BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 32 points, Derrick White made seven 3-pointers and added 25, and the Boston Celtics powered past the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-95 on Tuesday night in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.
Jayson Tatum finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds to help the Celtics pull away in the second half.
The Cavaliers went 11 of 42 from 3-point range and kept pace early. But the Celtics were even more efficient from the outside, connecting on 18 of 46 from beyond the arc for the game.
It helped Boston carry a 15-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Celtics then started the final period on a 10-2 run to increase their lead to 102-79.
Donovan Mitchell had 33 points and six assists for the Cavaliers. He is the fourth player in league history to score 30 or more points in six straight playoff series openers, joining Michael Jordan (three times), Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain.
THUNDER 117, MAVERICKS 95
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 29 points, nine rebounds and nine assists to help top-seeded Oklahoma City beat Dallas in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.
Chet Holmgren added 19 points, seven rebounds and three blocks for the Thunder. Jalen Williams struggled with his shot for three quarters but scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth to help Oklahoma City remain unbeaten in the playoffs.
Gilgeous-Alexander got the best of the matchup with Dallas’ Luka Doncic, a fellow MVP finalist. Doncic scored 19 points on 6-for-19 shooting and had five turnovers. Lu Dort got most of the work guarding him, with rookie Cason Wallace getting some of the action and Holmgren pestering him near the rim.
Kyrie Irving scored 20 points and Daniel Gafford added 16 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks for the fifth-seeded Mavericks.
The Associated Press
