Three former Arkansas basketball players are on rosters of teams remaining in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. Here is an update on their performances in the second round:
Patrick Beverley — Los Angeles Clippers
After dropping Games 1 and 2 on the road to the Utah Jazz, the Clippers have clawed back to tie their Western Conference Semifinals series 2-2.
Los Angeles fell 112-109 and 117-111 in Salt Lake City, but have won convincingly in Staples Center, notching 132-106 and 118-104 victories Saturday and Monday, respectively, to set up an important Game 5 at Utah. To this point, Beverley’s performances have been hit or miss.
The former Arkansas guard scored only three points and missed all eight field goal attempts in the first two games of the series, including an 0-of-5 showing in Game 2 in which the Clippers were outscored by six points when he was in the lineup.
In Game 3, Beverley got 2 of 3 shots to fall, scored 7 points and grabbed 2 rebounds in 16 minutes. And on Monday, he put forth a terrific defensive effort, finishing with a playoff career-high four blocks.
He had four total blocks in his previous nine playoff games.
As Los Angeles held a 68-44 lead late in the first half, Beverley blocked Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell twice beyond the three-point line in the final five seconds. He continued to be an irritant in the fourth quarter as he blocked Mitchell on two more field goal attempts — a 13-foot floater and 17-foot jumper.
During the regular season, Beverley blocked five shots in three games vs. Utah, two more than he had against any other team.
For the series, Jazz players are 8 of 24 (33%) from the floor when defended by Beverley, including 2 of 7 on two-point attempts.
Game 5 of the series is set for Wednesday at 9 p.m. on TNT. The winner of the series will play the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals.
Bobby Portis — Milwaukee Bucks
Much like the Clippers, Milwaukee held homecourt in its Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Brooklyn Nets and pulled within two games of a conference finals appearance over the weekend.
After Portis averaged 10.8 points on 58.6% shooting and 5.3 rebounds against the Miami Heat in his second career playoff series, he has seen his numbers dip in the second round to 3.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
Portis scored 6 points on 3 of 7 shooting, grabbed 7 rebounds and had 1 steal in Game 1, which Brooklyn won 115-107. In Game 2, a 125-86 Nets win, Portis added 2 points on 1 of 5 shooting.
The Bucks were outscored by 26 points in his 17 minutes, 15 seconds in the lineup.
Staring down a 3-0 series deficit, Milwaukee earned a dramatic 86-83 victory in Game 3 in which Portis finished with 4 points, hitting 2 of 3 two-point attempts, and 6 rebounds, including 2 on the offensive end. The Bucks were plus-5 in the bench forward’s 11-plus minutes.
In Game 4, the Nets lost guard Kyrie Irving to injury and Milwaukee knotted the series 2-2 on Sunday, but Portis was largely ineffective. He did not score, missing all three shots in 11 minutes. Portis, though, tied for the team lead with a pair of blocks.
He did not play in Tuesday's Game 5, which Brooklyn won 114-108 to take a 3-2 lead.
Isaiah Joe — Philadelphia 76ers
Joe had an experience last Friday that he will remember for years.
As the Philadelphia 76ers put the finishing touches on a 127-111 road win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3, the former Razorbacks shooting guard knocked down the first shot of his playoff career, maximizing his 50 seconds in the lineup.
With 15 seconds remaining, Joe caught a pass on the right wing, dribbled left into the lane and got an 8-foot floater to fall over a contest by former LSU guard Skyler Mays. It is the only appearance Joe has made in the second-round series.
The Hawks defeated the 76ers 103-100 on Monday to tie the series 2-2. Game 5 is set for Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. on TNT.