Celtics make an impressive comeback, defeating the Cavs with a score of 106-93. Meanwhile, the Mavericks, led by Luka Doncic, secure a victory against the OKC Thunder with a close score of 105-101.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown teamed up to drop a whopping 61 points, propelling the Boston Celtics to a remarkable victory in the NBA playoffs against Cleveland. Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic showcased their skills, guiding Dallas to triumph over Oklahoma City.

In a surprising turn of events, Boston’s top seeds, Tatum and Brown, dominated the court. Tatum scored an impressive 33 points, while Brown contributed 28 points. Despite being stunned by the Cavaliers in game two on their home court, Boston managed to bounce back and secure a 106-93 victory in Cleveland. This win puts them in a favorable position with a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal.

KEEP READING

Three key talking points entering the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs

Jokic, Doncic, LeBron all primed to play a big part in the NBA postseason

‘Basketball mecca’: FIBA World Cup passion spikes in co-hosts Philippines

In the second half, Irving stepped up for Dallas and scored 14 out of his 22 points, while Doncic contributed with 22 points and an impressive 15 rebounds. Their outstanding performance led the Mavericks to a thrilling 105-101 victory, giving them a 2-1 lead against the top-seeded Oklahoma City in the Western Conference.

The Celtics started off the game with a close first quarter, but managed to take a two-point lead and never fell behind for the rest of the game.

Version 1: Tatum mentioned that they were simply looking to make a comeback after extending their lead to 23 points with a 14-0 scoring run to start the third quarter.

Tatum mentioned that our backs were basically against the wall, so it served as a great opportunity for us to prove ourselves. We were ready to take on the challenge.

1. Donovan Mitchell put up 33 points for the Cavaliers, however, he seemed to slightly injure his problematic left knee during the fourth quarter.

Cleveland put a stop to Boston’s third-quarter surge by going on a 9-0 run themselves.

The Celtics had a response for every surge from Cleveland, and the Cavs couldn’t narrow the gap to less than nine points in the last period.

The Thunder’s relentless defense didn’t faze the Mavericks as they dug deep in Dallas.

1. Irving’s impressive performance in the second half was highlighted by a floater that extended Dallas’ lead to five points with just 39.3 seconds left on the clock.

Irving ‘doing it all’

1. The Slovenian sensation Doncic endured more physicality, even taking a tough fall on his back following a collision with Dort, and mentioned he aggravated his sprained knee at the end of the game.

1. Doncic emphasized, “The most important thing is that we got the win,” when questioned about his knee, back, and sore ankle, he simply replied, “Everything hurts.”

He mentioned, “I believe I’m fighting.” He also mentioned that having a day off from traveling before the Mavs host game four on Monday was a pleasant change.

Version 1: PJ Washington scored 27 points for the Mavs, while Dereck Lively contributed 12 points off the bench to support Dallas in holding off a 31-point game from Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

1. In the opening quarter, both teams had a hard time getting their offenses going, but Dallas managed to finish with a three-point lead.

In the second quarter, Oklahoma City made 60 percent of their shots, giving them a slim 52-51 lead at half-time. They extended their advantage in the third quarter with a remarkable 11-0 scoring burst, bringing the score to 65-55.

The Mavs came back strong with a 16-0 run, highlighted by a massive dunk from Washington and sealed with his three-pointer, extending their lead to 71-65.

The American Airlines Center crowd got pumped up by the run, but Oklahoma City wasted no time in narrowing the lead to just one point before the Mavs retaliated once more.

Irving nailed two three-pointers and dished out an assist to Daniel Gafford for a powerful dunk. Just as the third quarter was coming to an end, Tim Hardaway Jr drained a three-pointer, giving Dallas a 82-78 lead.

Irving, distributing seven assists and prioritizing getting his teammates involved, mentioned that a Dallas coach pointed out that he had waited a bit too long to start scoring.

1. However, Doncic mentioned that his input was “incredible”.

Doncic mentioned that he’s handling everything on both sides of the court.

The Thunder’s coach, Mark Daigneault, mentioned that his young squad, with an average age slightly above 23, made some mistakes in the third quarter, which cost them a great opportunity to secure a victory in Dallas.

He mentioned that there are plenty of things we can gain knowledge from.