Written by Titan Frey

The NBA playoffs have been a wild ride so far, and Sunday, May 30th, has been no different. 

I’m going to give you the scores of each NBA game played on 5/30/2021, and give a quick recap. Let’s start with the Knicks vs the Hawks, in Atlanta.

• KNICKS 96
• HAWKS 113

The question coming in was, would Julius Randle bounce back from his horrific 2-15 shooting performance?

The answer would be… NO. Randle finished game 4 with a better game, but not quite the way he played during the regular season. Randle finished the game with 23 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists on 7-19 shooting. 

Yes, Randle was much better, but his play came up short against the Hawks, who were led by Trae Young once again. Young finished with 27 points and 9 assists. 

The game was won in the third quarter, as the Hawks stretched their four point half-time lead to a seventeen point lead heading into the final period. 

It’s safe to say the Knicks better played inspired in their return home on June 2nd, or they’ll be staying home as they trail the series 3-1.

• SUNS 100
• LAKERS 92

Chris Paul injured his shoulder in game 1, and he hasn’t looked the same… till Sunday. 

In game 4, with the pressure on the Phoenix Suns, as they trail the series 2-1, Chris Paul came alive. He played like his “old” self, and his injury seemed non-apparent.

Paul finished with 18 points, 9 assists, and 3 steals. This is a great boost for the Suns. 

Now, speaking about injuries, the Los Angeles Lakers came into game 4 with some concern with their star player, Anthony Davis.

He sprained his left knee in their game 3 win over the Suns, but his knee wouldn’t be the problem. 

Late in the second quarter, Davis left the game after injuring his left groin… he would not return. 

The Suns took advantage of this as they clearly outplayed the Lakers, who seemed uninterested at times. 

LeBron James himself looked out of it during the third quarter as the Suns took over the game.

In the fourth he turned it up the notch, finishing the game with 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists. It would be too late, and now the series shifts back to Phoenix on Tuesday, June 1st, all tied up at 2-2.

• NETS 141
• Celtics 126

The offensive juggernauts known as the New Jersey Nets are BACK! They exploded for a franchise record in playoff points all while the Boston Celtics continue to deal with injuries. 

Jaylen Brown has been out. Now you can add Robert Williams III and Kemba Walker to this list. This adds more pressure on their star Jayson Tatum. 

How would Tatum respond after his 50 point outburst in game 3? Pretty good, actually. He finished the game with 40 more points, but he’s basically playing one against five, and that isn’t good for any player. 

Tuesday, June 1st, the series shifts back to Brooklyn where the Nets seek to take the series. Will the Celtics get enough help for Tatum to force the series back to Boston? Tune in on Tuesday, to find out! 

• CLIPPERS 106
• MAVS 81

The Dallas Mavericks superstar, Luka Doncic told reporters he felt a tingle in his arm at halftime of game 3… this isn’t good news for Mavs fans. 

Doncic suffered a neck strain somewhere in the first half of game 3 and was originally listed as “questionable” for game 4. 

Doncic ended up playing, but it was clear the injury bothered him by his movements and his facial expressions. 

The Los Angeles Clippers, who seemed to be destined to repeat last year’s playoff woes after losing the first two games at home, bounced back with that huge game 3 win…

The Clippers, led by their two stars, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, left off where they were from the previous game. 

Both of the Clippers stars started hot and remained hot throughout the game. Now, the big question is, after tieing the series up, can they continue their hot play at home?

Game 5 will be on Wednesday, June 2nd, and the pressure will be clearly on the Clippers to win at home. Can they? That’s a question I really don’t know the answer to. But I can’t wait to find out!