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Ja Morant equaled his playoff scoring record
Photo: Brandon Dill/AP
The Memphis Grizzlies leveled the streak against the Golden State Warriors thanks to a hard-hitting Ja Morant.
The 106:101 gave the Grizzlies their first win and equalized before the two upcoming games in San Francisco.
Memphis had controlled the encounter for three quarters before Steph Curry's Warriors took the lead for the first time in the last quarter and a back and forth developed.
Grizzlies star Morant ensured the better end for his team with decisive baskets.
He ended up with 47 points – he had never scored more in a playoff game.
“I took advantage of what the Abwehr offered me.
I was very happy with my shots,' Morant said.
Curry scored 27 points with the Warriors.
The Boston Celtics equalized in the Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Milwaukee Bucks thanks to a significant improvement.
Two days after the disappointing 89:101, the NBA record champion got a 109:86 against the defending champion.
Unlike the first game in the best-of-seven series, Celtics fans saw a consistently convincing performance.
The hosts were never behind and only used seven players until a few minutes before the end.
National player Daniel Theis sat on the bench until the end.
The Celtics' best pitcher was Jaylen Brown with 30 points.
In the first quarter alone he had 17 points.
“You can't be defined by a game, we've been resilient all year.
The question is simply how you react,” Brown said after the game.
Jayson Tatum had 29 points, Grant Williams 21. Giannis Antetokounmpo was the most successful with the Bucks with 28 points, but could not be satisfied with the yield of only eleven throws made in 27 attempts.
Unusually, the teams now have three full days to recover before the third game on Saturday in Milwaukee.
Four wins are necessary to advance to the conference finals.
mfu/dpa
