Top-seeded teams Phoenix Suns (West) and the Miami Heat (East) took care of business in Game 1 of their Conference semifinals.
The Suns avoided collapse in the waning minutes of the final frame to take the W and defeat the Dallas Mavericks, spoiling Luka Doncic’s 45 points explosion at the Footprint Center.
DeAndre Ayton led his squad with 25 points and eight rebounds, while Devin Booker tallied 23 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.
Meanwhile, the Heat took advantage of the Joel Embiid-less 76ers to draw first blood.
Tyler Herro smoked hot off the bench with 25 points on four triples and seven assists.
Bam Adebayo had himself a game, pouring 24 markers, 12 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block.
Tobias Harris dropped 27 points on a losing effort for Philadelphia.
Embiid’s status remains indefinite, and his squad will have to figure out how to live without him in the upcoming game.
Joel is among the leading candidate for the regular season MVP averaging 30.6 points (1st in the league), 11.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists.
Game 2 of both the Suns-Mavericks and Heat-76ers series will be on Wednesday.
