Boston defeats Toronto
Clippers eliminate Mavericks, Doncic
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Boston Celtics clearly have the formula to create problems for the Toronto Raptors.
Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart each scored 21 points, Kemba Walker added 18 points and 10 assists and the Celtics never trailed on the way to beating the Raptors, 112- 94, in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Sunday.
The Celtics improved to 41 against the Raptors this season — no other team has beaten the reigning NBA champions more than twice — and both of their meetings in the NBA’s restart bubble at Walt Disney World have been one- sided.
“You got a team like Toronto, the defending champs, a really, really good team and they know what it takes ... you have to be locked in even more,” Smart said. “And that’s just [ what] we try to come out and do.”
Toronto is 0- 2 against Boston at Disney, losing by a combined 40 points and not leading for a single moment in those two games. The Raptors are 11- 0 at Disney against everybody else.
Jaylen Brown scored 17 points and Daniel Theis finished with 13 points and 15 rebounds for Boston, which is 5- 0 in this postseason — though Celtics coach Brad Stevens dismissed any notion that control of the series has been secured.
“We’re not even in the ballpark of doing that yet,”
Stevens said. ‘ We won one game.”
Kyle Lowry had 17 points for Toronto, which got 15 from Serge Ibaka, 13 from Pascal Siakam on a day where he was slowed big- time by early foul trouble and 12 from OG Anunoby. The Raptors were outscored 51- 30 from 3- point range.
Other game
Clippers 111, Mavericks 97: Kawhi Leonard had 33 points and 14 rebounds as Los Angeles eliminated Luka Doncic and Dallas from the playoffs with a victory in Game 6 of the first- round series. Doncic capped a superb first postseason with 38 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, keeping it interesting into the fourth quarter. But with Leonard reaching the 30point mark for his career- best fifth consecutive playoff game and a strong defensive effort, the Clippers simply had too many answers.
Nuggets 119, Jazz 107: The Jamal Murray- Donovan Mitchell duel will be settled in the first Game 7 in the bubble. Murray extended his torrid run with 50 more points, leading the Denver Nuggets to a victory against the Utah Jazz. Murray had his second 50- point game of the series to equal Mitchell, who finished with 44 in this one. They will go at it one more time Tuesday night, with the winner advancing to face the Los Angeles Clippers.