Raptors complete 4-0 sweep over Nets after 100 points from the bench; Mitchell explodes for 51 as Jazz edge Nuggets; Doncic buzzer-beater leads Mavs over Clippers; Celtics wrap up series against 76ers
Monday 24 August 2020 07:26, UK
The Toronto Raptors were boosted by 100 points from the bench as they brushed aside the Brooklyn Nets to set up a enthralling series against the Boston Celtics.
Reserve Norman Powell scored a career playoff-high 29 points as the Raptors beat an undermanned Nets 150-122 to complete a four-game sweep in their first-round playoff series on Sunday.
Serge Ibaka added a playoff career-best 27 points off the bench and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Raptors, who swept a best-of-seven playoff series for the first time in their 25-year franchise history.
The Raptors, who set a franchise record for points in a playoff game, will now play the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
Toronto played most of the game without guard Kyle Lowry, who had two points and three assists in nine minutes. He left the court with three minutes remaining in the first quarter and never returned after twisting his ankle.
The Raptors went ahead early on and never looked back as they entered the fourth quarter with a 29-point cushion.
Pascal Siakam added 20 points, 10 assists and six rebounds for Toronto, Terence Davis had 14 points, Matt Thomas had 12 and OG Anunoby had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Caris LeVert led Brooklyn with 35 points and added six assists and six rebounds. Tyler Johnson added 13 points, Dzanan Musa had 12, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot scored 11 points, Garrett Temple had 10 points and Jarrett Allen contributed eight points and 15 rebounds for the Nets, who played without several top players.
LeVert sizzled early with 26 first-half points, but the Raptors opened the third quarter on a 17-2 surge with Powell scoring seven of the points on a dunk, a layup and a three-pointer. Davis beat the buzzer with a three-pointer to end the third quarter with the Raptors leading 116-87.
Donovan Mitchell scored 51 points and dished out seven assists to help the Utah Jazz outlast the Denver Nuggets for a 129-127 victory, giving Utah a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference first-round playoff series.
Mitchell posted his second 50-point game in the series, becoming just the third NBA player alongside Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson to score 50 points twice in the same playoff series.
Mike Conley scored 26 points and Jordan Clarkson added 24 off the bench for the Jazz, while Rudy Gobert chipped in 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Jamal Murray exploded for 50 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists to lead Denver, with Nikola Jokic adding 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the loss.
An 11-2 lead gave Denver their largest lead of the first half at 43-35 after a strong start, before baskets from Clarkson and Mitchell and two free throws from the latter cut the deficit to 65-64 at the half.
Utah moved into the ascendancy in the third when Conley produced a pair of three-pointers in a 12-4 run that put Utah up 91-83, before another triple and two free throws extended the lead to 102-91 early in the fourth.
Denver heated up from the perimeter and cut the deficit to 109-108 on back-to-back three-pointers from Murray, but couldn't retake the lead as Mitchell drained a three-pointer and hit five free throws in the final minute to secure the victory.
Luka Doncic's three-pointer at the buzzer in overtime lifted the Dallas Mavericks to a 135-133 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers to level their first-round playoff series at 2-2.
Doncic shook off the effects of a sprained left ankle sustained on Friday and recorded his second consecutive triple-double with 43 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists, carrying the Mavericks to the win despite playing without Kristaps Porzingis (knee).
Trey Burke added 25 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 19 of his 21 in the second half for the Mavericks, while Seth Curry offered up 15 points.
Lou Williams had 36 points and Kawhi Leonard, who missed a jumper before the final horn of regulation, finished with 32 points for the Clippers, who blew a 21-point first-half lead.
Ivica Zubac contributed 15 points, while Paul George managed just nine points on three of 14 shooting as he scored just two points in the second half.
Doncic's layup tied the score at 130 with 50 seconds remaining in overtime, before he gave the Mavericks a two-point lead with a spin move with 19 seconds left.
Marcus Morris Sr's three-pointer with nine seconds left put Los Angeles up 133-132, only for Doncic to beat the buzzer.
The Celtics became the first team into the NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference semi-finals after beating the Philadelphia 76ers 110-106 to complete a 4-0 series win.
Kemba Walker's game-high 32 points and a 14-point run bridging the third and fourth quarters led to Boston's victory at the Walt Disney World Complex near Orlando.
The third-seeded Celtics, beaten in the East semi-finals by Milwaukee last year, move into the same stage this year, with the second-seeded Raptors awaiting after their win over the Nets.
Jayson Tatum finished with 28 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, with seven coming in the final 3:05 of the third period, during which the Celtics broke from a 77-all tie to take an 89-77 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Enes Kanter opened the fourth quarter with a hoop to complete a 14-0 run, and when Tatum connected from three-point range with 9:57 remaining, the Celtics had broken the game open at 96-79. The sixth-seeded 76ers got no closer than 10 after that until the final seconds.
Walker's 32 points came on eight for 15 shooting overall and four for nine from 3-point range, the Celtics outscoring the 76ers 36-27 on threes.
Joel Embiid led the way for the 76ers with 30 points, but misfired on four of his five three-point attempts, while Tobias Harris had 20 points before exiting the game after a scary fall late in the third quarter.
