The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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.”
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. 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 postseason 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.
The No. 2 seed in the Western Conference advanced to a second-round meeting with either Denver or Utah. The sixth-seeded Jazz were trying to close that series out in six games later Sunday.
Paul George and Ivica Zubac added 15 points apiece for the Clippers, who turned up their defense in this one after winning Game 5 with the best offensive performance in their postseason history, when they shot 63% and romped to a 154-111 victory.