Tatum, Celtics push Nets to brink of elimination
Jayson Tatum scored 39 points, Jaylen Brown had 23 and the Celtics took a 3-0 lead over the host Nets with a 109-103 victory Saturday night.
Again making things difficult on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving with their suffocating defense, the Celtics put themselves in position to sweep their way into the second round with a victory Monday night in Brooklyn.
Durant took only 11 shots, finishing with 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Irving shot 6-for-17 and had 16 points for the Nets, who have to decide if they will give Ben Simmons his debut in an elimination game.
Jazz 100, Mavericks 99
Rudy Gobert gave Utah the lead with an alley-oop dunk with 11 seconds left, and the Jazz held off visiting Dallas in Game 4 to tie the series. Spencer Dinwiddie missed a three-pointer at the horn for the Mavericks.
Jordan Clarkson scored 25 points for the Jazz, Donovan Mitchell added 23 points and seven assists and Gobert had 17 points and 15 rebounds.
Mavericks star Luka Doncic had 30 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in his return from a three-game absence because of strained left calf.
Game 5 is Monday night in Dallas.
Raptors 110, 76ers 102
Pascal Siakam scored 15 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, Gary Trent Jr. added 24 points and host Toronto beat Philadelphia to avoid a series sweep.
Game 5 is Monday night in Philadelphia. No team has come back from a 3-0 deficit to win an NBA playoff series.
The 76ers’ Joel Embiid started despite a right thumb injury that required him to wear a brace. Embiid shot 3-for-10 in the first half. He finished 7-for-16 and scored 21 points in 39 minutes. Before the game, 76ers coach Doc Rivers said Embiid is expected to undergo an MRI exam.
James Harden had 22 points for the Sixers.
Raptors’ Barnes is Rookie of the Year
Raptors forward Scottie Barnes was voted NBA Rookie of the Year, edging the Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley.
Barnes got 48 first-place votes and 378 points from a global panel of 100 writers and broadcasters. Mobley received 43 first-place votes and finished with 363 points.
Barnes averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 35.4 minutes per game. He led all rookies in minutes and was third in points and rebounds.