10 most astonishing stats from Round 1 of the 2021 NBA Playoffs
The 2021 NBA playoffs have been super exciting and highly unpredictable. Round 1 concluded on Sunday, with the LA Clippers claiming a Game-7 win against the Dallas Mavericks to advance to the semi-finals. Luka Doncic and Kawhi Leonard were terrific in the series and put up unbelievable numbers in every game.
Almost every Round-1 series this year had multiple stars or teams entering the history books as they put up impressive stats. On that note, let's take a look at the top ten eye-catching stats from Round 1 of the 2021 NBA playoffs:
#1 Damian Lillard sets a record for most threes (12) in a playoff game - Game 5 against the Denver Nuggets
The Portland Trail Blazers lost to the Denver Nuggets 2-4 in the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs. With that, Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers endured their fourth first-round elimination in the NBA playoffs in the last five years and their second in as many years.
Game 5 was one of the most closely contested matches of the series. Damian Lillard waged a lone battle, scoring 55 points and shooting a playoff-record 12 threes. However, despite his efforts, the Trail Blazers lost 140-147 after the game went into double overtime.
The record for most threes in an NBA playoff game was previously held by Klay Thompson, who shot 11 threes during a 2016 playoff outing against the OKC Thunder.
#2 Luka Doncic sets record for highest field-goal contribution (83.8%) in an NBA playoff game - Game 5 against LA Clippers
Luka Doncic was in scintillating form in the all-important Game 5 of the 2021 first-round series between the Dallas Mavericks and the LA Clippers on Wednesday. He scored 42 points, dished out 14 assists and claimed eight boards to lead his team to a win and helped them take a 3-2 lead in the series.
Doncic scored and assisted 31 of 37 field goals for the Mavericks during the game. In the process, he set a playoff record for the highest percentage contribution (83.8%) in a team's field goals during an NBA playoff game.
#3 Brooklyn Nets' 'Big Three' score 426 of 617 team points in the series against the Boston Celtics
After months of speculation and concern about how the Brooklyn Nets' 'Big-three' would play together in the playoffs, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden shut their doubters in some style. The trio tallied a combined 426 points in the five games the Nets played against the Boston Celtics in Round 1.
The rest of the Nets team scored a combined 191 points, while the Boston Celtics scored 561 points during the series. That means the Nets' big three contributed an impressive 69% of their team's points across five games.
#4 Milwaukee Bucks hit 10 threes in a quarter - joint-most in an NBA playoff game
The Milwaukee Bucks were on a mission in their first-round series against the Miami Heat.
They wanted to avenge their 4-1 Eastern Conference semi-final exit against last season's NBA Finalists and did so in remarkable style. After winning Game 1 in OT by a slender margin, the Bucks came out swinging in Game 2.
They drained 22 threes in the match and ten alone in the first quarter to tie the playoffs record for most threes in one quarter.
#5 Luka Doncic becomes the first player to record 275+ points, 75 rebounds and 75 assists in his first 9 playoff games
Luka Doncic has had a scintillating start to his playoff career, managing to achieve unthinkable feats. In the process, he has proved why he is one of the best young talents in the NBA at the moment.
Doncic's stat line of 275+ points, 75 rebounds and 75 assists in his first nine playoff games is a testament to how valuable a player he is and the impact he has had at the Dallas Mavericks. The fact that he is the only player in NBA history to achieve this feat so far is perhaps unsurprising.
#6 Deandre Ayton tallies 20 points and 15 rebounds on 91.6% shooting in debut playoff game
Deandre Ayton and the young Phoenix Suns had a memorable first-round series against the defending champions LA Lakers.
In his debut playoff match, Ayton tallied 20 points and 15 rebounds, shooting 11 of 12 (91.6%) from the floor. In the process, he became just the sixth player to achieve the feat while scoring 90% or better from the field.
#7 Damian Lillard shoots a record 35 threes in the first round
Damian Lillard played as a man possessed in his team's series loss against the Denver Nuggets, breaking multiple records in the six games that the teams played.
He ended the series with 35 triples to his name, breaking the previous record set by Donovan Mitchell (33) of the Utah Jazz in last year's NBA playoffs. While Mitchell achieved the record in seven games, Lillard did so in one fewer outing.
#8 Brooklyn Nets score a franchise record 141 points against the Boston Celtics in Game 4
The Brooklyn Nets dominated the Boston Celtics in their first-round series, dropping a whopping 141 points against them in Game 4 at TD Garden. The Nets' Big Three of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving shone for the team, combining for 104 points to help the team take a 3-1 series lead back home.
In the process, the trio tied the record for most points scored by three players in an NBA playoff game. The record was first set by the Boston Celtics' John Havlicek, Jo Jo White and Dave Cowens in 1973 and matched in 1986 by Dominique Wilkins, Randy Whitman and Spud Webb.
#9 Damian Lillard becomes the first player to score 55 points and 10 assists in an NBA playoff game
The exploits set by Damian Lillard in Game 5 of the first-round series against the Denver Nuggets deserve another mention.
His three-point shooting record of 12 threes has already been mentioned above. In the same game, Lillard also managed to become the first player to score 55 points and dish out ten assists in an NBA playoff game.
That was arguably one of the if not the best performance by a player in a losing cause in NBA history.
#10 Ja Morant sets record for most points (47) in an NBA playoff game by a player aged 21 or younger - Game 2 vs Utah Jazz
By scoring 47 points for the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 2 of his team's Round 1 series, Ja Morant broke multiple records. One of them was scoring the most points by a player aged 21 or younger in an NBA playoff game. The record was previously held by current LA Lakers leader LeBron James, who scored 45 in the 2006 NBA Playoffs as a 21-year-old.
Morant also became just the fifth player in NBA history to register a 40-point game as a player aged under 22. The other four players to achieve this feat are LeBron James, Luka Doncic (twice), Tracy McGrady and Magic Johnson. Morant is also the youngest player after LeBron James to score 45+ points in a game.
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