Two close play-off series and one flat: While Luka Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks to a 3-2 win over Utah in front of their home crowd, the Raptors surprisingly stole Game 5 in Philadelphia. Boston is already through. The NBA on Tuesday morning.
In a sometimes heated game – Hassan Whiteside for the visitors and Reggie Bullock for the home side were sent off – the Dallas Mavericks won surprisingly high 102-77 against the Utah Jazz after the first four duels had all been pretty close games. The Mavs now lead 3:2 and have “match point”, game 6 will take place in Salt Lake City again. The Texans haven’t won a play-off series since Dirk Nowitzki won the title in 2011.
Their superstar Luka Doncic played in a play-off game in front of his own fans for the first time after making his comeback from a calf strain in the 99-100 loss at Utah. The Slovenian showed his usual strength, making the Jazz look old with smooth body tricks from time to time and sinking threes in a high arc. In the end, 33 points were in his box score, Jalen Brunson added 24. Maxi Kleber got 20 minutes, grabbed five rebounds but remained without a point. “Nothing is done yet, we have to win one more,” Doncic said after the frenetically celebrated victory.
The Jazz’s protagonists were disappointing: While centre Rudy Gobert delivered his usual double-double (17/11), Donovan Mitchell (9) and Mike Conley (4) disappointed all along the backcourt. The end result was the Jazz’s lowest point total since a 68-118 loss in November 2018 – also in Dallas.
Frustrated Nets out in four games
Not too many expected a “sweep” in the series between Boston and Brooklyn. But the Celtics got their fourth win in their fourth meeting with the Nets – a 116-112 win ended the rollercoaster season of Kevin Durant & Co. who had to do without the unvaccinated Kyrie Irving for a long time and then also lost James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers. In seventh place, Brooklyn had finally slipped into the playoffs via the play-in tournament.
“Their record didn’t show how good they are,” Jayson Tatum told TV station TNT after game four. “But we believed in ourselves and didn’t look too far ahead.” He was the Celtics’ best scorer with 29 points. Durant’s 39 points were not enough for the Nets to at least pull away and force a game five. Daniel Theis (six points), again in the starting five, had a team-best eight rebounds but played just a little less than 20 minutes because of early fouls and the return of Robert Williams.
The Celtics will meet either the Milwaukee Bucks or the Chicago Bulls in the semi-finals. Defending champion Bucks lead the series 3-1.
Toronto doesn’t fold
And just as rather unexpectedly, the series between the Sixers and Toronto Raptors is not over yet. “Philly dropped game five 88-103 at home, allowing the Canadians to come within 3-2 after leading 3-0. Toronto, once again led by Pascal Siakam (23/10/7), can equalise in game six on Thursday in front of their home crowd. Never in the history of the NBA play-offs has a team turned a 3-0 deficit into a 4-3 win.
The Sixers, with go-to-guy Joel Embiid out with a thumb injury and James Harden disappointing, will have to stretch to make it to the next round.
