Celtics Steamroll Heat
By Dan Bruno
The Boston Celtics defeated the visiting Miami Heat, 114-94, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First-Round Playoffs at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon.
The Celtics jumped out to a quick, 14-0, lead and held on to a five-point advantage after one quarter. They picked up the pace again early in the second and rallied to an 18-point cushion mid way through the quarter, before taking a 15-point advantage into the half. They kept the momentum going in the third, where they outscored the Heat, 31-14, to make it a 32-point difference entering the final quarter. The visitors put up a fight in the fourth, but the Celtics had no trouble holding on for the 1-0 series lead.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 23 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and two steals, in 41 minutes. Derrick White followed up with 20 points, three rebounds, four assists and a block, while Jaylen Brown turned in 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a block.
Meanwhile, Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 24 points, six rebounds and three assists, in 36 minutes of action. Delon Wright followed up with 17 points, three assists and two steals, while Jaime Jaquez tallied 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal.
Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday, in Boston.
The Celtics jumped out to a quick, 14-0, lead and held on to a five-point advantage after one quarter. They picked up the pace again early in the second and rallied to an 18-point cushion mid way through the quarter, before taking a 15-point advantage into the half. They kept the momentum going in the third, where they outscored the Heat, 31-14, to make it a 32-point difference entering the final quarter. The visitors put up a fight in the fourth, but the Celtics had no trouble holding on for the 1-0 series lead.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 23 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and two steals, in 41 minutes. Derrick White followed up with 20 points, three rebounds, four assists and a block, while Jaylen Brown turned in 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a block.
Meanwhile, Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 24 points, six rebounds and three assists, in 36 minutes of action. Delon Wright followed up with 17 points, three assists and two steals, while Jaime Jaquez tallied 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal.
Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday, in Boston.
Clippers Topple Mavericks, 109-97
The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 109-97, at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday afternoon in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal-round series. The Clippers lead the series, 1-0.
Despite being at home, the Clippers (51-31 reg. season, 1-0 postseason) were seen as being at a disadvantage with Kawhi Leonard (knee) sidelined, but Los Angeles set a dominant enough tone in the first half to make that irrelevant. The hosts already owned a 12-point lead over the Mavericks (50-32 reg. season, 0-1 postseason) at the end of one, and they then held Dallas to a jaw-dropping eight points in the second quarter. The 26-point halftime advantage was only whittled down by three during the third quarter, setting up a double-digit victory despite the visitors enjoying their best offensive quarter in the fourth.
Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 33 points, adding 13 rebounds, six assists and one steal. Kyrie Irving furnished 31 points, seven boards, four assists and two steals. P.J. Washington totaled 11 points, seven rebounds, two steals and one block.
James Harden paced the Clippers with 28 points, supplementing them with eight assists, two rebounds and two blocks. Paul George supplied 22 points, six rebounds, three assists and one steal. Ivica Zubac generated a 20-point, 15-rebound double-double that included one assist, one steal and one block. Terance Mann and Russell Westbrook provided matching 13-point contributions while also tallying nine and four rebounds, respectively. Westbrook added four assists and two steals.
The two teams reconvene at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night for Game 2.
Despite being at home, the Clippers (51-31 reg. season, 1-0 postseason) were seen as being at a disadvantage with Kawhi Leonard (knee) sidelined, but Los Angeles set a dominant enough tone in the first half to make that irrelevant. The hosts already owned a 12-point lead over the Mavericks (50-32 reg. season, 0-1 postseason) at the end of one, and they then held Dallas to a jaw-dropping eight points in the second quarter. The 26-point halftime advantage was only whittled down by three during the third quarter, setting up a double-digit victory despite the visitors enjoying their best offensive quarter in the fourth.
Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 33 points, adding 13 rebounds, six assists and one steal. Kyrie Irving furnished 31 points, seven boards, four assists and two steals. P.J. Washington totaled 11 points, seven rebounds, two steals and one block.
James Harden paced the Clippers with 28 points, supplementing them with eight assists, two rebounds and two blocks. Paul George supplied 22 points, six rebounds, three assists and one steal. Ivica Zubac generated a 20-point, 15-rebound double-double that included one assist, one steal and one block. Terance Mann and Russell Westbrook provided matching 13-point contributions while also tallying nine and four rebounds, respectively. Westbrook added four assists and two steals.
The two teams reconvene at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night for Game 2.
Lillard Leads Bucks Past Pacers In Game 1
The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Indiana Pacers, 109-94, at Fiserv Forum on Saturday evening in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
The Bucks had to find a way to win the series opener against the Pacers without Giannis Antetokounmpo. Fortunately for them, Damian Lillard stepped his game up and carried the team to a massive win. The Bucks set the tone early, racing to a 30-21 lead in the first quarter and never looking back. The star floor general kept paving the way for the hosts, and Milwaukee made it a double-digit lead after a 39-21 second quarter, giving the Bucks a robust 27-point advantage. The Pacers woke up in the third quarter and limited Milwaukee to a mere 14-point output. The 29-14 score in the third quarter reduced the deficit to 12 points, but the Bucks wouldn’t let their lead slip away. A 26-23 score in the final 12 minutes was enough to close things out. The second game of the series will be played Tuesday.
