After a long wait, NBA Playoffs are finally here. The 2019/20 postseason officially kicked off on Monday with four games: Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors vs. Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics, and LA Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks.
In the first game, No. 3 seeded Nuggets needed overtime to get the 135-125 win against No.6 Jazz. Despite being without Mike Conley, who left the NBA bubble to attend the birth of his son, Utah managed to display a tremendous frightening spirit while Donovan Mitchell delivered another game for the ages, finishing the contest with 57 points.
Still thanks to Jamal Murray’s 36 points, 10 of which came in overtime, Nuggets took the lead in the series.
Second matchup of the Western Conference saw another NBA’s young star shine in a defeat. Mavs’ Luka Doncic had 42 points and nine assists but still couldn’t get past the mighty Clippers, who got 56 points from superstars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to close out the match 110-118.
It’s important to note that Dallas’ star center Kristaps Porziņgis was ejected midway through the third quarter after receiving second technical.
In the Eastern Conference, Raptors took on the shorthanded Nets. The defending NBA champions didn’t break much sweat en route to 134-110, with seven of their players being in double digits. Toronto’s guard Fred VanVleet had a memorable night, scoring 30 points and dishing 11 assists.
In one of the most interesting first-round pairings of this year’s playoffs, Celtics got a 101-109 win against 76ers. Boston was led by their young stars Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who scored 32 and 29 respectively.
