Thunder seal Pelicans sweep as Celtics on brink
The Oklahoma City Thunder sealed a 4-0 series sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans to book their place in the NBA playoffs second round on Monday as Boston dominated Miami to move to the brink of the conference semi-finals. Western Conference top seeds Oklahoma City finally got the better of New Orleans with a late scoring burst in the fourth quarter to complete a 97-89 road victory in Louisiana. The Pelicans led by five points with just over eight minutes remaining before Oklahoma City responded with an 18-2 run to close out victory in a hard-fought contest that saw the lead change hands 19 times. Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder scoring with 24 points apiece while Chet Holmgren and Josh Giddey each scored 14 and Luguentz Dort 11. It was the Thunder's first playoff series win since 2016 and leaves them facing a Western Conference semi-final against either the Los Angeles Clippers or Dallas Mavericks. Elsewhere on Monday, Derrick White scored 38 points as the top-seeded Boston Celtics scored a dominant 102-88 road victory over the Miami Heat to take a commanding 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference series. After an enthusiastic 20-point win over Miami in game three on Saturday, Boston picked up where they left off with another emphatic performance over last season's Eastern Conference champions. White set the tone for Boston with an electric first quarter display, rattling in 16 points in the opening frame – including four three-pointers – to help the Celtics take a 10-point lead heading into the second quarter. Boston then kept up the pressure with the scoreboard ticking over to open up a 53-36 half-time lead. The Celtics stretched the lead to 28 points at one stage in the third quarter, and even though Miami rallied in the fourth, narrowing the deficit to 13 points with just over five minutes remaining, Boston's grip on the lead never looked in serious jeopardy. The win means the Celtics can clinch their place in the second round, where they will face either Orlando or Cleveland, with a win in game five on Wednesday back in Boston. On Monday's evidence, few would bet against Boston bringing the series to a swift conclusion. (AFP)_____________________________
Last updated: 2024-04-30 HKT 11:49 