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NBA Hoosiers (Aug. 30): Anunoby Scores 12, but Raptors Lose Round 2 Opener to Celtics

There are four former Indiana basketball players still in the playoffs, and the spotlight is on the second-round matchup between the Toronto Raptors and the Boston Celtics that involved two of them, OG Anunoby and Romeo Langford.
Tom Brew|
NBA Hoosiers (Aug. 30): Anunoby Scores 12, but Raptors Lose Round 2 Opener to Celtics
NBA Hoosiers (Aug. 30): Anunoby Scores 12, but Raptors Lose Round 2 Opener to Celtics

The NBA playoffs resumed on Saturday after two days of cancellations, with the first round nearing its concluding and two former Indiana Hoosiers — OG Anunoby and Romeo Langford — meeting in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs with the Toronto Raptors and the Boston Celtics squaring off.

The playoffs started with six former Hoosiers playing, but Victor Oladipo's Indiana Pacers were eliminated by the Miami Heat last week. Eric Gordon played Saturday with the Houston Rockets.

The other three Hoosiers in the NBA — Cody Zeller (Charlotte), Thomas Bryant (Washington) and Yogi Ferrell are at home.

Here's what the former Hoosiers did in their games this weekend:

OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors

  • Sunday's result: Anunoby started at small forward and played 33 minutes in the Raptors' 112-94 loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday in the first game of their Eastern Conference semifinals series. He scored 12 points and had seven rebounds for the defending NBA champions. During the first round, he averaged 9 points and 5.5 rebounds in the sweep of the Brooklyn Nets.
  • Team status: The Raptors trail the Celtics 1-0 in this second-round series, and Game 2 is Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. ET. 

Romeo Langford, Boston Celitcs

  • Sunday's result: Langford played four minutes in the Celtics' 112-94 win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday in the first game of their Eastern Conference semifinals series. He is still bothered by a ligament tear in his wrist, but is playing through it. He played in three games in the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers, and scored a total of eight points in 38 points, averaging 2.7 points a game.
  • Team status: The Celtics are ahead 1-0 in this second-round series, and Game 2 is Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. ET. The Celtics swept the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round.

Juwan Morgan, Utah Jazz

  • Sunday's result: Morgan played only two minutes in the Jazz's 119-107 loss to the Denver Nuggets and did not score. Their series is now tied 3-3. Morgan is seeing much less playing time now that guard Michael Conley has returned to the NBA bubble. He averaged just over 20 minutes a game in the first three games in the series, but hasn't scored at all in limited playing time in the last three games.
  • Team status: This back-and-forth series has been incredibly entertaining, and a Game 7 will decide it all on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Noah Vonleh, Denver Nuggets

  • Sunday's result: Vonleh did not dress for the Nuggets in their Game 6 win over Utah. He's only played three minutes in the entire series.
  • Team status: This back-and-forth series has been incredibly entertaining, and a Game 7 will decide it all on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets

  • Saturday's result: Gordon scored 20 points in the Rockets' 114-80 blowout win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday. He's still struggling from three-point range, going 0-for-3 from deep, but he did a great job of getting to the rim.
  • Team status: The Rockets now lead the series 3-2 and can close it out on Monday at 9 p.m. ET. The game is televised on TNT.  

NBA Schedule and Results

  • MONDAY'S GAMES:
  • Milwaukee Bucks vs. Miami Heat, 6:30 p.m. ET (TV: TNT): This is Game 1 of the second-round Eastern Conference series. The No. 1-seeded Bucks beat Orlando in the first round, winning four straight games after losing their opener. The fifth-seeded Heat swept the Indiana Pacers.
  • Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, 9 p.m. ET: (TV: TNT): The Rockets lead the series 3-2 and look to close it out in Game 6. All-Star Russell Westbrook has returned for the Rockets. 
  • TUESDAY'S GAMES:
  • Toronto Raptors vs. Boston Celtics, 5:30 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN): This is Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series. Boston leads, 1-0.
  • Utah Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets, 8:30 p.m. ET (TV: ABC): This is Game 7 of their thrilling first-round Western Conference series. 

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Tom Brew
TOM BREW

Tom Brew has been the publisher of “Indiana Hoosiers on SI’’ since 2019. He has worked at some of America's finest newspapers as an award-winning reporter and editor for more than four decades, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He operates seven sites on the “On SI’’ network. Follow Tom on Twitter @tombrewsports.

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