NBA Playoffs 2019: Winners and Losers from April 13th

NBA Brooklyn Nets D’Angelo Russell (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Biggest Winner: Redemption

D’Angelo Russell. Spencer Dinwiddie. Caris LeVert. Jared Dudley. Pascal Siakam. D.J. Augustin. Michael Carter-Williams. Montrezl Harrell. This entire register of players made hugely important plays in playoff basketball games today. I’ll just address each of them.

D’Angelo Russell: Once a snitch on Swaggy P, Russell has now morphed into the number one option on a playoff team. From the time Brooklyn sat 8-18 with a significant injury to a budding young star (LeVert), D-Lo sprouted into a superstar and Brooklyn’s first in quite a while.

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In the regular season he put the team on his back and became the poster child for the Nets’ impromptu playoff push, which culminated Saturday in a road-smackdown of the tanking lovechild 76ers. Russell proved from moment one he was unafraid of the Sixer guards, and though not shooting a great percentage from the field, Russell proved his chops, and that he’s here for the long haul.

Spencer Dinwiddie: Drafted by the Pistons, relegated to a deep bench role, traded to Chicago, waived, and then picked up by Brooklyn. Dinwiddie, to quote Robert Frost, “took the road less traveled by” to stardom. Three years ago, chances for an NBA future at all appeared slim to none, much less one that resulted in him tallying 18 points in a playoff victory. His toughness, mentally and physically, along with his deeply enriched offensive repertoire (from his days at Colorado), help make him a difference-maker for the Nets this year. And now, he gets an opportunity in the postseason.

Caris LeVert: LeVert has dealt with heavy injury issues for his entire basketball-playing career, dating back to high school, and, of course, his days at Michigan. Earlier this season, Caris went down with what looked like a Hayward-esque injury that would sideline him for at least the rest of the season. Nevertheless, he suited up for Brooklyn today and poured in 23 points in the win. Heck of a comeback story for this kid, and I can’t wait to see where it takes him.

Jared Dudley: I figured Dudley was on the verge of retirement when he flipped positions from shooting-guard to power-forward and signed with the ever-tanking Suns. Well, here we stand a few years later and Dudley is a genuine difference-maker in playoff matchups. His value on and off the court is extraordinary for the young and hungry Nets. By the way, this is his SEVENTH team. Unreal. He’s quite the journeyman.

Pascal Siakam: A late first-round pick from New Mexico a few seasons ago, Siakam has swept all expectations under the rug. He’s been phenomenal this year, and he plays with brooding charisma and constant energy. He’s the forward version of De’Aaron Fox: quick, spirited, and versatile offensively. As a college basketball nerd, I’d never really heard of him until he was drafted, and that’s saying something.

D.J. Augustin: He’s been dubbed the worst starting point guard in the NBA all season and Saturday he silenced the hate with a 25-point explosion (a playoff career-high by the way) and busted Kyle Lowry up all night like he was Mike McGee and Lowry was Teddy KGB. For a 31-year-old that’s never been a consistent starter, that’s some great redemption.

Michael Carter-Williams: I was certain we’d seen the last of MCW after his awful stint with Milwaukee. The next place I expected time I expected to hear of him was as a role player for Rick Pitino’s Greek-League club. Alas, here we sit, in a world where Michael Carter-Williams is bloodied and beating the Raptors as a member of the Orlando Magic.

Montrezl Harrell: Trez was an afterthought in the Rockets/Clippers trade involving Chris Paul. He was thrown in there as a small little bonus. Since, he’s blossomed into a true wreaker of havoc in the paint as a bully-ball power-forward. Harrell is Mr. Energy and has a motor that refuses to sleep. Going back to his time at Louisville, Harrell was always a monster on the glass and dominated the paint with his hustle and aggressiveness. Those traits smoothly translated to the playoffs.

Loser: Favorites

The betting favorite of the four games on Saturday went 1-3 against the spread, with only the old reliable Golden State Warriors covering. In fact, Golden State is the only favorite that even won their game. Philadelphia, Toronto, and Denver all fell at home in their postseason opener. Yikes. Even if you lost a couple of bucks to the bookies, at least we have three interesting first-round playoff matchups to indulge in over the next two weeks or so.