NBA highlights on May 7: OKC dominate Mavs, lead 1-0 in Western semifinals

The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Dallas Mavericks 117-95 in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Tuesday, leading 1-0 in the series.

The Thunder's young ace and this season's NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) finalist, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA), dropped 29 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the home team after going to the free throw line 13 times, more than anyone else in Tuesday's game. He got 10 and 11 points in the second and the third quarters, respectively, during which his side outscored their opponents 66-56.

The other two of the Thunder's young "Big Three," Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, combined to contribute 37 points. Williams made all four of his field goal (FG) attempts in the fourth period to get 10 points. Holmgren had three blocks. The backup players also contributed significantly to Tuesday's victory with 42 points, outscoring their Mavericks' counterparts by 19 points.

Thunder's victory in Tuesday night's game became a foregone conclusion early in the fourth quarter. The Thunder dominated their opponents on several key fronts, including 3-point shooting, offensive rebounds and fast breaks. The team knocked down 16 triples out of 35 attempts. It wasn't huge in production, but everyone who fired from downtown, except Josh Giddey, shot at a 40 percent or higher 3-point rate.

Although the Thunder had no one grabbing double-digit rebounds, both Holmgren and Luguentz Dort got four offensive rebounds, enabling their side to lead 16-11 on the offensive glass. They shot five more FGs and got five more second-chance points. Their defensive aggression also paid off in committing more steals (8-5) and forcing more turnovers (15-9). Such edges enabled them to outscore their opponents 22-12 by exploiting the turnovers.

Compared with the Thunder, who played a smooth and efficient game, thanks to the good connections between their stars and role players, the Mavericks were overwhelmed on both offense and defense in Tuesday's game. Kyrie Irving struggled the least with 20 points. He had multiple defensive highlights when he switched to guard SGA. The other of the team's star duo, Luka Doncic, played one of the worst postseason games in his career after missing 13 of his 19 FG attempts, including seven behind the arc. He got 19 points and nine assists with five turnovers.

Dort's power and constant ball attacks caused some trouble for Doncic, but it wasn't the biggest reason behind Doncic's underperformance on Tuesday night. In fact, Dort played no more than 25:32 in the game due to foul trouble. He managed to keep Doncic from charging the rim several times but couldn't do much to contest his fadeaway jump shooting.

The Thunder's quick and smart defensive rotations neutralized the Mavericks' offense. They could always double-team Doncic and Irving while keeping Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II company under the hoop. The two big men combined to go 6-for-18 from the field, which was very disappointing for finishers.

The Thunder's defensive policy came with a calculated risk. They often left at least one Maverick open outside the 3-point line, a move that could have been costly. However, Derrick Jones Jr., Josh Green and Tim Hardaway Jr. failed to punish them, missing nine of their 15 triples.

Game 2 of the series will be at the Paycom Center on Thursday.

Celtics leave no chance for an upset against Cavaliers

The Boston Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-95 in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, leading 1-0 in the series.

The Celtics led in each of the four quarters. Jaylen Brown went 12-for-18 in FGs to drop a team-high 32 points. Derrick White drained seven triples out of 12 attempts. Jayson Tatum had a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds. He was a little low in scoring but did a good job providing defense help with three blocks.

Despite the tough defense from the elite defenders in White and Jrue Holiday, Donovan Mitchell still managed to get 33 points for the Cavaliers on Tuesday night. Evan Mobley made eight of his 12 shots to contribute 17 points and 12 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass. Nonetheless, their efforts couldn't slow down the pace of the game, whose conclusion was obvious.

Game 2 of the series will continue to take place at TD Garden on Thursday.