Celtics 114, 76ers 102
Jayson Tatum collected 27 points and 10 rebounds to fuel the visiting Boston Celtics to a 114-102 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Tatum bounced back from a seven-point performance in Game 2 by making 10 of 20 shots from the floor for the second-seeded Celtics, who have won two games in a row to claim a 2-1 edge in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia.Boston’s Jaylen Brown recorded 23 points and seven rebounds, and Al Horford sank five 3-pointers while finishing with 17 points and seven rebounds. Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon each had 15 points and Derrick White added 13 for the Celtics.
Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid collected 30 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks after being honored prior to the game for winning the NBA MVP award.
Suns 121, Nuggets 114
Devin Booker matched his career playoff high of 47 points and Kevin Durant added 39 as the Phoenix Suns captured a pivotal 121-114 home win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of their series on Friday night.
Booker made 20 of 25 field-goal attempts and added nine assists, six rebounds, and three steals as the fourth-seeded Suns cut their deficit to 2-1 in the Western Conference semifinals. Durant added nine rebounds and eight assists to go with a shaky 12-of-31 shooting performance for Phoenix.
Jamal Murray had 32 points, six rebounds, and five assists and Nikola Jokic recorded 30 points and 17 rebounds while setting a playoff career best with 17 assists for top-seeded Denver. Michael Porter Jr. made six 3-pointers while contributing 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Nuggets.
Game 4 in the best-of-seven series is Sunday night at Phoenix.
— Field Level Media