UTAH – Jalen Brunson came up with clutch hits as Dallas Mavericks turned back Utah Jazz, 98-96, in Game 6 of the 2021-2022 NBA Western Conference first round series on Thursday night (Friday in the Philippines) at the Vivint Smart Arena in Salt Lake City.
With the score tied at 94-all after a triple by Jazz’s Bojan Bogdanovic, Brunson hoisted a three-pointer to put the Mavericks ahead 97-94 with over two minutes left.
Utah cut the deficit to 96-97 with a layup from Rudy Gobert. Brunson then split his free throw on the other side for a 98-96 count before Bogdanovic misfired his triple try for the Jazz.
Brunson finished the match with 24 points. Luka Doncic added 24 markers, nine rebounds and eight assists. The Mavericks closed out the best-of-seven series at 4-2.
Spencer Dinwiddie finished with 19 points, while Dorian Finney-Smith had double-double 18 points and 10 rebounds for Dallas, which moved on to West semis against Phoenix Suns, which also dispatched New Orleans Pelicans, 115-109.
Donovan Mitchell led the way with 23 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, while Bogdanovic and Filipino-American Jordan Clarkson added 19 and 15 markers, respectively, for Utah.
Philadelphia 76ers, meanwhile, leaned on a strong third quarter rampage to eliminats Toronto Raptors, 132-97, in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference first round series.
From a slim 62-61 halftime lead, Tyrese Maxey caught fire for Philadelphia in the third quarter with consecutive outside conversions to build a 99-78 advantage.
The Raptors were not able to come even closer from that with Joel Embiid connecting from inside followed by outside shots from Tobias Harris for a 125-94 edge.
Embiid finished the game with double-double 33 points and 10 rebounds, while Maxey and James Harden added 25 and 22 for the 76ers, which will face Miami Heat in the Eastern semifinals.
BOX SCORE:
DALLAS 98 — Doncic 24, Brunson 24, Dinwiddie 19, Finney-Smith 15, Kleber 7, Bullock 6, Powell 0, Bertans 0, Green 0.
UTAH 96 — Mitchell 23, Bogdanovic 19, Clarkson 15, Conley 11, Gobert 10, O’Neale 8, House 5, Hernangómez 3, Paschall 2, Whiteside 0.
Quarterscores: 15-21, 41-53, 77-72, 98-96./PN
