NBA Playoffs results: Raptors, Mavericks get even, Warriors win without Curry

Were you wondering if the Warriors respect the Rockets? Here’s your answer:

So, that’s a no. Sorry Rockets!

1) JaVale. JAVALE. This is an awful photoshop though, so it makes you wonder if maybe JaVale did it himself? And if he did, that makes it even better.

2) Charlie Villanueva found a way to celebrate and poke a little fun at himself, which was also good.

After the game, the Thunder made it clear they didn’t care for Villanueva’s antics.

It looked like the second half would be a different story with the Thunder scoring the first six points of the third, but the Mavericks just wouldn’t let the game get away from them. The Thunder led 62-59 after three, and even after building up a seven-point lead in the fourth, they couldn’t shake the pesky Dallas squad. The Mavs went on a 10-2 run to take a 79-78 lead with less than four minutes to play. The teams traded buckets and were tied at 81 before Felton hit a driving layup to give the Mavericks an 83-81 lead.

Here are three things we learned.

For a moment, it appeared as if the Thunder had shocked the Mavericks at the buzzer in Game 2 of their Western Conference playoff series. Steven Adams scored on a tip-in as the final horn sounded, but the shot was a fraction of a second late.

After getting blown out in Game 1, the Mavs have battled back to tie the series before it goes back to Dallas. Incredible.

Raptors fans can breathe a huge sigh of relief. After another Game 1 loss and a nervous first three quarters, the Raptors put the Pacers away early in the fourth quarter for a 98-87 win, evening their best-of-seven series at 1-1. A strong early run and a decisive bench performance late bookended the critical victory.

The Raptors came out firing, ready to make up for the loss in Game 1 on Sunday. They jumped out to a 21-7 lead thanks to some monster buckets from Jonas Valanciunas, who had 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting and seven rebounds in the first. The Pacers kept within striking distance throughout the first half, though, as DeMar DeRozan continued to struggle and Monta Ellis got hot. Toronto held only a 53-48 lead at halftime.

WELP. That was wrong. During Game 1 of the series (a game Toronto lost at home) the Raptors ran an in-house video mocking the state of Indiana. I’m actually someone who was born and raised in Indiana ... and sure ... we have some things we can be made fun of. Want to make fun of us for our obsession with Peyton Manning? Great. But here is where you went wrong, Toronto. You made fun of the Indiana Fever, one of the better WNBA franchises ever. A team that is completely superior to you when it comes to team success, playoff success, and just success in general. Let’s break down the Raptors vs. the Fever since both teams were created.

The Rockets are going to need more from Harden and the rest of his teammates if they have any hope of pulling off a Game 2 upset. They’re also going to need Curry to be held out. And possibly a miracle, too.

Place: Oracle Arena