Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers beat the Dallas Mavericks to take Game 1 of the playoffs

The Dallas Mavericks may have lost their playoff debut against the highly-favored Los Angeles Clippers, but they would be proud of themselves after almost pulling an upset.

Dallas held a double-digit lead at one point and kept the game competitive all the way through the fourth quarter, despite the controversial ejection of Kristaps Porzingis in the third quarter and an early injury to Luka Doncic.

Yet, the Clippers were victorious in the end, winning 118-110, thanks to their superior depth and an incredible performance from their superstars, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, combining for a total of 56 Clippers points.

Luka Doncic on the other hand was a stand out performer for Dallas, notching up 42 points in the tie, a record for most points in a playoff debut with 13-of-21 shooting, and the Mavericks needed every one of them.

They scored only 46 points in nearly a half after Porzingis was ejected but he is poised for a comeback in Game 2.

Watch the match highlights as Doncic notches up 42 points below

Kawhi Leonard registered 29 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and three steals for the LA Clippers as they produced a hard fought 118-110 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the opening game of their first-round playoff series.

Paul George also added 27 points while Marcus Morris Sr had 19 points and four steals for the second-seeded Clippers, who shot 47.4 percent from the field and made 13-of-38 (34.2 percent) from three-point range.

Lou Williams further added another 14 points, and Ivica Zubac had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Other Playoff results

Philadelphia 76ers 101-109 Boston Celtics

Jayson Tatum joins Donovan Mitchell of the Jazz to score playoff-career-high points as he delivered 32 on the night while Jaylen Brown added 29 as the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 109-101 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff.

Brown clutched 15 points in the fourth, as the Celtics outscored the 76ers 34-22 in the final quarter to grab Game 1 of the best-of-seven series out of the 6ers grasp. Tatum finished with 13 rebounds and Kemba Walker chipped in 19 points.

Joel Embiid returns from injury, but All-Star guard Ben Simmons is still out, and couldn’t feature due to knee surgery, as Embiid led Philadelphia with 26 points and 16 rebounds while Josh Richardson and Alec Burks each scored 18.

Brown, who missed time in the third quarter with a right thigh contusion, tied the score at 86 on a three-pointer with 8:34 to go in the fourth and also hit four free throws in a three-second span for a 92-86 margin.

Philadelphia quickly go within three before Brown could pull a repeat, nailing a three-pointer to increase the Celtics’ lead to 99-91 with 4:29 remaining.

Kember Walker gave Boston a 10-point edge eventually, 101-91, with 3:16 left, but the 76ers got within 103-100 on a Richardson three with 59 ticks to go.

Tatum then hit a pair of free throws with 41 seconds left to seal Celtics win.

Brooklyn Nets 110-134 Toronto Raptors

 

Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors scored a career playoff-best 30 points and added 11 assists as his side defeated the Brooklyn Nets 134-110 in the opener of their first-round series.

The Raptors showed effective dominance early on and led by as many as 33 points in the second quarter only to have the lead shrink to nine points entering the fourth quarter.

They, however, regained control early in the final period, increasing the lead to 18 points at 114-96 with 7:09 to play on a dunk and a free throw by OG Anunoby.

Toronto’s Serge Ibaka removed all doubt about a Brooklyn comeback with two free throws and then a three-pointer with 3:32 remaining for a 124-102 advantage.