In Game 1 of the 2023 NBA playoffs – Western Conference semifinal series on Tuesday (May 7), the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder defeated Luka Doncic 117-95 with 29 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
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2023 NBA playoffs: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks.
Doncic entered this series having averaged less than 30 points per game in these playoffs, but was limited to 19 on 6-of-19 shooting, including 1 of 8 from 3-point range, and had five turnovers Daniel Gafford finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocks, while Kyrie Irving led Dallas with 20 points. The Thunder led only 69–67 midway through the third quarter, but a 20–7 run extended the lead to 89–74. Dallas cut the deficit to 96–87 on Irving’s 3 with 8:31 remaining, but Williams hit consecutive 3s to make it 104–87.
2023 NBA Playoffs: Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
The Celtics handled the Cavs in Game 1, with Jaylen Brown scoring 32 points and Derrick White adding 25 points with seven 3-pointers to lead the Boston Celtics to a 120–95 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the opener of the Eastern Conference second-round series. Provided.
Jayson Tatum had 18 points and 11 rebounds and Peyton Pritchard scored 16 for the Celtics, who improved to 5-1 in the postseason and host Game 2 on Thursday night. Cleveland dropped their fourth straight road playoff game despite having a strong performance from Donovan Mitchell (33 points, 6 assists) and Evan Mobley (17 points, 13 rebounds).
Boston made 18 of 46 shots from 3-point range and took a 15-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Celtics started the final quarter with a 10–2 run, putting the game essentially out of reach. Both teams played without their starting centers. Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen missed his fourth consecutive game with a rib injury and Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis missed his second consecutive game with a right calf strain.
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