Jazz, Mavericks bounce back
The Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors dominated while the Utah Jazz and the Dallas Mavericks bounced back in Game 2 of their playoff series Wednesday in Orlando.
The Utah Jazz routed the Denver Nuggets 124-105 to tie their first round Western Conference series at a game each.
Donovan Mitchell, who had 57 points in Game 1, had another good scoring night, putting up 30 points on 10 of 14 shooting, 21 of them in the third quarter, to power the Jazz.
The Jazz ended the first half with a 22-6 run and Mitchell waxed hot in the third quarter, hitting 5 of 5 from downtown and 4 of 4 free throws to put the game away.
Utah also waxed hot from the field, shooting 51.7 percent and made 20 triples.
Filipino-American Jordan Clarkson chipped in 26, a personal playoff best, for Utah.
Rookie Michael Porter Jr. had 28 points and Nikola Jokic added 28 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets.
Luka Doncic had foul trouble but his teammates stepped in the Dallas Mavericks' 127-114 win over the LA Clippers to level their first round Western Conference playoff matchup at 1-1.
Doncic had 28 points while Kristaps Porzingis added 23 for Dallas.
Doncic played sparingly in the second half due to fouls but his teammates showed they can survive without him, putting up a pivotal run entering the fourth quarter and hanged on for the victory.
Kawhi Leonard had 35 points and 10 rebounds but Paul George was an afterthought as he only scored 14 on 4 for 17 shooting.
It was Doncic's first postseason win and Dallas' first since 2016. He cheered on his teammates from the sidelines during the pivotal run.
Celtics, Raptors lead 2-0
The Toronto Raptors rallied early in the fourth quarter to edge the Brooklyn Nets 104-99 and take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first round playoff series.
The Nets were in the saddle for more than three quarters but the Raptors hit their stride with the right lineup early in the fourth.
Fred VanVleet scored 24 and issued eight assists, Norman Powell had 24 points, and Kyle Lowry, who had 21 points and nine rebounds, had a key steal which led to a Powell breakway dunk to ice the win.
Caris LeVert had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Jarrett Allen and Joe Harris each had a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds.
The Philadephia 76ers sorely missed the services of Ben Simmons and found out that Joel Embiid can't carry the team by himself as it went down to the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of their first round Eastern Conference playoff series.
Jayson Tatum scored 33 points, breaking his career playoff high of 32 in Game 1, to power the Celtics to a 2-0 lead in the series.
The Celtics started off the wrong foot in the game and trailed by 14 in the opening canto. But they recovered through their reserves and led by the two at the break 67-65.
The Celtics clamped down on defense in the third quarter, holding the Sixers to 22 percent shooting, and extended their lead to 23 at the end of the period.
Embiid scored 34 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while Josh Richardson added 18 for the Sixers.
Simmons is out indefinitely with an injury and is up for surgery.
Sixers loss frustrates fans
The loss did not sit well with Sixers fans on Twitter.
Sixers Twitter legend @GipperGrove who was a virtual fan put on a blindfold while the team was being blown out.
Another fan @Michael_Levin said: the Sixers are at least partially responsible for every bad thing that has ever happened to me.
Johnwintertweet said: An embarrasing first round loss to the Celtics is the best thing that could happen to this team, thirs fromt office, and this owenership group. They've been playing with Sam Hinkie's house money for four years, and they've finally hit bust in spectacular fashion.
Bubble remains COVID-19 free
According to an league statement, "Of the 341 players tested for COVID-19 on the NBA campus since test results were last announced on Aug. 12, zero have returned confirmed positive tests."
More testing are expected to be done as players' families arrive to watch them in the second round of the playoffs.
Former NBA player Jeremy Lin gets Taiwanese passport
NBA champion Jeremy Lin has acquired a Taiwanese passport, enabling him to play for the Chinese-Taipei national baskeball team.
Taiwanese news website taiwanesenews.com reported that Lin acquired his passport through Taipei City councilor Chung Hsiao-ping.
However, Lin can't play for Taiwan in FIBA-sanctioned tournaments using the passport although he can for the Olympics, Asian Games, and other tournaments not imposing the FIBA eligibility rule.
Lin currently plays for the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association.
In the NBA, he played for the Toronto Raptors where he earned a championship ring. He also played alongside Kobe Bryant for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets. Lin gained fame when he played for the New York Knicks and sparked a cultural phenomenon called "Linsanity."
Gilas Pilipinas the next time it faces Chinese Taipei might have a formidable opponent in Lin. (Compiled by Tristan Lozano)