Celtics setback as fellow contenders hit with brutal injury blows – NBA Playoffs Wrap

Trae Young scored 32 factors and Dejounte Murray added 25 because the hot-shooting Hawks beat the Boston Celtics 130-122 for his or her first win of their NBA first-round playoff sequence on Saturday (all instances AEST).

The Celtics’ two convincing victories had the Hawks on the ropes and returning residence for 2 video games in Atlanta figuring out no NBA crew has come again from 3-0 all the way down to win a best-of-seven playoff sequence.

The Hawks made certain they received’t should as Young shook off two sub-par performances with a stellar show.

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“I just needed to make the right plays,” Young stated. “Our whole team was making plays all night and it was up to me to go make the right one. It’s not only to score, sometimes its to get everybody involved.

“So I’m just trying to make the right play and tonight I did.” Young related on 12-of-22 photographs from the sector, pulled down six rebounds and handed out 9 assists.

He additionally produced a pair of blocks because the Hawks out-hustled the second-seeded Celtics – runners-up to the champion Golden State Warriors final 12 months.

Jayson Tatum scored 29 factors and grabbed 10 rebounds for Boston. Marcus Smart added 24 and Jalen Brown had 15 for the Celtics, who drained 21 three-pointers however have been out-rebounded 48-29.

The Hawks had 23 second-chance factors to Boston’s 9 and outscored them 54-40 within the paint.

They shot 67.4% from the sector within the first half and shot 56% for the sport total, Boston managing just for quick stretches within the second half to show up the defensive quantity.

Atlanta will attempt to degree the sequence after they host recreation 4 on Monday.

Elsewhere on Saturday, the New York Knicks took down the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden to go up 2-1 Eastern Conference sequence.

Western Conference high seeds Denver tried to take a 3-0 stranglehold on their sequence after they visited the Minnesota Timberwolves.

FRESH EMBIID INJURY BLOW AS LEONARD RULED OUT AGAIN

The Philadelphia 76ers will attempt to full their NBA playoff sweep of the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday with out star centre Joel Embiid, who has been dominated out with a proper knee sprain.

Embiid was injured in Friday’s 102-97 victory over the Nets, noticeably limping within the late phases of the victory as he completed with 14 factors, 10 rebounds and a vital blocked shot with eight seconds left within the recreation.

An MRI examination on Saturday revealed the extent of the harm, and the 76ers confirmed of their harm report that he was out of the competition.

It’s the newest harm to shadow the playoffs, the Los Angeles Clippers saying earlier on Saturday that two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard would miss a second straight recreation with a sprained proper knee when the Clippers host the Phoenix Suns in recreation 4 of their sequence on Sunday.

Leonard had 38 factors, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, one block and one steal within the Clippers’ 115-110 recreation one win in Phoenix. He had 31 factors, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals of their recreation two defeat and sat out their recreation three loss.

Leonard’s absence is a big blow to a Clippers crew already anticipating to be with out injured star Paul George for all the first spherical.

Milwaukee’s two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Memphis Grizzlies All-Star guard Ja Morant have additionally been sidelined.

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer stated Antetokounmpo was “doing everything he can to make himself available to play” after struggling a bruised again in a collision with Miami’s Kevin Love in recreation considered one of their sequence.

Meanwhile, Miami’s Tyler Herro had surgical procedure on Saturday on the damaged proper hand he suffered within the opening recreation of that sequence.

The Sixers will probably be hoping Embiid will probably be able to return earlier than lengthy. They take a commanding 3-0 lead over the Nets into recreation 4 in Brooklyn figuring out no NBA crew has come again from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven sequence.

ALL RESULTS

CELTICS 122 HAWKS 130

CAVALIERS 79 KNICKS 99

NUGGETS – TIMBERWOLVES