Raptors shred Nets, Celtics edge 76ers, both go up 3-0
MIAMI — The defending champions Toronto Raptors pummelled the Brooklyn Nets while the Boston Celtics had to claw past a determined Philadelphia on Friday, both taking commanding 3-0 series leads in the NBA playoffs.
Pascal Siakam scored 26 points, pulled down eight rebounds and handed out five assists to lead the Raptors to a 117-92 victory over the Nets.
Toronto connected on 50.5 percent of their shots from the field and 47.8 percent from three-point range.
Kyle Lowry came up just short of a triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for a Raptors team that can clinch a second round berth in game four on Sunday.
“We’re just taking it a possession at a time,” Lowry said. “We can’t focus on anything else. Closeout games are always the toughest.
We know they’re not going to lay down.”
The Celtics are also in control against the 76ers, although they had to battle a struggling but determined Philadelphia side to close out a 102-94 victory.
Kemba Walker scored 24 points and Jaylen Brown added 21 as the Celtics withstood a 30-point, 13-rebound performance from Philadelphia big man Joel Embiid in the NBA’s quarantine bubble in Orlando, Florida.
Despite their dire situation, Embiid said he was focused on winning game four on Sunday.
“I don’t want to be swept,” Embiid said. “I don’t want that in my resumé.”
In Western Conference action, the Utah Jazz cruised past the Denver Nuggets 124-87, taking a 2-1 series lead with their second straight lopsided win.
And the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Dallas Mavericks 130-122 to edge ahead 2-1 in their series.
Utah’s Mike Conley played his first playoff game in the bubble after leaving for the birth of his son and then quarantining for four days upon his return.
Kawhi Leonard scored 36 points and grabbed nine rebounds, leading seven Clippers players to score in double figures.
“I thought his playmaking was incredible tonight,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said of Leonard. “Obviously his scoring, his defense, but his playmaking sets a tone for everybody else.”
Leonard said he “just tried to be aggressive” as the Clippers bounced back from a game two defeat. “The whole team is being aggressive,” he said. “They’re helping me get easy shots.
“When you pass the ball they’re making it, and that’s how you get assists.”