* The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics 119-115 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup on Monday night. James Harden tied his playoff career high with 45 points and scored the go-ahead 3-pointer with 8.7 seconds left, Tyrese Maxey added 26 points and Tobias Harris finished with 18 for the Sixers, who made 17 3-pointers in the absence of Joel Embiid, who sat sat out with the sprained right knee he sustained in Game 3 of the first-round series. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 39 points and 11 rebounds. Jaylen Brown added 23 points and Malcolm Brogdon finished with 20.
Game 2 between the 76ers and Celtics will be held in Boston on Wednesday, May 3rd at 8:00 pm.
* The Denver Nuggets defeated the Phoenix Suns 97-87, to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic scored a game-high 39 points and had 16 rebounds, with Aaron Gordon added 16 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 14 for the Nuggets in a game dominated by defense. For the Suns, Devin Booker scored 35 points and Kevin Durant 24, but Chris Paul had to leave the game in the third quarter due to a groin injury.
Game 3 between the Nuggets and Suns will take place Friday, May 5th in Phoenix at 10:00 pm.
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