BBNBA: Suns, Sixers & Mavericks clinch first-round wins

The Suns, 76ers and Mavericks all wrapped up first-round series victories Thursday night, with Tyrese Maxey playing a pivotal role for Philly while Devin Booker made a surprise return. Let’s talk pro hoops.

Thursday’s Results

76ers 132 @ Raptors 97 | PHI wins series 4-2

Suns 115 @ Pelicans 109 | PHX wins series 4-2

Mavericks 98 @ Jazz 96 | DAL wins series 4-2

Booker’s return boosts Suns over Pelicans

Five days ago, Phoenix dropped Game 4 to even up the series at two games apiece, prompting serious concern about whether the Suns could overcome a surging Pelicans squad without Devin Booker. In Game 5, Mikal Bridges played tremendously on both ends of the court to lead a Suns win. Then, ahead of Thursday’s Game 6, Booker was cleared to play after originally being projected out for another week or more with a hamstring injury. This set up a chance for Phoenix to slam the door on any Cinderella run by the eighth-seeded Pelicans.

Booker wasn’t quite himself in his first game back, which is understandable. Luckily, the soon-to-be-37-years-old Chris Paul turned in perhaps the greatest postseason performance of his illustrious career. Paul played 36 minutes and poured in 33 points in a variety of ways while also adding five rebounds and eight assists. But his most impressive stat was his field goal shooting. He made all 14 of his attempts from the field and all four free-throw attempts — a perfect shooting performance and 33-point outing to close out a frisky first-round series. Historic night from CP3. No player had ever attempted 14 or more shots in a postseason game without a miss.

Booker didn’t take on a full minute load compared to the other top Suns but he still logged 32 of them while scoring 13 points — roughly half of his season-scoring average of just over 26 per game. D-Book also missed his first five 3s. However, with under two minutes to go and the Pelicans having just taken a 104-103 lead, Booker caught and fired from the wing, splashing a triple to put Phoenix up for good. Paul hit another shot to put it away on the next possession.

With the win, Phoenix is on to the second round, where they will face the No. 4 Mavericks, who picked up the Game 6 win vs. Utah on Thursday to wrap up that series. Dallas is one of the windiest teams in the NBA over the past few months, so Booker better be at full strength by the time they tip off Game 1.

Maxey scores 25 in clincher over Raptors

Philadelphia handled Toronto in the first three games of the series. But Nick Nurse’s squad never lost focus and took Games 4 and 5 to push the Sixers to a stressful Game 6 across the border. Thursday, Philly’s Fab Four all showed up to take the series in humiliating fashion in front of Raptors fans.

Tobias Harris had a pedestrian 19 points and 11 rebounds — and he was the 76ers’ fourth-best performer. James Harden was the fourth-leading shot-taker for the visitors but finished with 22 points and 15 assists. Joel Embiid made 12 of his 18 shots for 33 points and 10 rebounds — an MVP-level performance in a closeout game for the big Cameroonian.

Of course, Tyrese Maxey also played well. He led the Sixers in shot attempts with 16, of which he converted eight for a total of 25 points. He also took a career-high 12 triples in a single game, hitting five. Along with his energy and speed all over the court, his shooting from deep is perhaps the most impressive improvement in his game since college. The guy was third in the league in 3-point shooting accuracy this year, in case you forgot.

Philadelphia finally fended off a pesky Raptors team. They’ll go on to play the Heat, who took care of Atlanta in five games and is the No. 1 seed. Should be an exciting series. Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo vs. Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. Doc Rivers and company will have all the pressure despite Miami’s standing as the one-seed. Need to get out of the second round if you’re Philly to avoid another embarrassing early exit. A lot riding on the young shoulders of Tyrese Maxey.

Statistics

Player	Result	Points	FG(3PA)	Rebounds	Assists	Steals	Blocks	Turnovers	Minutes	+/-
Tyrese Maxey (PHI)	132-97 W @ TOR	25	8-16 (5-12)	3	8	0	0	2	44	+32
Devin Booker (PHX)	115-109 W @ NOP	13	5-12 (1-6)	5	3	0	0	2	32	+9

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