Three stars from Saturday's NBA playoff games
The top two seeds in the NBA playoffs saw their fortunes go in separate directions on Saturday. The Oklahoma City Thunder fell behind the Dallas Mavericks, while the Boston Celtics regained control of their semifinal series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Here are three stars from Saturday's playoff action.
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics forward | 33 points, 13 rebounds, six assists
Tatum didn't have his best shooting night. However, through pure will, he not only led the Celtics with 33 points (11-of-25) but also finished just four assists shy of a triple-double.
It was clear from the tip-off in Game 3 that Tatum was a man on a mission. He kept shooting despite his many misses, attacked the basket with reckless abandon, and also dominated the defensive boards (12 defensive rebounds).
Tatum posted his 24th career playoff game of at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, tying him with Hall of Famers Bill Russell, Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon for the 10th most in NBA history, per Stathead.
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics guard | 28 points, nine rebounds
While Tatum was the aggressor in Game 3 against the Cavaliers, Brown took a more business-like approach. On Saturday, he helped the Celtics bounce back from a miserable defensive effort in Game 2 while giving them a lift offensively.
Brown was remarkably efficient against the Cavaliers. When Boston needed a big shot, it turned to its starting shooting guard, who missed only four of 17 shots and hit two of his three attempts from beyond the arc to finish with 28 points.
Following the Celtics lopsided loss in Game 2, Brown seemed unbothered, especially after scoring only 19 points on 41.2 percent shooting that night. However, he rebounded from the poor effort and was a big reason why Boston took Game 3 in Cleveland relatively easily.
Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks guard | 22 points, seven assists
The eight-time All-Star played facilitator in the first half, scoring only eight points. But, with Dallas trailing by one at the break, he took a more offensive approach, recording 14 of his 22 points in the second half.
Down the stretch, Irving took control. In the fourth quarter, he was a perfect 4-of-4 for eight points, sealing Saturday's Game 3 victory with his patented floater following a strong move to the hole.
Irving wasn't the best player on the floor Saturday, but without him, the Mavericks might trail the top-seeded Thunder 2-1 instead of ahead. After Saturday's victory, Luka Doncic praised Irving, telling reporters, "he's doing it all on both ends of the floor."
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