The Dallas Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Clippers 114-101 to secure a 4-2 series victory in the first round of the NBA play-offs, while the Orlando Magic won to set up the decider against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Kyrie Irving scored 28 of his 30 points in the second half of the game for the Mavs, whose victory secures their spot in the Western Conference semifinals and a matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Luka Doncic recorded 28 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds against the Clippers team that knocked out Dallas in the first round of the 2020 and 2021 play-offs.
“To be honest, I was physically tired and exhausted in that first half,” Irving said. “Playing defense at a high level will do that to you.
“I am very grateful that my teammates welcomed me. We got to halftime and it was 52-52, so it was anyone’s game.
“Then we came out in the third quarter and I feel like we scored first and the rest was history for the rest of the game.”
The Orlando Magic’s 103-96 victory against the Cavaliers tied the Eastern Conference first-round series at 3-3 and secured a decisive seventh game.
Donovan Mitchell scored 50 points for the Cavaliers, but it wasn’t enough against a Magic team helped by Paolo Banchero scoring 27 points and Franz Wagner adding 26.
Cleveland will host the decider on Sunday, with the winner facing the Boston Celtics.
“Our players will be ready for the moment,” Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff said. “Our players have been very good at home. We don’t expect that to change.”
The home team has won all six games in the series so far.
“This is the moment you play for,” Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said.
“That’s why you do this. You do it for these moments. So, being on the road, in the seventh game, the ability to come together to continue to grow each game. I think that’s what this group is looking forward to.” “
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers fired coach Darvin Ham following their elimination in the first round of the NBA play-offs by the Denver Nuggets.
Ham has been at the helm for two seasons, and although he guided the Lakers to victory in this season’s inaugural tournament, they were defeated 4-1 by the Nuggets.
The Nuggets also defeated the Lakers in last year’s Western Conference Finals en route to their first NBA title.
“We greatly appreciate Darvin’s efforts on behalf of the Lakers and recognize the many accomplishments made over the past two seasons, including last year’s remarkable run to the Western Conference Finals,” said Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka.
“We all want to thank Darvin for his dedication and positivity. While this was a difficult decision to make, it is the best course of action after a complete review of the season.”
