Jamal Murray scored 10 of his 36 points in overtime, Nikola Jokic had 29 points and 10 rebounds, and the Denver Nuggets overcame 57 points from Donovan Mitchell to beat the Utah Jazz 135-125 in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series near Orlando on Monday.
Mitchell set a franchise postseason scoring record — and scored the third-most points in NBA playoff history — but had just six points in the overtime when Denver outscored Utah 20-10.
Jerami Grant had 19 points, Monte Morris added 14, Michael Porter Jr. scored 13 and Torrey Craig had 11 before fouling out for Denver. For the Jazz, Joe Ingles scored 19, Jordan Clarkson chipped in 18 off the bench and Rudy Gobert had 17 for the Jazz. Utah played without guard Mike Conley, who left the bubble for the birth of his son.
Los Angeles Clippers 118 — Dallas Mavericks 110
Kawhi Leonard registered 29 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals to help Los Angeles hold off Dallas in the opening game of their Western Conference first-round playoff series.
The Mavericks led by five points early in the third quarter before big man Kristaps Porzingis was ejected following his second technical foul of the game. The Clippers immediately responded with a 9-2 run.
Luka Doncic recorded 42 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals, setting an NBA record for the highest point total in a player’s postseason debut. He also committed 11 turnovers, one shy of the postseason record set by the Houston Rockets’ James Harden in 2015.
Toronto Raptors 134 — Brooklyn Nets 110
Fred VanVleet scored a career playoff-best 30 points and added 11 assists as Toronto set a franchise record for points in a playoff game to top Brooklyn in the opener of their best-of-seven first-round series.
The Raptors dominated early and led by as many as 33 points in the second quarter only to have the lead shrink to nine points entering the fourth quarter. Toronto regained control early in the fourth quarter and increased the lead to 18 points at 114-96 with 7:09 to play on a dunk and a free throw by OG Anunoby.
Serge Ibaka had 22 points and seven rebounds off the bench for the Raptors, and Pascal Siakam added 18 points and 11 rebounds. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot matched his career best with 26 points for the Nets.
Boston Celtics 109 — Philadelphia 76ers 101
Jayson Tatum scored a playoff-career-high 32 points, Jaylen Brown added 29, and Boston beat Philadelphia in the opener of their first-round playoff series.
Brown had 15 points in the fourth as the Celtics outscored the 76ers 34-22 in the quarter to take Game 1 of the best-of-seven series. Tatum finished with 13 rebounds, and Kemba Walker chipped in 19 points. Gordon Hayward left the game in the fourth with a right ankle sprain and did not return. He is reportedly set to undergo an MRI exam.
Joel Embiid led Philadelphia with 26 points and 16 rebounds, and Josh Richardson and Alec Burks each scored 18. The 76ers played without All-Star guard Ben Simmons (knee surgery).
–Field Level Media
