Top 5 player matchups in 1st round of NBA playoffs
Once the postseason comes around, the smallest details are scrutinized as teams look for an edge over their opponents. The individual battles within the war are brought into the limelight as each side adjusts accordingly.
Here are the five best player matchups in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Nikola Vucevic (ORL) vs. Marc Gasol (TOR)
Vucevic has been a truckload for the Toronto Raptors to handle this season. The Orlando Magic center is averaging 20 points, 15.5 boards, and 4.8 assists per contest in four meetings against the club this year. His bruising, physical interior play is one of the reasons why the Raptors acquired Gasol. The Spaniard provides a counter against big men like Vucevic that Serge Ibaka isn't best suited for.
In the teams' most recent meeting, Vucevic was limited to 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting with Gasol marking him for most possessions. The Montenegro native ranks 11th in points in the paint and tied for 17th in second-chance points. Gasol's performance against Vucevic will go a long way in determining how head coach Nick Nurse game plans against Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid in a potential second-round showdown.
Stephen Curry (GSW) vs. Patrick Beverley (LAC)
Beverley won't match Curry shot-for-shot, but he'll be breathing down the neck of the two-time MVP with each possession. The L.A. Clippers guard isn't an offensive juggernaut, yet he's earned the respect of his peers with his hard-nosed play on the opposite end. Beverley was voted the fourth-best defender on a recent anonymous player poll conducted by The Athletic's Sam Amick.
Despite being 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, Beverley's fearless on the court and won't be fazed by any matchup, even if his counterpart is arguably the best shooter in NBA history. The 30-year-old is an absolute pest, consistently applying pressure to his man on and off the ball. He keeps his hands active to disrupt passing lanes and won't hesitate to dive for loose balls. Curry is too talented to not get his share of points, but Beverley will make him work and feel as uncomfortable as possible.
Russell Westbrook (OKC) vs. Damian Lillard (POR)
There's no love lost between Westbrook and Lillard. The former is already public enemy No. 1 in Portland for his previous tussles with the Trail Blazers star, adding another dynamic to their much-anticipated showdown.
Neither player had trouble scoring against one another during the regular season. Lillard averaged 34.8 points - his highest against any Western Conference opponent - on 46.2 percent shooting. The four-time All-Star dropped 25 of a season-high 51 points in March with the Oklahoma City Thunder star defending him.
Westbrook averaged 29.5 points per contest and had a pair of triple-doubles in the Thunder's four-game season sweep of the Blazers. Lillard and Westbrook always seem to bring the best out of each other and their first-round clash should be no different.
"When Russ sees me, and when I see him, it’s two dogs fighting," Lillard said, according to The Athletic's Jason Quick. "That’s what it is. I think it will be a great series."
Clint Capela (HOU) vs. Rudy Gobert (UTA)
Capela and Gobert are better known for their defensive prowess, but their influence on the other end could equally affect the series outcome.
The Houston Rockets big man averaged a career-high 16.6 points per contest this past season, of which 14.1 were scored within the paint. Capela is also a transition threat, ranking second among qualified centers with 2.4 fast break points per game. His ability to run the floor and finish in stride could make it difficult for Gobert to keep up, considering the Utah Jazz run their offense through the Frenchman.
Gobert led the NBA in screen assist points (13.8) and screen assists (5.9). Like Capela, he's a great finisher above the rim and set an NBA single-season record with 306 dunks. The 26-year-old was fourth among centers with 4.2 second-chance points per game and Capela will have his hands full keeping him off the offensive glass.
Ben Simmons (PHI) vs. D'Angelo Russell (BKN)
The 76ers didn't have an answer for Russell in their first three regular-season meetings. The Brooklyn Nets star torched Philadelphia's defense, averaging 23.7 points on 52.5 percent shooting and seven assists per contest. But perhaps head coach Brett Brown had the blueprint to stop him all along in Russell's former Montverde Academy teammate Simmons.
The Sixers point guard held Russell to three points on a team-high 22 possessions as his primary defender in their most recent meeting. Simmons' height and length provide problems that no other guard on the roster can cause. He also has the strength to fight through screens that a pick-and-roll guard like Russell frequently employs. The 23-year-old does so much for Brooklyn as its primary playmaker and go-to scorer, so putting the clamps on Russell would make an upset much more difficult for the Nets.