Former Duke basketball players ready to take over NBA Playoffs again

The NBA Playoffs are here as several former Duke basketball players are ready to put their mark on the most important games of the season once again.

Better late than never, but the NBA Playoffs have finally arrived.

Four games will tip off this afternoon and evening as the league has completed its restarted regular season and Play-In Game without any issues as the NBA continues to boast no COVID-19 positive tests in its bubble.

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Seven former Blue Devils will get set to lace up their sneakers in the postseason, starting with the first game of the playoffs as the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz at 1:30pm EST.

Mason Plumlee will look to continue to fill his role off the bench for the Nuggets in their crowded frontcourt, but the forward’s ability to do it all for his team forces the hand of head coach Mike Malone to keep Plumlee on the floor.

Denver is one of the favorites to come out of the Western Conference as the No. 3 seed, but if chalk prevails in the West, then the Nuggets will have to go through the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers.

The Jazz are coached by former Blue Devil Quin Synder.

Continuing with the theme of teams that will take the floor tomorrow, the short-handed Brooklyn Nets will face the reigning NBA Champion Toronto Raptors at 4:00pm EST as Lance Thomas has split his time between the starting lineup and coming off the bench for the Nets in his short stint with the team.

Kyrie Irving did not make the trip down to Orlando because of a knee injury.

Thomas provides veteran leadership for a young Brooklyn team that not many took seriously entering the bubble but has sprung an upset of the Milwaukee Bucks and nearly sent the Portland Trail Blazers home.

Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics will take the floor next at 6:30pm EST against their rival in the Philadelphia 76ers, but the series might not have gained as many headlines as it normally would if the 76ers had Ben Simmons available, who sustained an injury in the restarted season which required surgery.

Tatum has been one of the best players in the bubble, and outside of a poor first regular season game, the All-Star has been prolific and efficient with his shot selections.

The former Blue Devil is one of the leading candidates to get an ex-Dukie back on stage hoisting an NBA Championship this season.

ALSO READ: Former Duke standouts snubbed from All-Bubble Teams

One of the up-and-coming teams in the NBA is the Dallas Mavericks, headlined by Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. But the key role player is sharpshooter Seth Curry, and Dallas will need him to be hitting his shots against the heavily favored Los Angeles Clippers.

Curry, who only played in five of Dallas’ eight restart games, will get his shot at the playoffs at 9:00pm EST on Monday.

Duke fans will have to wait until the third game on Tuesday to see a former Blue Devil in Houston Rockets guard Austin Rivers.

Although not a big name on the team, Rivers will be thrust into a bigger role for Houston, which will not have Russell Westbrook for the beginning of the series.

Rivers showed his scoring abilities with a 41-point performance back on August 9.

The Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder will tipoff at 6:30pm EST.

Last, but certainly not least, perhaps the most anticipated First Round matchup will have a Blue Devil on both sides with Quinn Cook of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers’ Gary Trent Jr.

Trent Jr. somewhat already has his feet wet in the playoffs with action in the Play-In Game, although the NBA did not categorize that as a postseason event.

Portland took down Grayson Allen and the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference Play-In Game, as both teams sport injured Blue Devils with Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow of the Grizzlies and Rodney Hood of the Blazers.

ALSO READ: Pair of Duke teammates go quiet in first-ever NBA Play-In Game

Quinn Cook, an NBA Champion in 2018 with the Golden State Warriors, has not seen much time on the floor in his first season with the Lakers, and that slim playing time might even diminish as the playoffs progress with the anticipated return of point guard Rajon Rondo.

Los Angeles and Portland tipoff at 9:00pm EST.

All games on Monday afternoon and evening will be broadcasted on ESPN and Tuesday’s games will be on TNT.

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