The playoffs in the NBA are really starting to pick up speed – and produced two away wins on Friday night. A shockingly pale Celtics were thwarted by Donovan Mitchell, while Luka Doncic took the lead for the Mavs as usual
How far will the Dallas Mavericks go in this year’s playoffs? In any case, Luka Doncic & Co. raised the hopes of the fans with the series equalizer (1:1) on Friday night. The Texans won their away game at the Oklahoma City Thunder 119:110 – and thus gave themselves an advantage.
Unsurprisingly, Doncic led the way, scoring 16 of his 29 points in the first quarter before concentrating on other qualities (ten rebounds, seven assists). Kyrie Irving, who made just two of his eight shots from the field, shone almost exclusively as a provider (11).
The fact that Oklahoma City, the best team in the regular season, had not lost for over a month illustrates just how highly the Mavs’ performance in a tight encounter should be rated. The last home defeat even dated back to March 27 (against the Houston Rockets).
In addition to Doncic, the Texans were also able to rely on their role players: P.J. Washington, for example, scored 29 points like the Slovenian superstar, hitting an outstanding seven of his eleven threes and collecting eleven rebounds. The Mavs’ 18 successful threes – out of 37 attempts – were also a major factor in their success.
On the Thunder’s side, the Canadian high-flyer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander once again came within a whisker of a triple double (33 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists). However, he did not receive much support.
After the two opening games in Oklahoma City, Dallas now welcomes the favorites twice in a row at home
Boston disappointed – Cavs like 2018
The second result of the evening was much more surprising: the Boston Celtics, the Eastern high-flyers of the regular season, suffered a hefty defeat at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden. The result was a sobering 94:118 and the series tied (1:1).
Donovan Mitchell, who scored 29 points and hit five of his seven three-point attempts – Mitchell scored 23 of those 29 points after the second quarter – was particularly hard to beat after the break. Caris LeVert also scored 21 points. Meanwhile, the Celtics disappointed across the board, with Jayson Tatum (25 points) and Jaylen Brown (19 points) also failing to carry their team.
The Cavs ultimately celebrated a deserved and very special away win: Their last victory in Boston had come in 2018 – when LeBron James and his Cavaliers won game seven of the Conference Finals at the Celtics.
