Mitchell, Jerome help Cavaliers rout Heat 121-100 in Game 1 of 1st-round series
CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points, Ty Jerome had 16 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat 121-100 on Sunday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. It was the seventh straight series where Mitchell has scored at least 30 points in Game 1, tying Michael Jordan, who had two streaks of seven games. Bam Adebayo had 24 points and Tyler Herro added 21 for the Heat. Darius Garland added 27 for the Cavaliers, who host Game 2 on Wednesday night. Garland and Jerome each had five 3-pointers for Cleveland, and the Cavaliers were 18 of 43 from beyond the arc.
Thunder beat Grizzlies 131-80 in Game 1, 5th-biggest margin of victory in NBA postseason history
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Memphis Grizzlies 131-80 in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series. It was the fifth-biggest margin of victory in NBA postseason history. The 51-point margin Sunday was seven points shy of the record and was the largest Game 1 win in NBA playoff history. There have been two 58-point playoff margins: Denver beating New Orleans 121-63 in 2009 and the Minneapolis Lakers beating the St. Louis Hawks 133-75 in 1956. Aaron Wiggins scored 21 points, Jalen Williams scored 20 points and Chet Holmgren had 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Thunder. Ja Morant scored 17 points for Memphis.
Derrick White scores 30, Tatum stays in game after fall and Celtics beat Magic 103-86 in Game 1
BOSTON (AP) — Derrick White scored 30 points, Jayson Tatum had 17 points and finished the game after a scary late fall, and the Boston Celtics rallied in the second half to beat the Orlando Magic 103-86 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. Payton Pritchard added 19 points off the bench for Boston, which hosts Game 2 on Wednesday night. Jaylen Brown played 31 minutes and had 16 points on 6 of 14 shooting after missing the final three games of the regular season due to a lingering knee issue. Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 36 points and 11 rebounds. Franz added 23 points for Orlando, which has not made out of the first round of the playoffs since the 2009-10 season.