The Whiteboard: 3 big adjustments for Suns, Pacers and Mavericks

The respective Games 1s between the Suns–Timberwolves, Bucks–Pacers and Mavericks–Clippers gave us a trio of blowouts. All three series will resume tonight and these are the biggest questions that will need to be answered if they trailing teams are going to even things up.

Can the Suns win their Big 3 minutes?

The Suns have done a lot of work to try and build depth but the core of this team is the trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. On paper, this group is arguably better than the Timberwolves' Big 3 of Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert. The issue is that the Timberwolves have a lot more depth, with reliable contributors like Mike Conley Jr., Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kyle Anderson.

The Timberwolves are likely to have a big advantage when both teams are deep in their benches so it's crucial that the Suns pad their scoring margin when their Big 3 are on the court. In Game 1, they were actually outscored by six points in 28 minutes with that group on. If they aren't at the very least winning those minutes, this series could get ugly in a hurry.

Can the Pacers force turnovers?

Tempo was crucial to the Pacers offense in the regular season but they really struggled to get out in transition in Game 1, part of the reason they scored just 94 points. Part of the reason they had such a hard time was they couldn't create turnovers.

During the regular season, the Pacers averaged 17.7 points per game off turnovers, tied for third-best in the league. In Game 1, they had just six, off a measly 10 turnovers. Having Giannis out of the lineup is a benefit for the Pacers but it also simplifies the Bucks' offense tremendously, putting the ball in Damian Lillard's hands a lot more and suppressing the opportunity to turn them over. In Game 2, they may need to look at a more aggressive approach to defending Lillard, getting the ball out of his hands and trying to create chaos in the aftermath.

Does Luka Doncic keep passing?

Rough shooting from the Mavericks' supporting cast was one of the major storylines of Game 1 and Luka Doncic spoke after the game about needing to stay aggressive. It will be interesting in Game 2 to see how that aggressiveness manifests in the balance of shooting and passing.

In Game 1, Doncic passed 31 times to players other than Kyrie Irving and his teammates shot 2-of-14 off those passes. (Irving was 5-of-7 off 17 passes). Doncic was also slightly more aggressive in looking for his own shot in Game 1 — 1.6 passes for every shot attempt or shooting foul, compared to a ratio of 2.1 during the regular season. If his teammates start off cold again it will be interesting to see if he continues to pass or shifts more into primary scorer mode.

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Refs are the story in Game 2s

The trio of Game 2s on Monday night included two instant classics that came down to the final possessions. But, unfortunately, the referees are going to be the focus this morning.

In the earlier game, a pair of questionable calls cost the 76ers. In the first, Nick Nurse appeared to call timeout with the 76ers up two and 27.0 seconds left on the clock, before they inbounded the ball. The refs did not grant him the timeout, Kyle Lowry made a pass, the Knicks stole the ball and Donte DiVincenzo eventually hit a 3 to give New York the lead.

Nurse said he tried to call timeout again after the ball was inbounded but that wasn't granted. In addition, from some angles, it appears Tyrese Maxey was fouled as he received the pass which gave the Knicks a chance to get the steal. After the game, it was reported that the 76ers planned to file a grievance with the league.

In the late game, the Nuggets came back from a 20-point deficit to steal Game 2 from the Lakers. Los Angeles had numerous complaints about the officiating but particularly this play at the end of the third quarter. D'Angelo Russell was hit across the face on a driving layup. It was initially called a foul but Denver challenged and the call was overturned in their favor, with the contact deemed "marginal."

Jamal Murray eventually hit an epic buzzer-beater to give the Nuggets a 101-99 win. After the game, LeBron James didn't hold back (h/t ESPN): "D-Lo clearly gets hit in the face on a drive. What the f--- do we have a replay center for if it's going to go [like that]? It doesn't make sense to me."

There's a lot of basketball to be played in both series but, with the Nuggets and Knicks now holding 2-0 series leads thanks to calls that could have easily changed the outcomes, refereeing is going to continue to be a major part of the story going forward.

READ MORE:

• Lakers' LeBron James sounds off on officiating, replay center by Dave McMenamin, for ESPN
• 76ers lament ‘unacceptable’ officiating after blowing golden Game 2 opportunity by David Aldridge, for The Athletic

QUICK HITTER: Jarrett Allen is carrying the offense

Defense has been the story of the first two games between the Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs are up 2-0 and haven't broken 100 points yet. The Magic have yet to break 90. Both teams are shooting under 30 percent from beyond the arc.

In the kingdom of terrible shooting, the offensive rebound is king.

And right now, the king is Jarrett Allen. He has 12 offensive rebounds in two games, including nine in Game 2. He only scored two points off those nine offensive rebounds but also had three assists, all of which came immediately after an offensive rebound and led to seven points for the Cavs.

We'll see how things go in the next few games, but if Allen was able to keep up this pace he'd be within striking distance of Moses Malone's record for most offensive rebounds in a playoff series — 46.

Unless one team is able to suddenly catch fire and start hitting shots, this series is almost certainly going to be decided by the little things. Right now, Allen's ability to get extra shots for his team has been as important as anything.

Recommended Reading:

1. Living the Thibs life: "When he was at his physical peak, Thibodeau had a loaded stance and shoulders like those of some chiseled toro bravo. His hair fell past his ears. He was said to be an inch over 6 feet tall, but having stood next to him recently, that inch appears highly suspect. He played a rugged brand of power forward in high school: In one game he grabbed 22 rebounds and was heard in a huddle assuring his teammates, not at all calmly, 'The boards are mine.'" You Merely Adopted the Grind. Tom Thibodeau Was Born in It.

2. The magic is in the work: "Thibodeau is fond of saying that the magic lies in that work; on Monday night at Madison Square Garden, it produced a shot that ranks among the most magical in the last 30 years of Knicks basketball. DiVincenzo’s do-over cash-out — which elicited an extremely rare double-bang from Mike Breen, just to underscore the gravity of the situation — put New York up by one." How the Knicks found a way to steal Game 2 against a Sixers team that now must regroup

3. It all might be over: "But through a combination of fatigue, missed shots and stagnant offense, the Lakers only scored 31 more points from that point on. They didn’t bury the Nuggets. They couldn’t. And once Denver had an opportunity to snatch the game, they seized it, as they have done so many times before." Lakers blow big lead vs. Nuggets in Game 2: ‘We have stretches where we don’t know what we’re doing’