Sixers‑Blazers split
- What happened: The Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers each won on the road to tie their series 1-1. - The key specific: Game 2 road victories left both series even after the opening games. - Context: The split forces coaches to adjust matchups and rotations as the first round tightens. (x.com)
Philadelphia and Portland each stole Game 2 on the road Tuesday night, turning two first-round matchups into 1-1 series before the scene shifts. (nba.com) The 76ers beat the Boston Celtics 111-97 at TD Garden on April 21 behind 30 points and 10 rebounds from rookie VJ Edgecombe and 29 points with nine assists from Tyrese Maxey. The win evened the No. 7-versus-No. 2 East series at 1-1. (nba.com) Philadelphia did it without Joel Embiid, and NBA.com said the Sixers outshot Boston from 3-point range after losing Game 1 by 32 points, 123-91, two nights earlier. Games 3 and 4 are scheduled for April 24 and April 26 in Philadelphia. (nba.com) Portland answered later in San Antonio, beating the Spurs 106-103 after trailing 94-79 with 8:33 left in the fourth quarter. Scoot Henderson scored a playoff career-high 31 points as the No. 7 seed evened that West series at 1-1. (nba.com) The Spurs lost Victor Wembanyama in Game 2 after a hard fall and the team said he entered concussion protocol, leaving San Antonio without the center who scored 35 points in his playoff debut in Game 1. NBA.com said Portland leaned on Henderson after Wembanyama’s exit to finish the comeback. (nba.com) Those splits changed the math of both series. Boston and San Antonio opened as the higher seeds with home court, but the road wins sent each matchup into Games 3 and 4 with the lower seed holding the next two dates at home. (nba.com) For Philadelphia, the immediate question is whether Nick Nurse can keep getting enough creation from Maxey and Edgecombe if Embiid remains out. For Boston, Jaylen Brown said after Game 2 that the Celtics were out-competed and “can’t take anything for granted.” (nba.com) For Portland, the series has turned into a test of depth and late-game control after another comeback win. Acting coach Tiago Splitter said after Game 2, “This is why we do this,” as the Blazers headed home for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and Sunday. (nba.com) By Wednesday morning, both series looked less like routine 2-versus-7 matchups and more like coin flips with travel plans already rewritten. The next two games in Philadelphia and Portland will decide whether those Game 2 upsets were a detour or the new shape of the bracket. (nba.com)
