Celtics coast; Clippers advance

The Celtics began the second round of the playoffs by dominating the NBA defending champion Raptors.

Using a balanced scoring attack and a superb defensive performance, the Celtics improved to 5-0 in the postseason, leading from wire-to-wire and earning an impressive 112-94 victory Sunday over the Raptors at Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

“I believe in each and every one of those guys in that locker room,” Jayson Tatum said after scoring 21 points. “We’ve spent so much time together down here. We come prepared.

“It’s not going to be perfect. We know how good Toronto is and how tough they are. This is one game. We can’t think about it no more. We’ve got to get ready for the next one. They’re going to come out and play harder, so we’ve got to match their intensity.”

The Celtics and Raptors were scheduled to begin the series last Thursday, but the playoffs were put on hold when players boycotted in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha, Wisconsin, police.

In Game 1 of the first-ever playoff series between the teams, the Celtics were never behind, jumping to an 11-3 lead. Their advantage was in double figures for the final 32:04 of the game and reached 24 in the fourth quarter.

The Raptors are 11-2 in regular-season and postseason games at Disney World with both losses to the Celtics. Toronto trailed the Celtics by 40 on the way to a 122-100 loss on Aug. 7.

The Raptors (37%, 10 for 40 on 3pointers) were in early foul trouble and never got into a groove.

The Clippers clinched both a 111-97 win over the Mavericks and their firstround playoff series in six games Sunday, marking the first time they advanced to the second round since 2015.

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard finished with 33 points while shooting 14 of 23 along with 14 rebounds, seven assists and five steals.

Los Angeles will play the winner of the Nuggets-Jazz series in the Western Conference semifinals.