Three #ProHogs Set For NBA Playoffs

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Three former Razorbacks will have their NBA season extended, as the Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls all earned trips to the 2017 NBA Playoffs beginning on Saturday.

Joe Johnson and the Utah Jazz finished first in the Northwest Division and drew a five seed in the Western Conference Playoffs after winning eight of their final 11 contests of the season to finish 51-31 overall. This will be Johnson’s 12th playoff appearance with his fifth different team. The Jazz will face the No. 4 seed Los Angeles Clippers in the first round. Ranking 42nd on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, the 16-year veteran became a member of the 20,000 career points club earlier this month. The Little Rock native is averaging 9.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game this season for the Jazz. Johnson is second on the team in three-point field goal percentage at 41.1 percent and ranks third in free throw percentage at 81.9 percent.

This marks Patrick Beverley’s fourth playoff appearance in five seasons with the Houston Rockets. Finishing second in the Southwest Division, Houston earned a No. 3 seed in the Western Conference with a 55-27 record and will face the sixth-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. Averaging 9.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game, Beverley ranks second on the team in assists and steals, while sitting third in rebounds and three-point field goal percentage at 38.2 percent.

Winning seven of their last nine games, Bobby Portis and Chicago narrowly made it into the playoffs. Winning 112-73 over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, the Bulls clinched the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, finishing 41-41 overall and fourth in the Central Division. The Little Rock native is making his first career playoff appearance, after averaging 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in his second year in the league. The Bulls will take on the top-seeded Boston Celtics. Portis averaged 11.7 points and 7.7 rebounds in three games against the Celtics this season.

The Jazz-Clippers series begins Saturday night at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN. The Bulls-Celtics will begin on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. on TNT, while the Rockets-Thunder tip-off later that night at 8 p.m. on TNT.

For more information on the 2017 NBA Playoffs, visit NBA.com.