Cavaliers, Celtics up 2-0; Rockets battle back vs Warriors
The East's top-seeded teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, got the better of their lower-ranked opponents—the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic, respectively—to take 2-0 leads in their first-round matchups of the NBA Playoffs. Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets bounced back from their Game 1 home loss to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, April 24 (Philippine time).
The Cavaliers earned a 121-112 victory behind the heroics of their starters—Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Max Strus.
Mitchell tallied 30 points, six rebounds, six assists, and one steal, while Garland added 21 markers, two boards, and nine dimes. Mobley chipped in 20 points, six rebounds, one assist, and one steal, and Strus finished with 14 markers, one board, six dimes, and two deflections.
De’Andre Hunter also contributed off the bench with 12 points, three rebounds, and one steal.
The Cavaliers’ win overshadowed the strong performances from Heat stars Tyler Herro, who had a game-high 33 points along with six rebounds and five assists, and Bam Adebayo, who nearly notched a triple-double with 11 markers, 14 boards, and nine dimes.
Meanwhile, the defending champion Celtics pulled away in the third quarter and held their lead until the final buzzer, claiming a 109-100 win over the Magic.
Jaylen Brown led Boston with a monster performance of 36 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Kristaps Porzingis, who suffered a forehead cut after catching an elbow from Goga Bitadze, recorded a double-double with 20 markers and 10 boards, on top of his two steals and two blocks.
Derrick White and Jrue Holiday also scored in double figures with 17 and 11 points, respectively, while Payton Pritchard added 14 off the bench.
For the Magic, Paolo Banchero led the way with 32 points, nine rebounds, and seven steals. Franz Wagner followed with 25 markers, four boards, four dimes, and two deflections, while Wendell Carter Jr. added 16 points, eight rebounds, and one assist.
In the West, the Rockets tied their series against the Warriors with a 109-94 victory, fueled by Jalen Green’s all-around performance of 38 points, four rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
Alperen Sengun also made a major impact, posting 17 markers, 16 boards, seven dimes, and two deflections.
Stephen Curry was the only Warrior to score more than 12 points, finishing with 20 on 4-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc, alongside four rebounds, nine assists, one steal, and one block.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler was limited to just three points after exiting the game early due to a hard fall. He was later diagnosed with a pelvis contusion.
Game 3 of the NBA Playoffs series featuring the New York Knicks vs. the Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. the Memphis Grizzlies, and Denver Nuggets vs. the LA Clippers are all scheduled for tomorrow (Philippine time).
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The Los Angeles Lakers shrugged off a late rally by the Minnesota Timberwolves to come away with a 94-85 victory, tying their NBA Playoffs Round 1 series at one game apiece on Wednesday, April 23, (Philippine time) at the Cypro.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Luka Doncic, nearly posted a triple-double finishing with 33 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists, and one block, providing the offensive spark and playmaking Los Angeles needed to secure the much-needed win.
Veteran superstar LeBron James also delivered a well-rounded performance, contributing 21 markers, 11 boards, seven dimes, one steal, and a block.
The supporting cast stepped up as well. Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura provided valuable contributions, scoring 16 and 11 points, respectively.
The Oklahoma City Thunder once again played dominantly to take a 2-0 advantage in their Round 1 Playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies after securing a 118-99 Game 2 victory on April 23 (Philippine time) at the Paycom Center.
Thunder star and MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the West’s No. 1 seed with 27 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, while Jalen Williams added 24 markers, six boards, and four dimes to help Oklahoma grab their second straight win.
Chet Holmgren put up double-double numbers with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Alex Caruso—who didn’t attempt a single shot in Game 1—poured in 13 markers on 5-of-10 shooting from the field, grabbed four boards, issued three dimes, stole the ball thrice, and recorded one block.
Aaron Wiggins, their Game 1 hero, was limited to just eight points in seven minutes of playing time.
The Los Angeles Clippers evened their best-of-seven first-round series against the Denver Nuggets after escaping with a close 105-102 win at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, on Tuesday, April 22 (Philippine time).
It was a bounce-back win for the Clippers, who lost a tough Game 1 in overtime, 110-112.
Kawhi Leonard came up big for the Clippers. He scored a game-high 39 points on an efficient 15-of-19 shooting, including four three-pointers. He also added three rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block.
Leonard made the go-ahead basket and delivered a key defensive stop in the final seconds to seal the win.
James Harden also stepped up with 18 markers and four triples. He finished with three boards, seven dimes, one steal, and two blocks.
Ivica Zubac made a strong impact in the paint with a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds, along with four assists and one steal.