NBA playoffs: Celtics roll past Raptors in series opener

The Boston Celtics clearly have the formula to create problems for the Toronto Raptors.

Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart each scored 21 points, Kemba Walker added 18 points and 10 assists and the Celtics never trailed on the way to beating the Raptors 112-94 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Sunday.

The Celtics improved to 4-1 against the Raptors this season — no other team has beaten the reigning NBA champions more than twice — and both of their meetings in the NBA’s restart bubble at Walt Disney World have been one-sided.

“You got a team like Toronto, the defending champs, a really, really good team and they know what it takes you have to be locked in even more,” Smart said. “And that’s just (what) we try to come out and do.”

Toronto is 0-2 against Boston at Disney, losing by a combined 40 points and not leading for a single moment in those two games. The Raptors are 11-0 at Disney against everybody else.

Clippers

Kawhi Leonard closes out Luka Doncic and Mavericks, carries Clippers to second round

Kawhi Leonard finished with 33 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Clippers to a series-clinching 111-97 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 6.

Aug. 30, 2020

Jaylen Brown scored 17 points and Daniel Theis finished with 13 points and 15 rebounds for Boston, which is 5-0 in this postseason — though Celtics coach Brad Stevens dismissed any notion that control of the series has been secured.

“We’re not even in the ballpark of doing that yet,” Stevens said. We won one game.”

Kyle Lowry had 17 points for Toronto, which got 15 from Serge Ibaka, 13 from Pascal Siakam on a day where he was slowed big-time by early foul trouble and 12 from OG Anunoby. The Raptors were outscored 51-30 from 3-point range.