The Clippers, Grizzlies and Hawks look for Game 2 wins on Wednesday night.
The Los Angeles Clippers earned a huge Game 1 win over the defending champion San Antonio Spurs to start the postseason. On Wednesday night, the two teams will meet again to highlight an exciting three-game NBA playoff slate.
The matchup between the Clippers and Spurs was expected to be the best of the opening round of the postseason, but L.A. asserted itself in the first game with a 107-92 win. Blake Griffin had several thunderous dunks, Chris Paul racked up 32 points and DeAndre Jordan was active defensively throughout the game.
It was a sign the Clippers will be a tough out this season, even if they're facing one of the toughest contenders in the Spurs. Los Angeles and San Antonio were two of the hottest teams in the league to close out the regular season and should treat us to an exciting series by the time someone is eliminated.
The other two games of the night feature the Memphis Grizzlies taking on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Atlanta Hawks hosting the Brooklyn Nets.
Memphis is coming off a 100-86 victory over the Trail Blazers in Game 1 thanks to the inspiring performance of point guard Mike Conley, who missed the final few games of the regular season due to injury. They will look to take a 2-0 lead to Portland for Game 3.
The Grizzlies should have no shortage of motivation after The Oregonian reported that the Trail Blazers had a sign in their locker room that read, "we don't lose to Spanish players." It was a reference to a rivalry with Memphis star and Spanish native Marc Gasol, but it warranted an apology from Portland forward Nicolas Batum, who has often played Gasol in international competitions as a member of the French national team.
So expect Memphis to come out punching with the chance to grab a two-game lead in the series, especially if the Trail Blazers are without shooting guard Arron Afflalo again. Portland missed Afflalo in Game 1, and with Wesley Matthews and Dorell Wright also sidelined, the team is sorely in need of depth on the wings.
The night actually starts with the least interesting game, the No. 1 vs. No. 8 matchup between the Hawks and Nets. Brooklyn managed to expose some of Atlanta's problems in the first game, but they'll have a tough time doing it consistently enough to beat the East's top seed in a seven-game series.
Wednesday's schedule
Brooklyn Nets at Atlanta Hawks: 7 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Portland Trail Blazers at Memphis Grizzlies: 8 p.m. ET, TNT, TNT Overtime
San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT, TNT Overtime
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