The Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets 109-103 in Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoffs at the Barclays Center in New York City on Saturday, taking a 3-0 in the series.

The Celtics are one win away from sweeping the Nets to reach the East semifinals.

Robert Williams III returned for the Celtics in Saturday's game. Though he only played a little more than 15 minutes and scored two points, two rebounds, one assist and one block, judging by the way he ran and leaped, Williams III has recovered well from the torn meniscus in his left knee.

However, the best-performing player on the court was Jayson Tatum, who dropped 39 points, five rebounds, six assists and six steals for the Celtics. He was scoreless in the second quarter, but reached double-digit points in each of the other three. Moreover, Tatum and Jalen Brown were the only two Celtics who earned free throws on Saturday night. The two combined for 13 points from the free throw line.

The other secret of the Celtics' victory in Game 3 was their productive transition offense. They had 13 steals and forced the Nets to commit 18 turnovers, turning these into 25 points via fast break. By speeding things up on the floor, the Celtics made the Nets cut the time of 2.08-meter-tall, 126-kilogram Andre Drummond in the game, minimizing the offensive rebounding threat of the opponents.

Nonetheless, the unusual form of Kevin Durant could not be ignored either. Missing all 10 field goals (FGs) in the second half of Game 2 was one thing, but taking only one shot in the fourth quarter when his team trailed by nine points was unacceptable. It's true that the Celtics designed smart defensive tactics and implemented them well on him, but they didn't send four players to surround him. With his height, wingspan and shooting skills, Durant could always find a way to attack and that's what made him an epic scorer.

Kyrie Irving was contained by the Celtics as well. He missed all seven 3-pointers and found it harder and harder to break into the paint as the game went along. He and Durant combined for 17 assists, which was why Bruce Brown could score a team-high 26 points in Saturday's game. But the Nets' whole offense was built on the unstoppable isolation ability of Durant and Irving. With the pair only scoring 32 points, there was no way the Nets could compete with a rival like the Celtics.

This is the first time for Durant and his team to trail 3-0 in the playoffs in his career. No team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit in the postseason in NBA history.

They will meet at the Barclays Center again for Game 4 on April 25.

Towns saves his reputation by leading the Timberwolves to win

The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 119-118 in Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference first-round playoffs at Target Center in Minneapolis on Saturday, tying the series 2-2.

Three-time All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns was under a lot of criticism after under-performing in the last two games, both of which the Timberwolves lost. That, in a way, showed how important Towns is to the team, especially on offense. On Saturday night, he showed excellent aggressiveness from the beginning by charging the rim and posting up deep.

Towns made only one FG behind the arc in the first quarter, but he earned eight free throws and made seven of them to score 10 points in the third quarter. In the last quarter, he drained two triples and one mid-range jumper to contribute another 13 points for the Timberwolves.

Defense has been Towns' weak spot, but as long as he does the simple things right, including staying in the paint and paying attention to the location of others on the floor, at least he won't become a defensive liability. In fact, Towns' presence under the rim and his 12 defensive rebounds contained two of the Grizzlies' biggest strengths – offensive rebounding (six) and second-chance points (three) – on Saturday night.

The Grizzlies carried on their big man rotations from the previous games: benching Steven Adams and expecting Jaren Jackson Jr., Xavier Tillman, Brandon Clarke and Kyle Anderson to slow Towns down from outside.

The result of doing so was Jackson Jr. being fouled out while Tillman and Anderson committed five and four personal fouls, respectively. In fact, as Towns and Anthony Edwards launched more screen plays in the second half, other Grizzlies, including Ja Morant, Dillon Brooks and Desmond Bane, also fell into foul trouble during different periods of Saturday's game.

That's partly why the two teams combined for a playoff-record 56 fouls in Game 4. The Timberwolves shot 31-of-40 in free throws while the Grizzlies made 19 of 25 attempts on this front.

Without their usual production via fast break and second-chance attacks, the Grizzlies relied heavily on 3-point shooting, and they've already performed much better in this area than in the regular season, making 15 of 32 attempts from downtown. Morant did well finding open teammates outside with 15 assists, but the team will need him to score more than 11 points and find a way to do so without stepping to the free throw line or throwing himself toward the hoop, if the Grizzlies still want to win the series.

Game 5 will take place at FedExForum on April 26.

Doncic returns, but Gobert is the hero

The Utah Jazz beat the Dallas Mavericks 100-99 in Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference first-round playoffs at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Saturday to tie the series 2-2.

Rudy Gobert, who was one of the most invisible players on the offensive front in the previous three games, saved the day for the Jazz in this game. Though he only shot 4-for-8 from the field, Gobert grabbed 10 offensive rebounds and earned 18 free throws.

The Jazz still trailed 99-98 with 18 seconds to go. Donovan Mitchell drove to the free throw line when Gobert faked a screen for him and then rolled to the rim. Dwight Powell and Dorian Finney Smith tried to double-team Mitchell, but they couldn't deflect his alley-oop pass to Gobert. "The Stifle Tower" dunked the ball into the basket to put his team back on top with 11 seconds to go.

Eight seconds before that play, Powell missed two free throws, and 12 seconds before that, Mitchell completed a three-point play via an offensive rebound he took after missing a jumper. The secrets to Saturday's victory for the Jazz were: offensive rebounding (13-7), second-chance points (22-12) and free throws (42-23 in attempts, 26-18 in shots made).

That's how the Mavericks lost their first game since Luka Doncic's return from calf injury. He was nothing but ready offensively as he shot 11-of-21 from the field for 30 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. When he made his fourth triple in front of Gobert at 0:39 in the fourth quarter, Doncic extended the lead to four points (99-95) for the Mavericks, so close to straight wins on the road.

However, Doncic didn't seem ready to play his defensive role. His individual defense improved a lot in the regular season compared with last year, but he got beaten too easily by the Jazz's perimeter players. The Mavericks' defense was based on fast defensive rotations. If one spot was penetrated easily, others would have to change their positions to fix the breach. That would create a new void, like easy offensive rebounds for the opponents.

Game 5 will happen at American Airlines Center on April 25.

Raptors refuse to be swept by 76ers

The Toronto Raptors upset the Philadelphia 76ers 110-102 in Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoffs at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Saturday, making the series 3-1 instead of being swept 4-0.

Despite the previous three straight losses, the Raptors didn't let Joel Embiid gain much momentum. They just failed to stop Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris while containing Embiid.

Unfortunately for the 76ers, Harris and Maxey both lost their magic on Saturday night, combining for only two 3-pointers and 26 points. Meanwhile, Embiid was limited to 21 points and eight rebounds thanks to the Raptors' aggressive trapping defense. James Harden continued his scoring slump. The 76ers didn't even reach 30 points in any of the four quarters.

The Raptors regained their regular-season stride on offense. The team led in offensive rebounds (13-6) and forced 15 turnovers by the 76ers, scoring 12 second-chance points and 21 fast break points. As long as the team's athletic forwards could run in big strides at full speed without having to face the 76ers' defense in readiness, they could be very productive scorers.

Pascal Siakam had a court-high 34 points for the Raptors after going to the free throw line 15 times and making 13 shots there.

Game 5 will take place at Wells Fargo Center on April 25.