Jayson Tatum scored 29 points before fouling out late in the fourth quarter as the Boston Celtics never trailed and completed a four-game sweep of the Brooklyn Nets in their Eastern Conference first-round series by holding on for a 116-112 victory Monday night in New York.
The second-seeded Celtics, who lost to the Nets in five games in this round last season, await the winner of the Milwaukee-Chicago series. The Bucks lead the Bulls three games to one.
Jaylen Brown added 22 points for the Celtics, who shot 47.2 percent and won each game in the series by single digits. Marcus Smart added 20 points and 11 assists, Grant Williams hit four 3-pointers and contributed 14 points and Al Horford chipped in 13.
Kevin Durant scored 39 for his best game of the series but missed two 3-pointers in the final minute as Brooklyn ended a season it had entered as an NBA title favorite. Seth Curry added 23 points, Kyrie Irving finished with 20 and the Nets shot 50.6 percent.
Raptors 103, 76ers 88
Pascal Siakam scored 23 points to help visiting Toronto stave off elimination against Philadelphia in Game 5 of an Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
Siakam added 10 rebounds and seven assists for the fifth-seeded Raptors, who have won two in a row after losing the first three games in the best-of-seven set. Precious Achiuwa made 7 of 11 shots to finish with 17 points for the Raptors. OG Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. each had 16 points and NBA Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes added 12 points and eight rebounds in the win.
Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid collected 20 points and 11 rebounds as he battled through a torn ligament in his right thumb. Prior to the game, Embiid was fined $15,000 for criticizing the officiating following the 76ers’ 110-102 loss to the Raptors in Game 4 on Saturday.
Mavericks 102, Jazz 77
Luka Doncic scored 33 and grabbed 13 rebounds to ignite host Dallas to a 3-2 Western Conference first-round playoff series lead with a dominant win over Utah.
The Mavericks, who never trailed and led by as many as 33, have a chance to close out the series in Salt Lake City in Game 6 on Thursday. Jalen Brunson added 24 points for the Mavericks. Dorian Finney-Smith was the only other Dallas player in double figures with 13 points, but that was more than enough offense against Utah on this night.
The Mavericks held the Jazz to just 55 points through the first three quarters. Jordan Clarkson scored 20 points and Rudy Gobert compiled 17 points with 11 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell only scored nine points on 4-of-15 shooting. He left the game in the fourth quarter due to an apparent left hamstring injury.
–Field Level Media