With a number of Blue Devils playing in the NBA Playoffs, the Blue Zone takes a look at some former Duke hoopers essential to their teams' title hopes:
Tatum’s scoring leads Celtics to 2-0 first-round lead
Given their Finals run last year and strong performance during the regular season, the Boston Celtics faced high expectations coming into the first round. In large part thanks to the efforts of former Blue Devil Jayson Tatum, they have given no reason to doubt their team. In game one, the Celtics set the tone against the Hawks, cruising to a 112-99 win. Tatum helped lead the way by scoring 21 points in the first half – including 13 in the first quarter. He finished the game with 25 points and 11 rebounds.
Boston still needed to win game two to protect home court. Atlanta had a much better start, with the score just 28-25 in favor of the Celtics after the first quarter. However, Boston was much more aggressive in the second quarter, stretching its lead to double digits thanks to Tatum’s 14 points. Tatum finished the game with 29 points and 10 rebounds while shooting an impressive 5-for-9 from three. After two statement performances at home, he will be put to the test against Atlanta on the road. The St. Louis native will have to continue his strong shooting in front of a tough crowd to get the Celtics in prime position to move to the second round.
Jones to help lead the Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers in game one of their first round series Sunday. Although the young Grizzlies are the higher seed, the Lakers have considerable talent, including all-time-top-75 players LeBron James and Anthony Davis, that helped them win 128-112. Looking forward, Memphis is without talented point guard Ja Morant, who reaggravated an injury in his right hand colliding with Anthony Davis in the final minutes of game one. That means backup point guard and former Duke standout Tyus Jones will likely be the starting point guard for the team.
Jones is more than capable of meeting the challenge. Over the past five seasons, he has led the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio. He is a sound decision maker that can continue to keep his teammates involved and set them up for good looks.
Barrett struggles early in series
RJ Barrett has been a key part of the New York Knicks rising in the standings this season, with his scoring average increasing to 19.6 points per game. Since New York acquired Jalen Brunson in the offseason, Barrett has had to find his role to help the team reach the postseason. This has been a success, as he helped the Knicks reach the playoffs after failing to do so last year. They earned a competitive first-round matchup against Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
However, Barrett has not shot the ball well in the first two games of the series. In the team’s 101-97 victory in game one, he shot just 2-of-12 from the field and totaled just seven points. In game two, while Barrett did score 14 points, he still went 4-for-13 from the field and 0-for-3 from 3-point range in a blowout 107-90 loss. As the Knicks head home to Madison Square Garden, Barrett’s shooting percentages will need to improve to help the team protect its home court.
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