BOSTON (AP) 鈥� Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points, Evan Mobley had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the top-seeded Boston Celtics 118-94 on Thursday night to tie their second-round NBA playoff series at one game apiece.
Two nights after losing by 25, with Mitchell scoring 33 but getting little help, the Cavaliers seized the lead in the third quarter and answered with a blowout of their own.
Mitchell scored 16 in the third, hitting three straight baskets early in the fourth, including a 28-foot, banked 3-pointer that left him shrugging his shoulders as he backpedalled back down on defence.
Jayson Tatum scored 25 for Boston, and Jaylen Brown added 19 points. But Derrick White, whose 25 points in Game 1 helped the Celtics coast to a 120-95 win, managed just 10 points, missing seven of his eight 3-point tries.
The series moves to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday, with a return trip to Boston for Game 5 on Wednesday.
Elsewhere in the NBA on Thursday:
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MAVERICKS 119 THUNDER 110
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) 鈥� Luka Doncic bounced back with 29 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to help Dallas beat Oklahoma City and even the Western Conference semifinals at one win apiece.
The Thunder held Doncic to 19 points on 6-for-19 shooting in Game 1. He made 11 of 21 field goals in Game 2.
P.J. Washington added 29 points and 11 rebounds for the Mavericks. He averaged 12.9 points in the regular season.
Kyrie Irving added nine points and 11 assists for the No. 5-seeded Mavericks, who host Game 3 on Saturday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 33 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, and Jalen Williams added 20 points for the Thunder, who lost for the first time in the post-season and allowed more than 100 points for the first time in their six playoff games.
The Associated Press
