Wednesday night holds the key for two high seeds, struggling to find a win on their home court before they have to play on the road. Indiana and Oklahoma City are on the ropes, and will need to find footing heading into Game 2. Let’s check out the action.
NBA playoff schedule 2014: Wizards, Clippers look to steal Game 2 away from home
Washington and Los Angeles were both able to win Game 1 on the road as they began the semifinal round in the NBA playoffs on Monday.
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Washington Wizards vs. Indiana Pacers, Game 2
7 p.m. ET (TNT)
Washington played to their strengths in Game 1 on Monday. It helped that those strengths just happen to be Indiana's weaknesses. The Wizards shot the lights out from three, going 10-of-16 from deep as they beat the Pacers, 102-96. Bradley Beal was particularly impressive, scoring 25 points while grabbing seven rebounds, seven assists, five steals and one block.
Indiana suffered from the same issues they had against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round. They failed to stop to stop the three-point attack, and had trouble keeping John Wall from slashing to the paint. Nene drew Roy Hibbert out of the paint, where the Pacers big man struggled, ending the game without scoring a single point or grabbing a rebound. Indiana looks like they are in trouble in the semifinals, where even a home court advantage might not be able to save them against a strong Washington team.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, Game 2
9:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
It was all Chris Paul in Game 1. The Los Angeles Clippers guard was seemingly unstoppable, scoring 32 points to go along with 10 assists and two rebounds as the All-Star had a career-high eight made three-pointers. His performance pushed the Clippers past the Thunder, despite Oklahoma City beating L.A. on the glass, 47-31. Save for DeAndre Jordan, every Los Angeles starter scored in double figures on Monday night.
For Oklahoma City, it was a disappointing result due to poor defense. The Thunder were efficient on offense, shooting 45.9 percent from the field. Kevin Durant scored 25 points but went just 9-of-19. Durant got to the line just eight times, and he will have to be more assertive in Game 2. Scott Brooks' offense seemed to have woken up as the Thunder closed against the Grizzlies, but it appears that defense will need to be the focus as Oklahoma City tries to avoid going down, 2-0, at home.
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