Tatum shines as Celtics sweep Nets; Raptors, Mavs romp

Jayson Tatum scored 29 factors because the Boston Celtics completed a 4-zero collection sweep to eliminate the Brooklyn Nets from the NBA playoffs on Monday.

Kevin Durant added a towering 39-factor show for the Nets, but it changed into now not sufficient to forestall the powerful Celtics’ line-up from sealing a 116-112 victory at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

Boston’s balanced offense and battle-hardened protection another time proved too much for Brooklyn, who trailed from start to finish as a past due rally from the house facet got here up just quick.

“We knew who we were facing, we knew how talented they were, and we knew it was going to be a dogfight,” said Tatum, who endured a nervous final two minutes after fouling out as the Nets chipped away at the Celtic’s lead.

“It was 4-0 but each game was back and forth and tough. We just believed in ourselves. We took it one game at a time and didn’t get too far ahead of ourselves,” Tatum added.

Tatum was one of five Celtics players in double figures, with Jaylen Brown also coming up big with 22 points and point guard Marcus Smart adding 20 points with 11 assists.

Grant Williams delivered four three-pointers off the bench in a 14-point haul while Al Horford added 13.

Second seeds Boston will now face either the defending NBA champions Milwaukee or Chicago in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

The Celtics’ clean sweep of Brooklyn — tipped as championship contenders before the season — is all the more remarkable given Boston’s indifferent early season form.

As recently as February, Boston was languishing in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, well outside the automatic playoff places.

“It took us a minute, but when we got our full team, we were right there,” Tatum said. “We stayed composed, we stayed together, we didn’t lose sight of what we were trying to accomplish and we haven’t looked back since.”

The Nets will go back to the drawing board after a season that promised so much ended in a first-round exit from the playoffs.

While Durant delivered his best performance of the postseason, Kyrie Irving was restricted to 20 points and just five assists while Seth Curry added 23 points.

“Give credit to the Celtics, they’re an incredible team. They’ve got a chance to do incredible things in the rest of the playoffs,” Durant said afterward.

“There’s a lot of stuff that may factor into why we lose, but they were just a better team.”

In other playoff action, Toronto stunned the Philadelphia 76ers to keep their series alive while Dallas thrashed Utah to take a 3-2 lead.

Toronto dropped the first three games of their series with the Sixers but are now just one win from tying it up and forcing a game seven after Monday’s 103-88 victory.

Sixers talisman Joel Embiid clearly looked to be struggling with the thumb injury that has been diagnosed as a ligament tear.

Embiid once again failed to impose himself, finishing with 20 points, well below his season average of more than 30 points per game.

Sixers star James Harden was also kept quiet with just 15 points while Tyrese Maxey finished with 12 points.

Instead, it was Toronto who dominated, jumping into an early first-quarter lead which they never relinquished during a composed performance.

Pascal Siakam led the Toronto scoring with 23 points while O.G. Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. both had 16 points apiece.

Toronto will now be brimming with confidence as they head into game six in Canada on Thursday.

No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in an NBA playoff series.

Toronto head coach Nick Nurse played down suggestions that momentum was now with his team.

“I mean, maybe, but it doesn’t really matter,” Nurse said. “The ball goes up on Thursday, everybody’s got to fight like heck.”

In Dallas, Luka Doncic was placed in a shooting hospital with 33 factors because the Mavericks thrashed Utah 102-77 to take a three-2 lead in their collection.

The Mavericks led from start to complete against a crushed Jazz, main with the aid of as a good deal as 33 points at one level inside the 2nd 1/2 before completing a blowout win.

Doncic hauled in 13 rebounds and 5 assists with assistance from Jalen Brunson (24 factors) and Dorian Finney-Smith (13 factors).

Jordan Clarkson led the Utah scoring with 20 points off the bench.