NBA Playoffs: Boston Up 2-0, Suns and Cavaliers Hit Back, Tie the Series

All three hosts posted wins on Tuesday night in their NBA playoff contests. The Boston Celtics took a 2-0 lead in their series, while the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns tied the result in their respective series.

Boston Confident Against Atlanta

The Cs have been dominant against the Hawks in Game 2, winning this contest 119-106. They are now two games up and travel to Georgia without pressure. The Hawks had a 22-11 lead in the opening period, but like so many times before, we’ve seen the Celtics responding and with a 17-3 tun flipping the result upside down before the end of the sequence. 

Jayson Tatum led the hosts with 29 points, ten boards, and six assists. Derrick White posted an outstanding performance with 26 buckets and seven rebounds, adding three blocks, becoming only the second Cs in the playoffs with 25 buckets and three or more blocks in the playoffs. The previous one was Reggie Lewis.

Dejuonte Murray was the best in Atlanta, having 29 points. Apart from scoring, he was all over the court, collecting six assists and rebounds, plus four steals. Trae Young added 24 points, 9-for-22 from the field, while Bogdan Bogdanovic and DeAndre Hunter both had 18 points each.

The series move to Atlanta, with Game 3 taking place on Friday.

The Cavaliers Beat the Knicks 107-90

Cleveland tied the series with the New York Knicks, posting its first victory in this playoffs. This was an easy task for the hosts, who appeared much more focused than in the first event. The Cavaliers were up 20 points at the finish of the second period before smoothly closing the event. At one moment, they were up 29 points, 99-70.

Darius Garland was the main reason the Cavs created such a big lead, with the dynamic guard dropping 26 of his 32 points in the first two periods. He had seven assists, too and was problematic for the Knicks in all aspects of play. 

Caris Levert added 24 points, while Donovan Mitchell, 17 points and 13 assists, and Evan Mobley, 13, points and boards, both had a double-double.

Julius Randle was the best among the guests with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Jalen Brunson had 20 buckets. 

The series moves to Madison Square Garden on Friday night. 

Suns Respond, Booker Goes Wild

Devin Booker was mad about the officials in the first meeting with the Clippers, which is why he decided not to get into a dramatic ending against the Clippers in Game 2. D-Book dropped 38 points last night, dishing nine assists along with that and ripping apart the Clips’ defense. 

His Suns were better than LAC 123-109, even though they faced a 13-point deficit in the second quarter. At that point, the guests from LA were up 49-36, yet they burned out, and the Suns first came back before making a 12-2 run at the start of the second half. After that, there was no going back.

Kevin Durant scored 25 points, Torey Craig had 17, while Deandre Ayton had 14 and 13 boards. Chris Paul ended the night with 16 buckets and eight assists. 

Kawhi Leonard had 31 for the guests, eight boards, and seven assists, while Russell Westbrook scored 28 points.