Catch the Excitement of Round 1 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs

Arguably the most entertaining tournament in the sports world, the NBA playoffs tournament has begun, and it’s better than ever. With the superstars of both conferences making it to the playoffs this season, we are sure in for a treat. The king LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers has returned to the tournament after missing out last season; meanwhile, their city rivals, the Clippers, finally have their superstar Kawhi Leonard healthy for a postseason run. With game one of the first round completed, we will be previewing game two of the first round of the NBA 2023 playoffs with predictions and odds to back it up.

2023 NBA Playoffs Bracket

Here, we look at how the sixteen teams in the postseason matchup in each conference in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs.

Eastern Conference

• Milwaukee Bucks (1st seed) Vs Miami Heat (8th seed)
• Boston Celtics (2nd seed) Vs Atlanta Hawks (7th seed)
• Philadelphia 76ers (3rd seed) Vs Brooklyn Nets (6th seed)
• Cleveland Cavaliers (4th seed) Vs New York Knicks (5th seed)

Western Conference

• Denver Nuggets (1st seed) Vs Minnesota Timberwolves (8th seed)
• Memphis Grizzlies (2nd seed) Vs Los Angeles Lakers (7th seed)
• Sacramento Kings (3rd seed) Vs Golden State Warriors (6th seed)
• Phoenix Suns (4th seed) Vs Los Angeles Clippers (5th seed)

2023 NBA Playoffs Round One Latest Results 

Here is a recap of all the actions you missed in game one of round one of the NBA 2023 playoffs. Game one usually sets the series’ tone and exposes many details for in-depth analysis of the series matchup.

Milwaukee Bucks Vs Miami Heat 

It’s a surprise seeing Miami edge past the Bucks at home in game one. This was mainly because the Bucks lost their star man Giannis Antetokoumpo to a back contusion after a scary fall in the first quarter. His absence had a great impact as the Bucks lost the game 130-117 to the Miami Heat.

• However, Miami Heat were without a loss as well as they also lost a key piece in Tyler Herro to a broken hand in the second quarter with his status in the series in jeopardy.

• Khris Middleton stepped up and led the Bucks in scoring with 33 points, while Jrue Holiday followed up with 18 points and Bobby Portis scored a second team-high 21 points from the bench.

• Playoff Jimmy might just be back as the forward dropped a game-high 35 points with 11 dimes. Bam Adebayo followed with 22 points as he had less to worry about with Giannis leaving the game early.

Boston Celtics Vs Atlanta Hawks 

The reigning Eastern Conference champions, the Boston Celtics, made a statement against the Hawks in a strong defensive performance, earning them a 112-99 win over Atlanta.

• The duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown ran riot with 25 and 29 points, respectively. Meanwhile, Derrick White continued to shine, dropping 24 points to lead the Celtics to a dominant win.

• Dejounte Murray led the Hawks in scoring with 24 points, while regular-season assist leader Trae Young added 16 points and eight dimes.

Philadelphia 76ers Vs Brooklyn Nets 

Philadelphia had a favorable matchup with the Brooklyn Nets, and they took care of game one in an exquisite fashion. It was a remarkable team effort from the 76ers, who dominated the Nets in a 121-101 win to take game one.

• It was showtime for James Harden in Philadelphia as he ended the game with 23 points and 13 assists. He hit a game-high number of three-pointers made (7). Joel Embiid, as expected, led the 76ers in scoring with 26 points, while Tobias Harris added 21 points.

• Mikal Bridges, who has been a revelation since he got traded to the Nets, scored a game-high 30 points. Cam Johnson added 18 points, while Spencer Dwinddie scored 14.

Cleveland Cavaliers Vs New York Knicks

This matchup has caught the eye of the basketball world. Game one between these teams came down to the wire as the New York Knicks narrowly won 101-97. The Knicks outscored the Cavs in bench points, which was this game’s major decider.

• It was Jalen Brunson who carried his stellar regular season form to the postseason as he led the Knicks in scoring with 27 points. Julius Randle scored 19 points, ten rebounds double-double, while Josh Hart added 17 points from the bench.

• Donovan Mitchell was exceptional in game one. He dropped a game-high 38 points, but it was not enough to secure the dub for the Cavs. Darius Garland added 17 points, while Jarrett Allen had 14 points with 14 rebounds.

Denver Nuggets Vs Minnesota Timberwolves

The Nuggets showed why they were the first seed as they completely humiliated the Timberwolves in a 109-80 game one win. Nikola Jokic also fouled out in this game.

• It was Jamal Murray who led the Nuggets in scoring with 24 points, while Michael Porter Jr and Nikola Jokic had 18-11 and 13-14 double-doubles in points and rebounds, respectively.

• The Timberwolves had only two players in the starting five who scored double digits in points. It was Anthony Edwards with 18 points and Karl-Anthony Towns with 11 points.

