Celtics dominate Heat, advance to semi-finals; Mavericks crush Clippers, edge closer to victory
POLANGUI, ALBAY — During the thrilling NBA Playoffs, Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks conquered the court against their opponent in their fifth game on Thursday, May 2.
The Boston Celtics sent Miami Heat home after winning the fifth game in the Eastern conference first-round series, 4-1.
The Mavericks broke the tie with the Clippers. They showed their power on the Clippers’ home court.
Boston Celtics sustained its dominance against Miami Heat, securing a commanding 4-1 advantage.
Fueled by the outstanding performances of Derrick White and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics delivered a commanding performance. This overwhelmed their opponent with a commanding 118-84 victory on their home court.
The Celtics stormed out of the gate after establishing an early lead. They sealed the outcome within the first quarter by hitting eight three-pointers in the first period and 14 two-pointers. They seized an 18-point advantage, dominating the scoreboard, 41-23.
The Celtics opened the second quarter with a 14-2 spree. This was after Brown made an 11-foot jump shot and a six-foot hook shot. The Heat recovered before halftime, but still headed into the break trailing by 22 points.
As the third quarter began, the Heat met a setback as Tyler Herron made a shooting foul, giving Brown two successful free throws. Caleb Martin tried to narrow the deficit with a three-point shot, but the Celtics kept their grip on the game. They dominated the scoreboard, ending the quarter with a commanding 98-66 lead.
Thomas Bryant of the Heat made a layup with the help of Nikola Jovic. It secured the first point of the fourth quarter, giving them a glimmer of hope. But it was not enough to beat their opponent’s supremacy. Sam Hauser of the Celtics makes a three-point jump shot from 24 feet out with Xavier Tilman assisting. It widened the gap against the Heat to 110-75.
Bryant made a successful driving floating jump shot from five feet out and one free throw due to the shooting foul made by Xavier Tillman. They gained three points even in the last seconds of the game, 118-84.
“They played very good basketball, they played to the high level, they got a very good team, and they know what they’re doing so they deserved this one,” said by Erik Spoelstra.
The Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat and will advance to the Eastern Conference Semi-finals.
The Dallas Mavericks dealt a devastating blow to the Los Angeles Clippers. It left the Clippers rocking on the edge of elimination in their fifth game showdown on Thursday, May 2.
Driven by the force of Luka Dončić with 35 points, two assist, and five rebounds, the Mavericks launched a relentless assault on the Clippers. This led to them crushing their opponents with an authoritative score line of 123-93.
Kyrie Irving of the Mavericks sparked the score board with a fast-driving bank shot from 6 feet away. He made it within the first 17 seconds of the first quarter, putting them ahead by two. It sets the tone for their early dominance, 0-2.
Due to the shooting foul by Maxi Kleber, Paul George of Clippers had the chance to tie up the game with a two free throw. But only one of the shots was a success resulting to a one-point lead of Mavericks, 24-25, at the end of the quarter.
Dante Exum made a victorious jump shot from 14 feet out. That gave them a three-points lead in the first minute of the second quarter, 24-27.
Terrence Mann of Clippers tried to close the gap by achieving a cutting layup with the assist of James Harde, 44-48. Yet, this was still short as the Mavericks still dominated the game on their own court, 46-56, at the end of the quarter.
The Mavericks continued to dominate the Clippers in the third quarter. It happened after Josh Green made a three-point shot from 24 feet out. Then, he made a free throw. It was after Mason Plumlee fouled him. This made the score 69-89.
In the middle of the fourth quarter, Dončić made a three-point step back jump shot from 27 feet out, letting them bag a score of 72-97. The Mavericks continued to ascend against Clippers. Until the last second of the quarter with a 30-points difference, bagging a final score of 93-123.
“We’ve been here before and I still think that there’s still a chance for us to win,” expressed by Ivaca Zubac.
