![Tatum leads Celtics over Heat, Clippers thrash Mavs in NBA playoff openers](https://www.berlinertageblatt.de/media/shared/articles/28/6b/b3/Tatum-leads-Celtics-over-Heat--Clip-008373.jpg)
-
Trump offers tech sector policy flips ahead of election
-
Spacecraft to swing by Earth, Moon on path to Jupiter
-
What's the fallout of Mexican drug lords' capture?
-
Video game makers see actors as AI 'data,' says union on strike
-
Chinese qualifier Shang to face Thompson in ATP Atlanta semis
-
Concern grows as Venezuela blocks election observers
-
'Massive attack' on French rail threatens more chaos
-
'We did it!': France breathes sigh of relief after Olympics ceremony
-
Blinken, in Laos, set for talks with Chinese foreign minister
-
Regional concern grows as Venezuela blocks vote observers
-
Historic river parade, Dion show-stopper ignite Paris Olympics
-
Rainy Paris Olympic parade dampens many spectators' spirits
-
G20 pledges to work together to tax ultra-rich
-
The one of a kind Paris opening ceremony: five memorable moments
-
Justin Timberlake seeks to dismiss DUI case
-
Warner Brothers Discovery sues NBA over Amazon rights deal
-
Kobe Bryant locker, Maradona jersey up for auction in New York
-
Historic river parade launches Paris Olympics
-
Stocks rise as US inflation data boosts rate cut hopes
-
New York family of Holocaust victim reclaims Nazi-looted art
-
NASA Mars rover captures rock that could hold fossilized microbes
-
Thousands evacuate season's biggest wildfire in northern California
-
Sinaloa Cartel co-founder pleads not guilty after stunning US capture
-
Ethiopia mourns victims of landslide tragedy
-
Lady Gaga adds sparkle to star-studded Olympic show
-
Airbus and Boeing supremacy secure despite turbulence
-
Teams sail down Seine in rain-soaked Olympics opening ceremony
-
Norris hoping for more after topping Belgian practice times
-
West Indies' treble strike rocks England in third Test
-
Trump slams rivals as he meets Netanyahu in Florida
-
Olympic opening ceremony under way on River Seine
-
Mott's England future uncertain as ECB chief fails to offer support
-
Trump meets Israeli PM Netanyahu in Florida
-
S.African police say 95 Libyans detained at suspected military camp
-
Blinken set for talks with Chinese counterpart in Laos
-
Norris heads Piastri in McLaren one-two at Belgian GP practice
-
G20 seeks common ground on taxing super-rich
-
European medicines watchdog rejects new Alzheimer's drug
-
Harris gets vital Obama backing in battle against Trump
-
Habib, Ebden eye Alcaraz and Djokovic shocks at Olympics tennis
-
Stocks rise as inflation data boosts rate cut hopes
-
Long queues, ticketing problems ahead of Paris opening ceremony
-
Two Sinaloa Cartel leaders face US charges after stunning capture
-
Spain train driver jailed for 2.5 years over deadly 2013 crash
-
Paris poised for Olympic opening ceremony spectacular
-
Judoka fails doping test in first case at Paris Olympics
-
Holder and Da Silva keep England at bay after West Indies collapse
-
Alpine F1 boss Bruno Famin to leave in August
-
Ethiopia declares three days of mourning after landslide tragedy
-
Brazilian dunes dotted with dazzling pools make UNESCO heritage list
![Tatum leads Celtics over Heat, Clippers thrash Mavs in NBA playoff openers](https://www.berlinertageblatt.de/media/shared/articles/28/6b/b3/Tatum-leads-Celtics-over-Heat--Clip-008373.jpg)
Tatum leads Celtics over Heat, Clippers thrash Mavs in NBA playoff openers
Jayson Tatum posted his first playoff triple-double to propel Boston to an NBA playoff series opening victory over Miami on Sunday as the Los Angeles Clippers thrashed the Dallas Mavericks.
Eastern Conference top seeds Boston raced out to a 14-0 start, setting the tone for a 114-94 wire-to-wire victory that was never in doubt despite Miami making the score more respectable in the fourth quarter.
In Los Angeles, the Clippers also led from start to finish, shrugging off the injury absence of Kawhi Leonard in a 109-97 victory over the Mavs -- who put up just eight points in a shocking second quarter performance.
Other series-opening games on Sunday saw the Indiana Pacers at the Milwaukee Bucks while the Western Conference top seeded Oklahoma City Thunder hosted the New Orleans Pelicans.
With Leonard sidelined with inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee, James Harden scored 28 points and handed out eight assists for the Clippers, drilling six of their 18 three-pointers.
Paul George added 22 points and Ivica Zubac scored 20 points with 15 rebounds for Los Angeles, who seized control early as Dallas, and NBA regular-season scoring leader Luka Doncic struggled.
The Mavs connected on just two of 21 attempts in the second quarter, putting up 30 in the first half to trail by 26 at the break.
Eight-time All-Star Kyrie Irving made all eight of his attempts on the way to 20 points in the third quarter as the Mavericks buckled down.
Doncic would finish with 33 points and 13 rebounds and Irving scored 31, but they had dug too deep of a hole to escape and trail by one in the best-of-seven Western Conference series.
In Boston the Celtics used a barrage of three-pointers to grab a 60-45 halftime lead and extended that advantage to 91-74 by the end of the third quarter.
The Heat, without injured star Jimmy Butler, had reached the best-of-seven first-round series as the eighth seed after beating the Chicago Bulls in a play-in eliminator on Friday.
Miami took the same route into the playoffs last season, going on to upset the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals before they were beaten by the Denver Nuggets in the championship series.
The chances of such a run this time look remote with Butler battling a knee ligament injury. In his absence, Bam Adebayo led Miami with 24 points and six rebounds.
Tatum scored 23 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and provided 10 assists.
The five-time All-Star was one of six Boston players to score in double figures, Derrick White adding 20.
"That was a beautiful game from him," teammate Kristaps Porzingis said of Tatum. "Getting those assists, especially early on -- he wasn't forcing anything at all, getting everyone involved. Huge credit to him."
But Tatum was disappointed that the Celtics took their foot off the gas in the fourth.
"We had some turnovers, some mistakes," he said. "They're not going to give up, they're not going to lay down. "Human nature can play a factor, but you can't relax."
C.Kovalenko--BTB