The first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs had some great close finishes and single-game performance. The defending champions Los Angeles Lakers lost in the first round to the Phoenix Suns and the 2020 NBA finals runners-up Miami Heat were eliminated in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks. Let us look at five outstanding performances from role players during a game in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
A list of the players and games
5. Seth Curry (Philadelphia 76ers) – Game 5 vs Washington Wizards
In Game 5, Doc Rivers’ team defeated the Washington Wizards to advance to the second round. Curry scored a playoff career-high 30 points and Philadelphia beat Washington 129-112 on Wednesday night to end the Easter Conference series in five games, overcoming Embiid’s absence because of a knee injury.
Tobias Harris added 28 points and teamed with Curry and Simmons to carry the offensive load with Embiid out. Simmons had 19 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds to keep the top-seeded 76ers in the hunt for their first championship since 1983. With an NBA title still in sight, the 76ers will need their injured franchise center ready to get back on track in the second round against Atlanta.
4. Joe Harris (Brooklyn Nets) – Game 2 vs Boston Celtics
Many thought James Harden’s hamstring injury could be a big loss for the team, but they still had superstars like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving leading the offense. But Joe Harris had some other plans in Game 1.
Harris tied a franchise playoff record with seven 3-pointers, Durant scored 26 points and the Nets routed the Boston Celtics 130-108 for a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series. The Nets largely won Game 1 with their defense. Harris, the key player, had a career playoff-high 25 points and Harden added 20.
“Different games it’s going to be different guys. Tonight it was Joe, the next game, Game 3 it could be somebody else. So we’re just all locked in, we’re all on the same page and whatever it takes to win, we’re willing to do.” Harden said after Game 1.
3. Monte Morris (Denver Nuggets) – Game 6 vs Portland Trail Blazers
“Nobody can take the fight out of us. We will just go out there and fight and that’s what we have been doing. We’re never going to quit. Quit is not in our vocabulary.” Jokic said.
Monte Morris had 22 points and nine assists off the bench. Nine of his points came in the final period. He finished with 28 in Game 5. And in Game 6, Morris had another spectacular night, scoring eight of his 16 field goals and three of his six three-point efforts to score 22 points and took through to the second round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
I mean Monte, the last two games the way he’s come up in the clutch in the fourth quarter, that’s so huge for us. I can’t say enough about that dude, just his composure, what he does for our team, it’s pretty amazing. Especially being a backup point guard, he’s stepping up on the biggest stage and showing what he’s capable of.” Porter said.
2. Reggie Jackson (LA Clippers) – Game 6 vs Dallas Mavericks
The LA Clippers had a difficult time in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs but they did manage to make a great comeback and won the series from nowhere. The Clippers needed the contribution from their big players, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and they didn’t disappoint at all.
The Clippers needed something extra from Reggie Jackson. In the end, he proved out to be a key player against the Dallas Mavericks. Jackson made eight of his 15 shots in Game 6 and grabbed nine rebounds. Leonard scored 28 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists whereas George finished with 22 points. It was the first time in NBA history the road team won the first six games of a playoff series. With this win, Clippers advanced to the Western Conference semifinals for the second straight year. They’ll play Utah Jazz starting in Salt Lake City. The Clippers became the fifth team in league history to lose the first two games at home and come back to win a playoff series.
1. Marcus Morris (LA Clippers) – Game 7 vs Dallas Mavericks
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The Clippers avoided yet another playoff disappointment by showing more courage, rigorous efforts in this series. They did last year when they had a 3-1 series lead and collapsed in their second-round loss to the Nuggets. But, this time, the Clippers pulled off one of the greatest comebacks.
Morris made seven of his nine attempts from the three-point line and scored 23 points for the LA Clippers. He also tied Stephen Curry’s record for most three-pointers made in a Game 7. Morris’ previous career-high of three-pointers made in an NBA Playoffs game was four. He played a huge role in Clipper’s comeback in round 1.
“This team forced us to play on a nightly basis, a full 48-minute game. Last year… let’s not even get into last year. We are onto a whole other season. We just hung in there, we stuck together, we battled it out and we knew what it took to win tonight.” George added.