Damian Lillard led the way for the Bucks with 35 points, six rebounds and three assists. Khris Middleton had a double-double of 23 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Bobby Portis also had a double-double after posting 15 points and 11 boards. Brook Lopez notched 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Patrick Beverley had five points, seven rebounds and eight assists. The Bucks shot 46.6 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from three-point range.
Pascal Siakam led the way for the Pacers with a game-high 36 points and 14 rebounds. Myles Turner was the only other starter who scored in double digits after posting 17 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals. Tyrese Haliburton had nine points, eight assists and seven rebounds. T.J. McConnell added 10 points coming off the bench. The Pacers shot 39.6 percent from the field and 20.5 percent from deep.
The Bucks had to find a way to win the series opener against the Pacers without Giannis Antetokounmpo. Fortunately for them, Damian Lillard stepped his game up and carried the team to a massive win. The Bucks set the tone early, racing to a 30-21 lead in the first quarter and never looking back. The star floor general kept paving the way for the hosts, and Milwaukee made it a double-digit lead after a 39-21 second quarter, giving the Bucks a robust 27-point advantage. The Pacers woke up in the third quarter and limited Milwaukee to a mere 14-point output. The 29-14 score in the third quarter reduced the deficit to 12 points, but the Bucks wouldn’t let their lead slip away. A 26-23 score in the final 12 minutes was enough to close things out. The second game of the series will be played Tuesday.
Damian Lillard led the way for the Bucks with 35 points, six rebounds and three assists. Khris Middleton had a double-double of 23 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Bobby Portis also had a double-double after posting 15 points and 11 boards. Brook Lopez notched 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Patrick Beverley had five points, seven rebounds and eight assists. The Bucks shot 46.6 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from three-point range.
Pascal Siakam led the way for the Pacers with a game-high 36 points and 14 rebounds. Myles Turner was the only other starter who scored in double digits after posting 17 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals. Tyrese Haliburton had nine points, eight assists and seven rebounds. T.J. McConnell added 10 points coming off the bench. The Pacers shot 39.6 percent from the field and 20.5 percent from deep.
Thunder Defeat Pels in Game 1, 94-92
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the visiting New Orleans Pelicans, 94-92, at Paycom Center on Sunday.
There were 13 ties and 20 lead changes in Game 1, with neither team leading by more than 10 points. With that said, Oklahoma City finished the game on a 7-2 run over the final 3:33, with New Orleans shooting 1-of-7 from the field while committing four turnovers in that span. The Thunder shot 44 percent from the field and 31 percent from three-point range while holding the Pelicans to 39 percent from the field and 28 percent from long range. OKC also outscored New Orleans in fastbreak points, 20-7.
The Pelicans (0-1) were led by Trey Murphy, tallying 21 points, four rebounds, two assists and three blocks. CJ McCollum collected 20 points, three rebounds and six assists. Jonas Valanciunas amassed 13 points, 20 rebounds and two assists, while Brandon Ingram accrued 12 points, six rebounds and three assists. Larry Nance Jr led the bench with eight points and eight boards.
The Thunder (1-0) were led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, finishing with 28 points, six rebounds and four assists. Jalen Williams had 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Chet Holmgren compiled 15 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and five blocks. No other player had more than six points, four rebounds or three assists.
Game 2 will be back in OKC on Wednesday.
There were 13 ties and 20 lead changes in Game 1, with neither team leading by more than 10 points. With that said, Oklahoma City finished the game on a 7-2 run over the final 3:33, with New Orleans shooting 1-of-7 from the field while committing four turnovers in that span. The Thunder shot 44 percent from the field and 31 percent from three-point range while holding the Pelicans to 39 percent from the field and 28 percent from long range. OKC also outscored New Orleans in fastbreak points, 20-7.
The Pelicans (0-1) were led by Trey Murphy, tallying 21 points, four rebounds, two assists and three blocks. CJ McCollum collected 20 points, three rebounds and six assists. Jonas Valanciunas amassed 13 points, 20 rebounds and two assists, while Brandon Ingram accrued 12 points, six rebounds and three assists. Larry Nance Jr led the bench with eight points and eight boards.
The Thunder (1-0) were led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, finishing with 28 points, six rebounds and four assists. Jalen Williams had 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Chet Holmgren compiled 15 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and five blocks. No other player had more than six points, four rebounds or three assists.
Game 2 will be back in OKC on Wednesday.