BOSTON Celtics got their outside shots to connect on the road to score a 115-93 rout over New York Knicks in Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals on Saturday night (Sunday in the Philippines) at the Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Payton Pritchard scored a team-high 23 points, including five three-point conversions, while Jayson Tatum also connected five treys to finish with 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Celtics cut the best-of-seven series deficit to 1-2.
Jaylen Brown tallied 19 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Derrick White and Al Horford ended with 17 and 15 markers, respectively, for the defending champions Celtics.
After struggling to score in the first two games of the series, the Celtics found their rhythm in Game 3, shooting 48.2 percent (40 of 83) overall and 50 percent (20 of 40) from 3-point range.
Jalen Brunson scored 27 points on 9-for-21 shooting to lead the Knicks. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with a double-double of 21 points and 15 rebounds, while Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart had 12 and 10, respectively.
Minnesota Timberwolves, on the other hand, surged to a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semis series with a 102-97 Game 3 victory over Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California.
Anthony Edwards led the way with 36 points, Julius Randle posted a triple-double of 24 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds, while Jalen McDaniels contributed 15 markers for the Timberwolves.
Jimmy Butler III finished with 33 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, while Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield contributed 30 and 14 points, respectively, for the Warriors.
Meanwhile, Denver Nuggets overcame an atrocious offensive game from Nikola Jokic to score a 113-104 overtime win against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3, taking a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semis.
Jokic finished with 20 points, on an 8-of-25 field goal shooting that includes 0-of-10 three-point clip, while Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 27 points, while Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. tallied 22 and 21, respectively.
Cleveland Cavaliers, on the other hand, avoided falling to a 0-3 series hole with a dominant 126-104 Game 3 road win over Indiana Pacers. Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 43 points./PN
