JAYSON Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined to score 61 points to lead the Boston Celtics to an NBA playoff victory over Cleveland, as Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks past the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Tatum scored 33 points and Brown 28 as top-seeded Boston beat the Cavs 106-93 in Cleveland to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Celtics emerged from a tight first quarter with a two-point lead and never trailed again.
“We just want to bounce back,” Tatum said.
“Basically our backs are against the wall, so this is a good test for us to see how we respond. We are ready for this challenge,” he added.
In Dallas, the Mavericks struggled in the face of a tremendous defensive effort from the Thunder.
Irving scored 14 of his 22 points in the second half and Doncic scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as the Mavericks rallied for a 105-101 win that put them up 2-1 over the Western Conference’s top seed. (France24/Z-10)
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