BOSTON Celtics reclaimed the series lead in the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals after a 106-94 Game 3 beating of Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night (Sunday in the Philippines) at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio.
Jayson Tatum led the way with 33 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists, Jaylen Brown added 28 markers, and Jrue Holiday and Derrick White had 18 and 12, respectively, as the Celtics took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-three series.
Holding to a slim 30-28 lead after the opening quarter, the Celtics created separation in the second frame behind baskets from Tatum and Holiday to establish a 57-48 advantage at the half.
The lead grew further for the Celtics in the second half with connections from Tatum, Brown, and White to establish a 104-89 upper hand with over two minutes left in the game.
Donovan Mitchell spearheaded the Cavaliers’ offense with 33 points, including seven triples, Evan Mobley added 17 markers, while Darius Garland and Caris LeVert contributed 15 points each.
Meanwhile, Andrew Nembhard made his shots when it mattered the most as Indiana Pacers pulled off a 111-106 victory over New York Knicks, cutting the Eastern Conference semifinals deficit to 1-2.
Scoreless almost the entire game, Nembhard connected a layup to give the Pacers a 104-102 lead before it widened to 106-103 on a basket by Pascal Siakam with under a minute left.
The Knicks tied the score at 106-all on a three-pointer by Jalen Brunson, but Nembhard answered with his own outside connection to give the Pacers a 109-106 edge with 16 seconds left.
Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 35 points, Siakam added 26 markers, Myles Turner tallied a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Aaron Nesmith finished with 10 points.
In other results, Denver Nuggets cut their series deficit to 1-2 after a 117-90 Game 3 win over Minnesota Timberwolves, and Dallas Mavericks took a 2-1 series lead with a 105-101 Game 3 win over Oklahoma City Thunder./PN
BOX SCORE:
BOSTON 106 — Tatum 33, Brown 28, Holiday 18, White 12, Hauser 6, Pritchard 5, Horford 2, Kornet 2, Brissett 0, Mykhailiuk 0, Springer 0, Walsh 0.
CLEVELAND 93 — Mitchell 33, Mobley 17, Garland 15, LeVert 15, Strus 6, Wade 5, Okoro 2, Thompson 0, Morris 0, Merrill 0.
Quarterscores: 30-28, 57-48, 84-69, 106-93.
