Mitchell-led Cavs rally from 18 down, beat Magic

WESTERN CONFERENCE

OKLAHOMA CITY vs. DALLAS

Tuesday: at Oklahoma City, 9:30 Thursday: at Oklahoma City, 9:30 Saturday, May 11: at Dallas, 3:30

Monday, May 13: at Dallas, 9:30 x-Wed., May 15: at Oklahoma City, TBA x-Saturday, May 18: at Dallas, TBA x-Monday, May 20: at Oklahoma City, TBA MINNESOTA 1, DENVER 0

G1: Minnesota 106, Denver 99

Monday: at Denver, 10

Friday: at Minnesota, 9:30

Sunday, May 12: at Minnesota, 8 x-Tuesday, May 14: at Denver, TBA x-Thursday, May 16: at Minnesota, TBA x-Sunday, May 19: at Denver, TBA

Donovan Mitchell scored 39 points to fuel the host Cleveland Cavaliers to the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 106-94 victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday in Game 7 of their first-round series.

Mitchell, who scored 17 points in the third quarter, made 15 of 17 free-throw attempts and added nine rebounds. His scintillating performance came on the heels of a 50-point effort in Cleveland’s 103-96 loss in Orlando on Friday.

Caris LeVert scored 15 points off the bench and Max Strus added 13 for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers, who overcame an 18-point deficit to record their fourth win at home in the series.

Cleveland, which posted its first playoff series win in six years, will visit the top-seeded Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the conference semifinals on Tuesday. The Celtics captured two of the three meetings in the regular season.

The Cavaliers won despite playing without AllStar center Jarrett Allen (rib contusion) for the third straight game.

Orlando’s Paolo Banchero collected 38 points and 16 rebounds while playing in his first career Game 7.

LATE SATURDAY

Timberwolves 106, Nuggets 99: Anthony Edwards scored 43 points, Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 20 and visiting Minnesota took homecourt advantage from Denver in Game 1 of a Western Conference semifinal series on Saturday night.

Naz Reid scored 14 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, Mike Conley had 14 points and 10 assists and Rudy Gobert grabbed 13 rebounds for Minnesota, which pulled away to begin the postseason 5-0.

Game 2 is Monday night in Denver.

Jokic had 32 points, Porter added 20 and Murray finished with 17, all in the second half, for the Nuggets, who are trailing in a playoff series for the first time since losing to the Golden State Warriors in the first round in 2022.

ELSEWHERE

Celtics: Top-seeded Boston will open the Eastern Conference semifinals on Tuesday against Orlando Cleveland without center Kristaps Porzingis, who vowed to recover from a calf injury “at a historic rate.” Porzingis was diagnosed with a right soleus strain, which he sustained in the second quarter of Game 4 of Boston’s firstround series against the Miami Heat. He told reporters Saturday that his timetable is week-to-week.

Mavericks: Dallas forward Maxi Kleber will be sidelined at least three weeks after sustaining an AC joint separation to his right shoulder, the team announced Sunday. An MRI revealed the severity of the injury.

Bulls: Chicago point guard Lonzo Ball, who has missed the past two-plus seasons with chronic knee issues, picked up his $21.3 million option for the 2024-25 season, ESPN and NBC Sports Chicago reported Saturday. Ball, 26, has undergone three surgeries on his left knee, the last a cartilage transplant in March 2023. Ball hasn’t played in an NBA game since Jan. 14, 2022, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to play next season.