OKLAHOMA City Thunder overcame a slow start to defeat Dallas Mavericks, 117-95, in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals series on Tuesday night (Wednesday in the Philippines) at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a near triple-double of 29 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, while Chet Holmgren tallied 19 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, two steals, and an assist for the Thunder.
Jalen Williams finished with 18 points, five rebounds, and five assists, Aaron Wiggins contributed 16 points, and Jaylin Williams ended with 11 markers for the Thunder.
From a 23-all score after the first quarter, the Thunder created separation behind consecutive triples by Wiggins followed by connections from Holmgren and Gilgeous-Alexander for a 62-53 halftime lead.
OKC maintained a 94-84 lead early in the fourth quarter, but back-to-back triples from Jalen followed by connections from Wiggins and Cason Wallace increased the lead to 117-92.
Kyrie Irving finished with 20 points, Luka Doncic added 19 points, nine assists, and six rebounds, while Daniel Gafford, Josh Green, and P.J. Washington ended with 16, 11, and 10, respectively, for the Mavs.
Meanwhile, Boston Celtics cruised to a dominant 120-95 victory over Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 32 points, while Derrick White drilled seven triples to end up with 25 markers as the Celtics took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
The Celtics also drew a double-double performance of 18 points and 11 rebounds from Jayson Tatum and 16 and 14 markers, respectively, from Payton Prichard and Jrue Holiday.
Donovan Mitchell top-scored with 33 points for the Cavaliers, Evan Mobley had a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Darius Garland and Isaac Okoro tallied 14 and 11 points, respectively./PN
BOX SCORE:
OKLAHOMA CITY 117 — Gilgeous-Alexander 29, Holmgren 19, Jal. Williams 18, Wiggins 16, Jay. Williams 11, Dort 7, Wallace 7, Joe 6, Giddey 2, Dieng 2, Hayward 0, Waters 0, K. Williams 0.
DALLAS 95 — Irving 20, Doncic 19, Gafford 16, Green 11, Washington 10, Jones 7, Exum 5, Lawson 3, Hardaway 2, Lively 2, Hardy 0, Powell 0.
Quarterscores: 23-23, 62-53, 89-79, 117-95.
