Sixers roll over Raptors for 2-0 series lead • Warriors beats Nuggets again

Joel Embiid had 31 points and 11 rebounds to lift the host Philadelphia 76ers past the Toronto Raptors 112-97 to take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference opening round playoff series on Monday.

Tyrese Maxey added 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, Tobias Harris contributed 20 points and 10 rebounds and James Harden chipped in with 14 points as the Sixers defended their home court with a pair of wins. Danny Green also had 11.

It was the 100th career playoff win for head coach Doc Rivers.

Game 3 will be played Wednesday in Toronto.

OG Anunoby led the Raptors with 26 points, Fred VanVleet added 20 and Pascal Siakam had 20 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Boucher also scored 17.

The Raptors played without Scottie Barnes, who suffered an ankle injury in Game 1 when Embiid landed on him.

Toronto’s Gary Trent Jr. played 10 minutes and didn’t return due to a non-COVID illness. He was scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting.

Warriors 126, Nuggets 106

Stephen Curry came off the bench to score 34 points in 23 minutes and Jordan Poole again stood out with 29 points and eight assists as Golden State posted a convincing victory over visiting Denver.

Klay Thompson added 21 points as the Warriors took a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference first-round series. Andrew Wiggins had 13 points and eight rebounds for Golden State, which won the first two games by an average of 18 points.

Nikola Jokic recorded 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets before drawing his second technical foul and earning an ejection with seven minutes remaining.

Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is Thursday night in Denver.

Curry came off the bench for the second straight game after missing the previous 12 contests with a left foot injury. He connected on 12-of17 shots and hit 5-of-10 from threepoint range.

Poole, 22, was electric for the second straight game while turning the Splash Brothers into a trio. He made 10-of-16 field-goal attempts, including 5-of-10 from three-point range.

Poole’s 59 points in his first two playoff games ranks second in franchise history behind legendary Wilt Chamberlain, who tallied 63 in his first two for the Philadelphia Warriors in 1960.

Mavericks 110, Jazz 104

Jalen Brunson exploded for 41 points, Maxi Kleber added 25 and host Dallas was on fire from outside to overcome superstar Luka Doncic’s absence against Utah.

The teams’ first-round Western Conference playoff series is tied at one win apiece heading to games in Salt Lake City on Thursday and Saturday.

Kleber scored all but one of his points from beyond the arc, shooting 8-for-11 from three-point range, and Brunson made six treys. Dallas hit 22-of-47 attempts (46.8 percent) from long distance, while Utah connected on 11-of-29 (37.9 percent) from outside.

Dallas’ Spencer Dinwiddie contributed 17 points and six assists, while Reggie Bullock put up 11 points.

Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points, Bojan Bogdanovic had 25 and Jordan Clarkson added 21 for the Jazz, who were unable to maintain the lead they held for most of the second half when it counted most.

The Jazz took a 55-48 lead into halftime after finishing the second quarter on a 7-0 run, with Mitchell draining a three-pointer and Gobert sinking four free throws. Mitchell scored 12 points in the second period.

Doncic has missed the series’ first two games due to a strained left calf.

Celtics’ Smart wins DPOY Meanwhile, Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart notched a career highlight Monday when he was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Smart, an eight-year veteran, helped the Celtics lead the NBA in fewest points allowed per game (104.5), lowest opposing field-goal percentage (43.4) and lowest three-point percentage (33.9). Boston finished with a defensive rating of 106.2, which was best in the league.

The 28-year-old Smart tallied 37 firstplace votes and 257 points overall to win the award. He beat out top-five finishers Mikal Bridges of the Phoenix Suns (202 points), Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz (136), Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat (128) and Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies (99).

Smart is the first guard to win the award since Gary Payton in the 1995/96 season.

“Definitely want to thank you guys, man, my coaching staff, my teammates,” Smart said in a video posted on social media by the Celtics. “It’s not easy playing in this league full of guys like Jayson [Tatum] and Jaylen [Brown], who score the ball the way they do, and getting the recognition on that defensive end trying to guard these guys every night. This is eight years, man, you guys have allowed me to do that.”

Smart finished the regular season sixth in steals (119) and seventh in steals per game (1.68). He recovered 75 loose balls, tied for fourth in the league. (Reuters)