Can James Harden and the Rockets get past LeBron James and the Lakers? Will Jamal Murray stay hot and make things tough for Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers? The Crossover makes Western Conference semifinals predictions
The two Western Conference semifinals matchups are finally set after a pair of tightly-contested Game 7s. Each of the remaining four teams are loaded with talent and enter the second round of the postseason with high expectations. Will we get the much-anticipated Battle of LA in the conference finals or will Houston and Denver pull off respective upsets? The Crossover staff makes their Western Conference semifinals predictions and weighs in on how they see the two upcoming series shaking out.
Michael Rosenberg
Clippers over Nuggets in six: Nuggets-Jazz was the kind of epic NBA playoff series that leaves the winner wiped out at the start of the next round. The Clippers finally started to look like the team we expected to see at the end of the first round, and they should thank
the Mavs for pushing them there. Whenever Patrick Beverley is ready to go, the Clips can glue him to Jamal Murray as much as possible and go from there. The Clippers still have the deepest and most versatile team in the league. The Nuggets are still young and finding
themselves.
Lakers over Rockets in seven: What a fascinating matchup. The Lakers have to chase James Harden and a healthy Russell Westbrook around, but the Rockets will try to win with small ball against Anthony Davis and LeBron James. It is really hard to have faith in Harden and the Rockets—too many postseason disappointments, plus they barely escaped a burn-the-program-down loss to the Thunder. And yet ... I'm counting on Westbrook's desire, Harden's skill, and the Lakers' flaws making this a good series.
Jeremy Woo
Clippers over Nuggets in six: The Clippers are simply not a great matchup for a Denver team that often labors to defend the perimeter. The Nuggets are just gonna have to score a ton of points, and Jamal Murray is going to have to remain on fire the entire time. I do think Nikola Jokic should have a better series now that he doesn’t have to back down Rudy Gobert every 45 seconds. But I don’t know if it’s enough to beat LA four times, particularly with Kawhi strongly asserting himself at the moment.
Rockets over Lakers in seven: Why not? This entirely depends on the Rockets making an inordinate amount of threes, because I don’t see how they keep LeBron away from the rim, but the Lakers aren’t infallible here and neither is their defense. Chalk is boring and I’m changing my original thought process.
Elizabeth Swinton
Clippers over Nuggets in five: This series will be a fun battle of the duos. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have combined to average 51.3 points in the playoffs so far, while Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic averaged 57.9 points through the Nuggets' first series. When it comes to which team will advance, experience may reign supreme. Leonard has been battle-tested in the postseason, while George seems to have found his groove after a cold streak. Meanwhile, the Nuggets may be fatigued after fighting back from a 3-1 deficit against the Utah Jazz. The Nuggets have momentum on their side, but the hot-shooting Murray, Jokic and co. may find difficulty against a well-rested and defensive Clippers team. It would not be surprising to see the Nuggets put up a fight, but the Clippers sport the more well-rounded roster heading into the matchup.
Lakers over Rockets in six: After going the distance against the Thunder, the Rockets' small lineup will move onto a new challenge in the Lakers. Los Angeles has size on its side in Anthony Davis and LeBron James, and the team will likely use it to attack the Rockets in the paint and on the glass. Still, the Rockets went 2-1 against the Lakers in the regular season—though James missed one game—leaning on a 40-11 advantage on made three pointers during their two victories. James Harden and Russell Westbrook, despite fatigue, will need to lead on offense while the team must adjust defensively against the aggressive Lakers. Los Angeles may struggle with its offensive depth against Houston, but the team's size should be enough to lead it into the next round.
Mark Bechtel
Clippers over Nuggets in seven: The Nuggets always seem to go seven, so give them that. They’ll go the distance, but will they win? Unlikely. Jamal Murray will finally meet his match in Kawhi Leonard. Like the Lakers, the Clips are rested, while the Nuggets—Murray especially—have to be gassed after the Jazz series. So it looks like we’ll get the delectable conference finals everyone has wanted to see all season. Of course, this being 2020, we’ll probably end up with Rockets-Nuggets.
Lakers over Rockets in five: The Rockets didn’t exactly inspire much confidence against the Thunder. A well-rested LeBron is going to present all kinds of problems for a team that has to be bailed out my the defense of James Harden. It will be an intriguing matchup of small ball vs. some pretty brutish bigs. Unless Houston goes consistently crazy from three (and the Rockets have put up tons of them, of course, without making too many of late), bet on size.
Robin Lundberg
Clippers over Nuggets in five: While the Nuggets and Jazz series came down to the wire, Denver is now stepping up in weight class. And I think the in between defense they will face from LA could cause them some issues as Jamal Murray will have to deal with the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George at times. On the other end, I was not impressed with the Nuggets defense. So, overall, I think the Clippers physicality combined with them having a proven playoff performer in any round with Leonard and seemingly rounding into form at the end of their series with Dallas means trouble for Denver. I could see a lot of games where the Clippers pull away in fourth to close them out.
Lakers over Rockets in five: I just don't see how Houston can contain LeBron James. Whether that means he finishes the play or gets into the teeth of the defense to set up his teammates. I also expect the Lakers to get a bunch of second chance points on the offensive glass. The only problem I could foresee is if they matchup hunt Anthony Davis too much due to his size advantage to the point it works to their detriment because they get out of rhythm. Overall, the Rockets variance that comes with the three point reliance will be their undoing against a team with the size and talent of the Lakers and I trust one James over the other when it comes to crunch time.
Ben Pickman
Clippers over Nuggets in five: The Nuggets advanced past the Jazz in a memorable slugfest, but their challenge gets even tougher in the next round. While Denver star Nikola Jokic’s presence and production will likely force the Clippers to play slightly bigger lineups than they might otherwise, the depth of Los Angeles’ roster allows the club to play a variety of styles. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George should thrive on the wings and LA also has a number of players that can limit Jamal Murray. The Clippers franchise has never made it to the conference finals, but that should change this year.
Lakers over Rockets in five: Houston inched by Oklahoma City on Wednesday to set up a matchup of contrasting styles. The Rockets have the potential to shoot LA out of a game - or maybe two - but the Lakers should dominate the offensive and defensive glass and have the series’ two best players. Anthony Davis struggled in Game 1 against the Blazers, but was a force for the remainder of Los Angeles series victory over Portland. He seems poised to be another force on both ends in the Western Conference semifinals, one they the Rockets have no answer for. Add in that the Lakers are well-rested and it seems likely the Rockets’ bubble experience ends sooner than later.