NBA ROUNDUP
Celtics 112, Raptors 94
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 4-1 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.”
Clippers 111, Mavericks 97
Kawhi Leonard had 33 points and 14 rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers eliminated Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks from the playoffs with a 11197 victory Sunday in Game 6 of the firstround series.
Doncic capped a superb first post
season with 38 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, keeping it interesting into the fourth quarter even while playing without injured teammate Kristaps Porzingis.
But with Leonard reaching the 30point mark for his career-best fifth straight 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 119-107 victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday night.
Murray had his second 50-point game of the series to equal Mitchell, who finished with 44 in this one. No player has ever had more in an entire postseason.
They will go at it one more time Tuesday night, with the winner advancing to face the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers finished off the Dallas Mavericks in six games on the same court a few hours earlier.
Denver is trying to become the 12th team to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win a series and the first since 2016.
—