NBA Playoffs Conference Semifinals top performers: AD, Booker take over

bet365 News Team Updated: May 08 2023 16:34 Published: May 07 2023 20:23

Lakers big man Anthony Davis (25 PTS, 13 REB) and Suns star Devin Booker (47 PTS) were among the best performers from this weekend's playoff action.

At this stage of the NBA Playoffs, it takes some serious confidence and calmness under pressure to perform at the top of your game, and multiple superstars are fitting the bill.

Between the Lakers going ahead in their series behind another monster game from Anthony Davis, or the latest Devin Booker-Kevin Durant domination in tandem, we ran through some of the top performances from Friday and Saturday’s slate of games.

Anthony Davis and LeBron James put the Lakers in control

The series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors shifted to LA on Saturday after the Warriors made a statement in Game 2 with a 27-point win to even the series.

The Lakers, however, responded in a huge way with a 127-97 victory and that effort was spearheaded by Anthony Davis and LeBron James.

Davis had a game high 25 points, while James added 21 points despite not taking a shot in the 1st quarter.

This was a huge game for Davis, who did not play well in Game 2, scoring just 11 points.

Davis is now averaging 21.2 points per game in the playoffs (9 games), while James is averaging 22.1 points per game.

The Lakers’ success in Game 4 and beyond is dependent on Davis and James showing up every night, and they can take a commanding lead in Game 4, which is scheduled for Monday night.

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Devin Booker and Kevin Durant keep the series alive

Going back to Friday night’s Game 3 between the Denver Nuggets and the Phoenix Suns, it was a must win for the Suns.

At the time, they were down 2-0 in the series and no team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit.

Devin Booker and Kevin Durant made sure they would not have to be the first, as they combined to lead the Suns to their first win of the series.

Phoenix won Game 3 by a score of 121-114, where Booker and Durant combined for 86 of the team’s 121 points.

To put that into perspective, no one else on the Suns scored more than 7 points.

Durant is now averaging 29.3 points per game in the playoffs, while Booker is averaging 36.9 points per game.

As long as they show up again in Game 4, the Suns should have no issue levelling the series with how these two guys can score at a moment’s notice.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown too strong for the 76ers

The Boston Celtics quickly went down in their series against the Philadelphia 76ers, but in Games 2 & 3, they dominated and won both to retake the series lead.

Spearheading these wins were Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

In Game 3 this past Friday night, Tatum and Brown combined for 50 points en route to a 114-102 win for the Celtics.

Tatum is now averaging 26.2 points per game in the playoffs, while Brown is averaging 25.7 points per game.

Even with Joel Embiid back in the 76ers’ lineup and playing like himself, the combined effort of Tatum and Brown have been much too strong and should only get stronger as this series goes on.