Yesterday we saw four teams go head-to-head in the conference semifinals to find out who will go a step closer to the finals.
Oklahoma City Thunder 117 Dallas Mavericks 95
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led his team to a comfortable victory with 29 points, nine rebounds and nine assists over Luka Doncic’s side to kickstart the highly anticipated series.
P.J. Washington opened the scoring early on with a three-pointer after Derrick Jones’ block to deny Josh Giddey from a lay-up in the paint.
The first quarter was closely fought throughout with both teams scoring from deep multiple times to try and get the edge including Jaylin Williams who put his team ahead from beyond the arc.
Both teams entered the second quarter level on points, but the Thunder began to break away and push ahead of the visitors.
Chet Holmgren’s powerful dunk and SGA’s composure from the midrange aided OKC in their impressive second-quarter attacking display.
Jalen Williams rose up and slammed the ball into the hoop immediately after Luguentz Dort stole the ball from Doncic halfway up the court to solidify the home side's lead.
In the final quarter, Jones and Daniel Gafford’s defensive efforts, including a block on Holmgren, were not enough to claw back the large deficit.
Williams’ dunk and three-point effort confirmed the youthful Thunder as victors to the delight of the crowd.
This result means that Oklahoma City are one game up on the Mavericks in the series and will hope to carry this momentum through to the next game.
Boston Celtics 120 Cleveland Cavaliers 95
Thanks to Jaylen Brown's performance, Donovan Mitchell’s impressive 33-point showing was not enough to stop the Celtics from running away with game one.
Brown opened the scoring in the first quarter with a brilliant fake to send Max Strus the wrong way and an attempt from beyond the arc which sunk into the basket.
The Celtics took an early lead but a dunk by Evan Mobley in the paint silenced the home fans and allowed the Cavaliers to hold the deficit.
However, Jayson Tatum began to flourish and aided his team in extending the gap between both sides.
After an incredible 72 points were scored in the opening twelve minutes, the second quarter was much more defensive with both teams struggling to break down the opposition going forward.
Mitchell and Tatum went head-to-head multiple times before the break with the star players scoring points for their sides.
With the Celtics ten points ahead moving into the second half, the home team continued to play solid offensively and defensively.
Brown had a moment of brilliance when he blocked an attempt and ran down the court with a clever bounce pass to Jrue Holiday who calmly threw the ball into the hoop.
The Cavaliers made a late push to try and bridge the gap, but Boston were too strong to let the opposition's pressure get to them.
This result means that the Celtics are one game up in the series and are expected to repeat their dominant performance once again in the next matchup.
Upcoming games
Tonight we will only see one game as the New York Knicks take on the Indiana Pacers in their second match of the series.
In the previous contest, the Pacers pushed the home team to a nerve-racking end where the Knicks just came out on top.
Jalen Brunson impressed everyone with 43 points and has proven to be a threat to the opposition's defence which he could replicate tonight.
The Knicks are expected to win again with the home advantage, but big names like Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam could make it difficult for the team residing in New York.