Memphis Grizzlies Vs Los Angeles Lakers

We have quite the series at hand as the Los Angeles Lakers pulled off an upset in a convincing 128-112 game one win. The Grizzlies might be in trouble as their superstar point guard Ja Morant sustained a hand injury in an attempt at a ferocious dunk on Anthony Davis. His status for the remaining part of the series remains unknown.

• It was Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Grizzlies who led the team in scoring with a game-high 31 points; Desmond Bane added 22. Before his hand injury, Ja Morant had 18 points.

• Rui Hachimura was the star of the game for the Lakers; he dropped 29 points from the bench; meanwhile, Austin Reaves followed with 23 points. LeBron James had a 21 points, 11-assist double-double, while Anthony Davis added 22 points as well.

Sacramento Kings Vs Golden State Warriors

This is one matchup that has lived up to expectations. The game between the Kings and defending NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors, was exciting and action-packed. Two teams with a similar style of play faced off and showed out! The Kings were eventual winners, as they escaped the Warriors in game one with a 126-123 victory.

• In what was De’Aaron Fox’s first-ever playoff game, he dropped a huge 38 points to lead the Kings to the win. Malik Monk was also unbelievable in game one as he followed up with 32 points from the bench.

• Stephen Curry led the Warriors in points with 30 points, while Klay Thompson added 21 points. Returning after a long absence, Andrew Wiggins dropped 17 points alongside Jordan Poole’s 17.

Phoenix Suns Vs Los Angeles Clippers

One of the favorites to win it all this season, the Phoenix Suns, was locked in an intense battle against the Los Angeles Clippers. There’s history between Suns’ forward Kevin Durant and Clippers’ guard Russell Westbrook, which was evident in this matchup. But one matchup that was exciting to watch out for was the exchange of buckets between Durant and Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers emerged as eventual winners and took game one with a score of 115-110.

• Kawhi Leonard exerted his usual playoff dominance in this game with 38 points, making him joint play-offs point leader with Donovan Mitchell. Eric Gordon followed with 19 points, while Russell Westbrook, who shot extremely poorly in the game, impressed with his clutch plays which essentially earned the Clippers the win.

• Kevin Durant has finally lost a game in a Sun’s uniform, but he led his team in scoring with a near triple-double of 27 points, nine boards, and 11 assists. Devin Booker added 18 points, while Deandre Ayton scored 18 points.

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NBA 2023 Playoffs Round 1 Game 2 Predictions

• Milwaukee Bucks Vs Miami Heat: The Bucks are likely to have Giannis back in game two despite him being on a day-to-day evaluation. However, it seems Tyler Herro will be missing the entire series, so we are backing the Bucks to get one back at home and draw level terms. The odds for the Bucks to win is 1.40

• Boston Celtics Vs Atlanta Hawks: Celtics play at the T.D Garden Arena again, and Atlanta Hawks did not show signs that they can get back in the series in their first game. This is backed to be a reflection of their first meeting with the Celtics, tipped to win again at home and cover the spread. The odds for Celtics to win and cover the spread -10.5 is 1.93

• Philadelphia 76ers Vs Brooklyn Nets: The 76ers have the Nets in check, and what we can expect in this game is another dominant win for Philadelphia, who are backed to go two games up and cover the spread. The odds for the 76ers to win and cover the spread -10.5 is 2.01

• Cleveland Cavaliers Vs New York Knicks: The first game between these two teams was very close. The Knicks won, but they were not convincing enough to back them in game two. We are tipping the Cavs to perform much better than in the first game and win game two at home. The odds for the Cavs to win is 1.53

• Denver Nuggets Vs Minnesota Timberwolves: The Minnesota Timberwolves are no match for the first-seed Denver Nuggets. After seeing the Nuggets easily dominate the Timberwolves in game one, we are backing the Nuggets to win and cover the spread comfortably in game two. The odds for the Nuggets to win and cover the spread -9.5 is 2.25

• Memphis Grizzlies Vs Los Angeles Lakers: Grizzlies know that they will be doomed to go down by two games against the Los Angeles Lakers. After injury reports, it’s clear Ja Morant won’t be playing in game two, but we have seen them excel without him in key games in the regular season. The Grizzlies are the pick to win game two. The odds for the Grizzlies to win is 1.84

• Sacramento Kings Vs Golden State Warriors: Game one between these two teams was very close. Nothing much separates either side, which is why the defending Champions are favorites to win game two to draw level. The odds for the Warriors to win is 2.00

• Phoenix Suns Vs Los Angeles Clippers: Kevin Durant and Co were absolutely gutted to lose game one. This meant that the Clippers canceled out the Suns’ home-game advantage. A clear winner can’t be predicted here, which is why the Clippers are the pick to cover the spread. The odds for the Clippers to cover the spread +5.5 is 2.26

The above predictions were carefully analyzed based on statistics obtained from game one, with the odds provided by the most reliable bookmaker you can think of, Stake.com. Follow FBR for more basketball-related news and predictions.