Cavaliers and Celtics Set for Game 1 Clash
The Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Tuesday night in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal-round series.
The Cavaliers (4-3 postseason) have just completed a knockdown, drag-out quarterfinal-round battle with the Orlando Magic, which they bested by a 106-94 score in Sunday afternoon's Game 7 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 39 points, adding nine rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block. Caris LeVert furnished 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block. Max Strus delivered 13 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal. Darius Garland supplied 12 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals. Evan Mobley generated an 11-point, 16-rebound double-double that included one assist and five blocks.
The Cavaliers will list Jarrett Allen (ribs) as questionable for Tuesday's game. Dean Wade (knee), Craig Porter (knee) and Ty Jerome (ankle) will remain out.
The Celtics (4-1 postseason) will open the series with a significant rest advantage, as they last took the floor Wednesday night in their 118-84 walloping of the Miami Heat in Game 5 of their quarterfinal-round series. In the series-clinching victory, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White co-led the Celtics with 25-point, two-assist tallies while adding six and five rebounds, respectively. Sam Hauser supplied 17 points, five rebounds and one assist. Jayson Tatum generated a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double that included three assists and one block. Jrue Holiday registered 10 points, six rebounds, five assists and one steal.
The Celtics will remain without Kristaps Porzingis (calf) for Tuesday's game.
Tuesday's game marks the fourth meeting between the teams since the start of the regular season. The Celtics have won two of the first three games.
The Cavaliers (4-3 postseason) have just completed a knockdown, drag-out quarterfinal-round battle with the Orlando Magic, which they bested by a 106-94 score in Sunday afternoon's Game 7 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 39 points, adding nine rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block. Caris LeVert furnished 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block. Max Strus delivered 13 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal. Darius Garland supplied 12 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals. Evan Mobley generated an 11-point, 16-rebound double-double that included one assist and five blocks.
The Cavaliers will list Jarrett Allen (ribs) as questionable for Tuesday's game. Dean Wade (knee), Craig Porter (knee) and Ty Jerome (ankle) will remain out.
The Celtics (4-1 postseason) will open the series with a significant rest advantage, as they last took the floor Wednesday night in their 118-84 walloping of the Miami Heat in Game 5 of their quarterfinal-round series. In the series-clinching victory, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White co-led the Celtics with 25-point, two-assist tallies while adding six and five rebounds, respectively. Sam Hauser supplied 17 points, five rebounds and one assist. Jayson Tatum generated a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double that included three assists and one block. Jrue Holiday registered 10 points, six rebounds, five assists and one steal.
The Celtics will remain without Kristaps Porzingis (calf) for Tuesday's game.
Tuesday's game marks the fourth meeting between the teams since the start of the regular season. The Celtics have won two of the first three games.
Thunder Host Mavs in Game 1
The Oklahoma City Thunder play host to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals at Paycom Center on Tuesday.
This is Game 1 of the best-of-7 series. The winner will face the winner of the Denver-Minnesota series in the Western Conference Finals.
The Mavericks had to battle to get through the opening round, but they took care of the Los Angeles Clippers in six games. What's been fascinating about this team is the development of their defense. They were one of the best defensive teams in the opening round of the playoffs, which is something we definitely didn't see in the regular season. As long as they are doing that with Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic scoring 30 points apiece, this is a team no one wants to face.
The Thunder shocked the NBA world when they finished with the best record in the Western Conference, but a first-round sweep showed it was no fluke. This is one of the youngest teams to ever finish with the best record in the West but this club is full of talent. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the straw that stirs the drink for this team, likely finishing Top 3 in MVP voting this season. They also have Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams playing at All-Star levels, and it's scary to think how good this team might be in the future because they're already one of the best teams in the NBA.
Oklahoma City won three of their four regular-season games over Dallas. There were some lopsided results, with the Thunder winning by 49 points in the final matchup and the Mavs winning by 35 points back in February.
This is Game 1 of the best-of-7 series. The winner will face the winner of the Denver-Minnesota series in the Western Conference Finals.
The Mavericks had to battle to get through the opening round, but they took care of the Los Angeles Clippers in six games. What's been fascinating about this team is the development of their defense. They were one of the best defensive teams in the opening round of the playoffs, which is something we definitely didn't see in the regular season. As long as they are doing that with Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic scoring 30 points apiece, this is a team no one wants to face.
The Thunder shocked the NBA world when they finished with the best record in the Western Conference, but a first-round sweep showed it was no fluke. This is one of the youngest teams to ever finish with the best record in the West but this club is full of talent. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the straw that stirs the drink for this team, likely finishing Top 3 in MVP voting this season. They also have Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams playing at All-Star levels, and it's scary to think how good this team might be in the future because they're already one of the best teams in the NBA.
Oklahoma City won three of their four regular-season games over Dallas. There were some lopsided results, with the Thunder winning by 49 points in the final matchup and the Mavs winning by 35 points back in February.