11 years, got Madison Square Garden rolling with a big win over Philadelphia, while the defending champion Nuggets began their quest for back-to-back titles with an easy win over LeBron James and the Lakers
The 2024 NBA Playoffs are officially here. With the Play-In Tournament concluded and the 16-team postseason bracket set, four first-round series started Saturday. It will be a heck of a ride from start to finish, and Saturday’s contests proved just that.
The playoffs got going with a Cavaliers’ victory, as they defended their home court with a low-scoring win over the Orlando Magic. The Timberwolves, looking for their first playoff series victory since 2004, got off to a strong start as well with a lopsided win over the Suns. The Knicks, fresh off their first 50-win regular season in 11 years, got Madison Square Garden rolling with a big win over Philadelphia, while the defending champion Nuggets began their quest for back-to-back titles with an easy win over LeBron James and the Lakers
Below is a look at the results from the first set of Game 1s, along with a handful of winners and losers from Saturday
Everyone knows how great of a passer Jokic is, but when his team needed him, he showed just how unstoppable he can be as a scorer. As the Nuggets launched their assault during the third quarter, Jokic we.t to his office in the paint, bullying the Lakers’ helpless
Once he established himself inside, Jokic got back to doing what he loves most — setting up teammates — and the Lakers had no answers. The likely three-time NBA MVP finished with 32 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists on shooting. Just a masterclass in Game 1 to help demoralize a Laker team that had a double-digit first-half lead. – Colin Ward-Henninger
D’Angelo Russell had a tremendous regular season, but when the Lakers drew the Nuggets in the first round it was hard not to recall last year’s Western Conference finals, when he was played off the court due to his defensive deficiencies and inconsistent shooting. Well …
Things didn’t go great for Russell in Game 1, as he shot just, from the field and 1-for-9 from 3-point range en route to 13 points. The inherent problem is that Russell needs to shoot a lot to be effective on the court, so when he’s not making them, you can’t really tell him to stop putting them up. Would Darvin Ham love to see Austin Reaves take more than nine shots? Sure. But it’s not like you can just forbid Russell — your most consistent shooter all season long — from taking shots he knows he can make. We’ll have to see how Ham handles Russell’s minutes moving forward, but he was bad once again against the Nuggets on Saturday night. – Colin Ward-Henninger
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