Jaylen Brown spearheaded the Boston Celtics to a dominant victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a score of 32 points in the first game of their NBA playoff semi-final.
Derrick White also shone brightly, contributing 25 points and landing seven three-pointers, leading to a 120-95 win for the Celtics, who are on the hunt for an unprecedented 18th NBA title.
Brown emphasized the team’s defensive strategy, which successfully kept the Cavaliers below 100 points. “We’ve prepared for every scenario, so we just focus on playing the game correctly,” he stated.
The Celtics maintained a comfortable lead throughout the game, with Donovan Mitchell scoring the highest for the Cavaliers at 33 points, supported by Evan Mobley and Darius Garland with 17 and 14 points, respectively.The next game in the best-of-seven series is scheduled to take place in Boston on Thursday.
In the Western Conference semi-final, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 117-95 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Gilgeous-Alexander notched 29 points, along with nine rebounds and assists, marking the Thunder as the youngest team to ever win an NBA playoff semi-final.
Even with Kyrie Irving scoring 20 points and Luka Doncic adding 19, the Mavericks were unable to catch up to the Thunder’s lead, particularly as Doncic was playing through a knee injury. The series will continue with its second game in Oklahoma City on Thursday.
Reported By BBC Sports.
