Luka Doncic had 32 points and nine assists and Kyrie Irving added 23 points as the Dallas Mavericks got the best of the Los Angeles Clippers 96-93 in Game 2 on Tuesday to even their first-round playoff series.
P.J. Washington scored 18 points and Derrick Jones Jr. had 10 as the Mavericks recovered from a double-digit defeat in Game 1 on Sunday, when they trailed by as many as 29 points and scored just 30 in the first half.
Doncic and Irving combined to go 19 of 44 (43.2 percent) in the game after they struggled in the decisive first half of Game 1 when they combined to shoot 5 of 19 (26.3 percent). Irving made 3 of 4 free throws in the last 12 seconds to seal the win.
James Harden and Paul George each scored 22 points as the Clippers were unable to take advantage of Kawhi Leonard’s return. Leonard, who had not played since March 31 because of right knee inflammation, scored 15 points in 35 minutes.
Pacers 125, Bucks 108
Pascal Siakam recorded 37 points, 11 rebounds and six assists and Indiana evened its first-round Eastern Conference playoff series with an impressive victory over host Milwaukee in Game 2.
Myles Turner added 22 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots for the sixth-seeded Pacers, who snapped a 10-game postseason losing streak dating back to 2018.
Damian Lillard scored 34 points and Brook Lopez added 22 for the third-seeded Bucks. Each player made six 3-pointers. Milwaukee again was without star Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf).
Timberwolves 105, Suns 93
Jaden McDaniels scored 25 points on 10-for-17 shooting and Minnesota pulled away from Phoenix in Game 2 of their Western Conference quarterfinals series in Minneapolis.
Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert finished with 18 points apiece for Minnesota, which seized a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The Timberwolves won by double digits despite a subpar night from Anthony Edwards, who shot 3 of 12 from the field and finished with 15 points.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 20 points on 6-for-13 shooting, though he was 1-for-6 from 3-point range. Kevin Durant finished with 18 points and Bradley Beal scored 14, but the pair combined to shoot 12 of 32 from the field.
