1. UTAH JAZZ vs. 8. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

The Grizzlies, having come off a tough play-in-game against the Golden State Warriors, get one day of rest before they must travel to Utah to take on the number one seeded Jazz. During the regular season, the Jazz swept the Grizzlies 3-0. In fact, the Jazz have beaten the Grizzlies six straight times in the regular season. 

The Jazz are ranked top-five in both offensive and defensive rating this season. With Rudy Gobert protecting the paint, the Jazz might be the most equipped team to stop Ja Morant’s drives to the basket. With Donovan Mitchell coming back from his injury, the Jazz will be ready to put the Grizzlies out of the postseason. 

The Grizzlies, led by Morant, look like a young team coming up. They were top ten in defense; however, their offensive rating was middle of the pack. For them, they took a big step in beating the Warriors in the play-in-tournament in order to claim the eighth seed. Morant is explosive and will be able to make some games competitive throughout the series. 

However, the Grizzlies will have a short playoff appearance as the Jazz make quick work of them.

Prediction: Jazz in 5

2. PHOENIX SUNS vs. 7. LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Now that the Lakers have taken care of business in the play-in-tournament, they will now move on to play the team with the second-best record in the league. The Phoenix Suns have been excellent all season, Chris Paul and Devin Booker have led the Suns to the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. Ironically for them, the last playoff opponent they faced was the Los Angeles Lakers, where they lost 4-2 in the Western Conference Finals.

This season, the Suns took two of the three matchups against the Lakers. However, Anthony Davis and LeBron James have not played together in any of the three games. This will be a new challenge for the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers have the massive size advantage. They also have the number one ranked defense; the Suns have the fifth-highest offensive rating in the league. The Lakers must find a way to keep the electric perimeter tandem of Booker and Paul. The Suns need to keep the Lakers from dominating them on the inside.

The biggest factor in this series will be the health of LeBron James. Against the Warriors, he did not look anywhere near what he is able to do on a normal basis. If he is not close 100% against the Suns, the Suns have a great chance of upsetting the Lakers.

While this has been a great season for the Suns, déjà vu will occur, as just as their last playoff run unfolded, this one will end at the hands of the Lakers.

Prediction: Lakers in 7

3. DENVER NUGGETS vs. 6. PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS

In a rematch of the semi-finals in 2019, the Nuggets will look for redemption as they take on the Trailblazers in what could be the highest-scoring matchup of the first round. Both teams are top ten in offensive rating and both have two of the best offensive players in the NBA in Nikola Jokic and Damian Lillard.

The Nuggets took two of three from the Blazers this season. The last two games were played without Jamal Murray, who tore his ACL on April 12. The Nuggets will miss his offense, especially in the playoffs, where he averaged 26 points. 

However, without Murray, they have gone 13-7 and still managed to finish third in the West. 

Michael Porter Jr. has stepped up his play and he is able to score from anywhere on the court and will help make up for some of the offense lost by Murray. This whole series will rest on the back of the likely MVP, Jokic. He almost averaged a triple-double this season, averaging 26, 11, 8 on 56, 39, 87 shooting splits. If he performs to his MVP level this season, they should be able to pull out this series against a bad Blazers defense. 

For the Blazers, the key to this series is the performance of Lillard and C.J McCollum. In the series two years ago, Dame and CJ combined to average 51 points per game. They will need to replicate, and maybe exceed, that performance to beat a more experienced Nuggets team this time around. The acquisition of Norman Powell has given them a reliable scorer with championship experience. 

While Dame has done a great job of carrying the Blazers for most of this season, the Blazers’ defense will be their downfall in this series. The result will be the opposite of what happened in that series two years ago.

Prediction: Nuggets in 7

4. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS vs 5. DALLAS MAVERICKS

A rematch from the first round of the playoffs last year. The Clippers will once again match up against the Mavericks. Last year the Mavericks took the Clippers to six games in a tough series. 

Heading into the series, the Clippers have had one of the best offenses in the NBA this year. At one point, they had the highest offensive rating in league history. They still finished fourth in offensive rating and led the league in three-point shooting. On the defensive end, they finished eighth in defensive rating. That will be the biggest key to this matchup as last year they could not stop Luka Doncic. He carved up their defense as he averaged, 31, 10 and 9 on 50% shooting from the field. 

Another issue the Clippers had was Paul George’s performance. He shot 36% from the field in the six games. This time around, PG looks to be in a better state of mind, and he is playing at an elite level this season. 

For the Mavericks to have a chance this season, Luka will have to replicate his performance from last year. Kristaps Porzingis will also need to be healthy during this series as well. The defense for the Mavs has not been good this season, ranking in the bottom 10. They will have their hands full trying to stop this potent Clippers offense. 

Once again, the Clippers will be too much for the Mavericks to beat in the playoffs. This time around the Clippers are better on both ends, and with the addition of Rajon Rondo, they have a real point guard who can run their offense. The Mavericks just do not have enough to match up against the Clippers.

Prediction: Clippers in 6