By Geoffrey Latayan
The New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets will aim for a 2-0 lead in the first-round of their respective NBA playoff series on Monday night.
The Knicks and the Nuggets won their opening games in contrasting fashion to kick off their respective series on a bright note.
New York outclassed Detroit 123-112 to take a 1-0 advantage while Denver edged L.A. Clippers 112-110 in overtime.
Knicks seek to use comeback win as motivation
The Tom Thibodeau-coached Knicks will look to use their come-from-behind win against Detroit as a motivation to secure a two-game advantage before the series shifts to Detroit on Thursday.
Madison Square Garden has had its share of memorable New York playoff games and in Game 1, the Knicks’ 21-0 fightback to overturn an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit has been included in the arena’s lore.
Guards Jalen Brunson and Cam Payne, who combined for 48 points in the Game 1 win, and double-double machine Karl-Anthony Towns will once again lead the Knicks’ surge to a 2-0 spread against the young Pistons.
Third-year guard Cade Cunningham, who had a hard time on offense against the defense employed by New York coach Tom Thibodeau, will try to lead the Pistons in Game 2 and tie the series at one apiece.
Meanwhile, veteran Tobias Harris aims to duplicate his 25-point performance but not his bad second-half performance where he was limited to three points.
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Jokic-led Nuggets aim to overcome Kawhi-Harden Clippers
Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets held off the dreaded combination of Kawhi Leonard and James Harden to secure a 112-110 overtime win.
Jokic finished one rebound shy of a triple-double, tallying 29 points, nine rebounds and 12 assists.
However, it was Russell Westbrook who provided the late-game heroics in regulation and in overtime.
The former MVP knocked off the inbounds pass away from James Harden with 9.6 seconds left in overtime to seal the win.
Earlier, Westbrook hit an uncontested 3-pointer to give the Nuggets a two-point lead against his former team.
Denver will once again look for the production of Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray to outsteady the Clippers’ combo of Harden and Leonard, who scored 32 and 22 points, respectively in Game 1.
Gordon and Murray combined for 46 points while Westbrook had 15 points and eight rebounds despite shooting 5-of-17 from the field.
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