We bring sports news that matters to your inbox, to help you stay informed and get a winning edge.
🏀 Good morning to everyone, but especially to …
THE BOSTON CELTICS AND DALLAS MAVERICKS
When their alarms went off this morning, the Celtics and Mavericks had a little bit more pep in their step. That’s because they both scored big wins in the NBA playoffs Wednesday night, and Boston advanced to its third straight Eastern Conference finals.
Jayson Tatum was terrific in Celtics’ 113-98 win over the Cavaliers in Game 5, but it was the ageless veteran who really gave Boston a spark. Roughly two weeks ahead of his 38th birthday, Al Horforddid a little bit of everything in turning in a historic performance.
Horford is now the oldest player in NBA history to post at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, at least five 3-pointers and at least five assists in a playoff game.
Horford paced the Celtics from beyond the arc, knocking down six of his 13 3-point attempts.
On the defensive end, Horford was a big reason why Darius Garland was 4 of 17 from the field.
After punching their ticket to the conference finals, the Celtics got to kick their feet up and watch the Mavericks go into the Thunder’s gym and steal back home court with a 104-92 win in a pivotal Game 5. The Mavs now led the series 3-2 and can eliminate OKC back in Dallas in Game 6.
It should be no surprise that Luka Doncic was the driving force behind the Mavericks’ success. Doncic recorded his second straight triple-double with 31 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. He also cut his turnovers from seven in Game 4 to just three Wednesday night.
It wasn’t always the prettiest game from the Mavericks, but their defense completely stifled the Thunder. Dallas put forth a suffocating effort in the win.
Outside of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (30 points), no other Thunder player scored more than 13 points.
OKC shot 25.0% from three-point range, and Chet Holmgren went just 1 of 5 from deep.
The Mavericks grabbed 37 defensive rebounds to the Thunder’s 25.
On Saturday night, Dallas will be looking to advance to its second conference finals appearance in the last three seasons.
👍 Honorable mentions
👎 Not so honorable mentions
🏈 NFL releases its complete 2024 schedule
Go to Source
Author: Zachary Pereles
May 16, 2024 | 9:21 am