Two Locals Remain In NBA Playoffs
Apr 28, 2019, 6:23 PM
Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers waves goodbye to the Oklahoma City Thunder after hitting a last second 37 foot game winner to end Game Five of the Western Conference quarterfinals during the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center on April 23, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. The Blazers won 118-115.(Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
(Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Three players with local ties to the state of Utah participated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
Jakob Poeltl is with the San Antonio Spurs, Andrew Bogut is playing for the Golden State Warriors and Damian Lillard is with the Portland Trail Blazers.
All three players played in the seven game series with Lillard having a fantastic finish to their series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Here’s how the locals did during the first round of the NBA Playoffs and one game in the second round:
Former Utes
Jakob Poeltl – San Antonio Spurs
Former Ute Jakob Poeltl was in the starting lineup for all seven games for the Spurs against the Denver Nuggets.
He recorded 6 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in 24 minutes in their Game 1 win.
Poeltl had 5 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocks in 20 minutes in the Spurs’ loss in Game 2.
He posted 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in 31 minutes as they picked up a win in Game 3.
The former Ute scored 8 points, pulled down 9 rebounds, dished out 2 assists and blocked 1 shot in 30 minutes of play in the Spurs’ loss in Game 4.
In their Game 5 loss, Poeltl contributed 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in 26 minutes.
Trailing the series 3-2, Poeltl had 8 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block in 28 minutes of play as the Spurs forced a Game 7.
He had 2 points and 8 rebounds in 18 minutes as the Spurs lost Game 7.
Poeltl averaged 7.3 points and 7.7 rebounds in the Playoffs this season.
TOGETHER.#GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/Nh8tu0oHGo
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) April 25, 2019
NEXT UP: The Spurs season is over. Poeltl still has two seasons left on his rookie contract.
Andrew Bogut – Golden State Warriors (57-25)
Former Ute Andrew Bogut started for the Warriors in Games 3, 4 and 5 after DeMarcus Cousins was sidelined with a quad injury. The Warriors beat the Los Angeles Clippers in six games and are leading the series with Houston 1-0.
Bogut recorded 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 block in 2 minutes as the Warriors won Game 1.
He chipped in 3 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block in 17 minutes in their Game 2 loss.
In their Game 3 win, Bogut had 8 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in 25 minutes.
Bogut posted 8 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists in 21 minutes as the Warriors won Game 4.
In the Warriors Game 5 loss, Bogut contributed 6 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in 17 minutes.
He finished with 4 points and 1 rebound in 6 minutes as the Warriors won the series with a victory in Game 6.
In Game 1 of the second round against the Houston Rockets, Bogut played 5 minutes, while scoring 2 points and pulling down 3 rebounds.
Quick turn around, Game 1 Win! Crowd was awesome. Well done @warriors fans!
— Andrew Bogut (@andrewbogut) April 28, 2019
NEXT UP: Game 2 will be on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. on TNT, Game 3 is on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. on ABC.
Former Wildcats
Damian Lillard – Portland Trail Blazers (53-29)
Former Wildcat Damian Lillard had a fantastic series as the Trail Blazers knocked off the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games.
Lillard recorded 30 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in their Game 1 win.
He posted 29 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks in the Blazers’ Game 2 win.
In their Game 3 loss, Lillard finished with 32 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals.
He contributed 24 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 1 steal as the Blazers picked up the Game 4 win on the road.
In Game 5, Lillard exploded with a franchise playoff record 50 points to go with his 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 1 block as he hit the game winning three-pointer at the buzzer from 37 feet away from the basket.
.@dame_lillard is the 1st player in @NBA Playoff history with 50 points & 10 threes in a game 😳 pic.twitter.com/AYKgPHN9XD
— Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) April 24, 2019
NEXT UP: Portland will face the Denver Nuggets in the second round. Game 1 will be on Monday at 8:30 p.m. on TNT, Game 2 is on Wednesday at 7 p.m. on TNT and Game 3 is on Friday at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN.
