Pacers, Mavericks even series with clutch road wins; What’s wrong with the Suns?

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Good morning everyone, but especially…

THE DALLAS MAVERICKS AND THE INDIANA PACERS

Finally, a road team won an NBA playoff game. Two, actually. After the visit Pacemakers tied the series at one game each with a 125-108 victory over MoneyO Independents did the same against Clippers in Los Angeles, 96-93.

For Dallas, it was the Luka Doncic It is Kyrie Irving show: They combined for 55 points in what was generally a defensive struggle. In key moments, it was the visitors’ defense that struck the most. In the fourth quarter, LA went 4:26 without scoring, while Dallas went 14-0. Kawhi Leonard returned for the Clippers, but scored just 15 points.

This was in stark juxtaposition with the Pacers’ offensive explosion. Indiana scored 30+ points in all four quarters behind a Pascal Siakam masterpiece (37 points, 11 rebounds, six assists). All five starters scored in double figures and Indiana made 16 3-pointers.

You can see all of our topics here.

Honorable mentions

And it wasn’t such a good day for…

THE PHOENIX SUNS

On the last day of the regular season, the Suns burned the Timber Wolves at 19 to secure a first-round matchup with Minnesota. It was widely seen as a huge victory for Phoenix, who had won all three regular-season meetings convincingly and were finally fully healthy entering the postseason.

Since then, however, the Timberwolves have been the stronger team and much, much better. That was evident once again on Tuesday when Minnesota took a 2-0 series lead with a 105-93 win.

Phoenix was seen as a tough matchup for Minnesota thanks to its plethora of shooters, but those shooters actually need to make shots. Through two games…

• Devin Booker is 11 of 29 (38%), and Phoenix has been outscored by 39 with him on the court.
• Bradley Beal is 12 of 27 (44%), and Phoenix has been outscored by 20 with him on the court.
• Kevin Durant in fact, he’s holding up his end of the bargain, shooting 17 of 32 (53%), but Phoenix was outscored by 44 points with him on the court.
• With the three on the court, Phoenix was outscored by 27 points. For reference, in two regular season games with the three stars on the court against Minnesota, it was Phoenix who improved, by 31.

To make matters worse, Phoenix’s best sniper, Grayson Allen, injured his ankle.

Minnesota didn’t have the best defense in the league by accident. Jaden McDaniels is making life hell for Phoenix’s big three (he also
scored 25 points on Tuesday), Rudy Gobert has been excellent and Antonio Eduardo is as competitive a star on both sides as there is. The Suns had 19 turnovers and never looked comfortable.

More than that, they didn’t seem inspired, excited or, frankly, tough — everything teams need in the playoffs.

Not-so-honorable mentions

NFL Draft Insider Notebook: Top five trade rumors, plus a fast-rising defender

One of the best things about the NFL is that it truly is a 24/7, 365 business. Every day there is something new.

One day before the NFL Draft, the rumor mill is busier than ever. There was a clear number 1 – Caleb Williams for the Bears – for a while, and recently, Jayden Daniels emerged as favorite to take second place Commanders. So who knows? Fortunately, CBS NFL Senior Fellow Jonathan Jones emptied everything he’s listening to into his internal notebookincluding #3, #4 and #5.

• “North Caroline quarterback Drake Maye could be the third quarterback — and third player — selected Thursday night. He has the tools, but a quarterback coach called him “raw as fuck” and said he needs to improve his footwork. …I have yet to speak to anyone around the league who strongly believes Maye will be the Patriots‘ choice. More than anything, most seem to assume he is the choice.”
• “O Cardinals are at the negotiating table presenting a strong hand. They seem comfortable accepting Marvin Harrison Jr. at fourth overall, but they could very well trade back. Sources say GM Monti Ossenfort have at least two exchange offers in hand…”
  
• “O Chargers are also prime candidates for being traded down, and will become even more so if the Cardinals take the No. 4 seed. In my simulation, I had Los Angeles trade with Minnesota for picks 11 and 23.”
  

Speaking of Jonathan’s mockery – he only makes one – there’s a big change he wishes he could make.

• Jones: “My biggest regret from last week’s mock draft was having Byron Murphy II being chosen so late. He could be the first defensive player off the board. Murphy got a lot of love around the league and I made fun of him until the end. Rams because his narrative replacing Aaron Donald it was too good. I don’t believe he will be available at No. 19.”

Jonathan’s notebook It’s packed with great insights, and we’ve got plenty more, including…

Winners, losers of the first week of the spring portal window

Featured running back Dylan Edwards It is among the last players transferred from Coloradoa team whose comings and goings became so busy that we dedicated a entire transfer portal tracker just for the Buffaloes. The sheer quantity and quality of players leaving would be alarming at any other program (and, frankly, it’s still alarming at Colorado), but the names coming in are undeniably impressive.

As such, Colorado ends up in both groups of Will Backus’ winners and losers of the first week of the spring transfer portal.

• Backups: “Pittsburgh edge transfer Dayon Hayesone of the best pass-rushers on the market, and Ohio defensive line transfer Rayyan Buell will add some much-needed disruption along Colorado’s defensive front. … Old Ohio State running back Dallan Hayden …will have the opportunity to shine… Whether those who leave are worthy of a starting position or not, how Sanders questioned, established and consistent depth is important for a team trying to bounce back from three straight losing seasons. And some of those departures were almost certainly more than deep plays.”

No surprise, Dean Sanders is among the College coaches under greater pressure to win this yearwrites Shehan Jeyarajah.

There is always pressure on Alabama, and especially when you’re replacing the GOAT. Will says Kalen De Boer and the Crimson Tide are winners so far this spring too.

As always, be sure to keep our spring transfer portal tracker handy.

Transfer Portal Needs for All Top Teams

The wild carousel of college basketball coaching has left many big-name teams and coaches scrambling to build rosters. The SEC’s largest program – Kentucky – and arguably the biggest name coach in the sport – João Caliparinow in Arkansas – they both have their work cut out for them, and we have been tracking the Razorbacks‘ and the Wildcats’ ever-changing lineups.

There is much less to be determined for the main team in Gary Parrish’s Top 25 and 1: Own accountin Kansas He did a remarkable job on the portal to win first place, but he has more to do. Isaac Trotter has transfer portal needs for all core teamsincluding the Jayhawks.

• Trotter: “Priority: Shooting – Kansas added a ton of self-created bucket-chasers to its rotation. AJ Storr, Riley Kugel It is Zeke Mayo everyone can go get one. With Johnny Furphy Going through the NBA Draft process, KU could use another shooting guard who can stretch the floor and run and shoot in transition. …Alabama transfer Rylan Griffen could help change that, and KU is in charge of this recruitment.”

If your favorite team is looking to round out their roster – and what team isn’t? — The Story of Isaac is a great resource.

What will we watch on Wednesday

Game 2: Playoff at Celtics7pm on TNT
Game 3: Bruins at Maple Leafs7pm on ESPN
Game 2: Pelicans at Thunder9:30 pm on TNT
Game 2: Golden Knights in the Stars9:30 pm on ESPN
Game 2: Kings at Oilers10pm on TBS