The Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat 118-84 on Wednesday night to progress to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Derrick White and Jaylen Brown both scored 25 points in the victory.

Top-seeded Celtics roll over Heat and into second round

White drained five three-pointers, and Brown also contributed six assists. Along with Jayson Tatum’s 16 points and 12 rebounds, Sam Hauser contributed 17 points. The top-seeded Celtics had a 37-point lead and never looked back. A year after the Heat destroyed them in Boston during Game 7 of the conference finals, they too received some retribution.

There is a great deal of back-and-forth history. But it made no difference who it was,” Brown remarked. “We simply needed to finish the task.”

For Miami, who made their first departure from the playoffs before reaching the conference finals since 2021, Bam Adebayo scored 23 points and Tyler Herro added 15. Throughout, the Heat had difficulty shooting three points, going just three of 29.

The winner of the Cleveland-Orlando series will play Boston. Game 6 is scheduled on Friday night in Orlando, where the Cavaliers lead 3-2.

Top-seeded Celtics roll over Heat and into second round. They'll play Cleveland or Orlando - Victoria Times Colonist

Luka Doncic led Dallas to a victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 5 and a 3-2 lead in their series on Wednesday by scoring 20 of his 35 points in the second half while also dishing out 10 assists and grabbing seven rebounds.

For the second time in the series, the Mavericks defeated the Clippers handily in Los Angeles after Maxi Kleber scored five three-pointers and Kyrie Irving added fourteen points. The Mavericks tightened their defense around the Clippers. Dallas is on the verge of winning its first postseason series since 2022 and only its third since taking home the NBA championship in 2011.

Celtics preparing to take on Cleveland-Orlando winner

Despite being limited at times during the series due to a sprained right knee, Doncic, a standout player from Slovenia, obviously gained confidence and increased his threat as Game 5 progressed. He scored 14 points in the third quarter as the Mavericks increased their lead to 25 and ultimately led 89-69 into the fourth. The Clippers never looked like they were going to replicate Dallas’ comeback from a 31-point hole in Game 4.

During the game, Doncic revealed he was struggling with a sickness in addition to his knee ailment, and he repeatedly blew his nose during timeouts.

Doncic stated that things were “tough” due to his illness and that his knee is “not really good.”

He went on, “But you talk about adrenaline in a playoff game.” “Once you get going, you want to give it your all to support the team’s victory. All I wanted to do was carry on.

Dallas will host Game 6 on Friday night. Game 7 will return to Los Angeles on Sunday, if needed.