Wednesday's NBA playoffs: Mavs pull away while Doncic sits, beat Clippers 127-114

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — Luka Doncic has his first NBA postseason victory, though probably not the way he expected.

Instead of leading the Dallas Mavericks on the court, he was helping lead cheers from the sideline as his teammates pulled away while he sat.

Doncic scored 28 points and the Mavericks put together the pivotal run when he was out to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 127-114 on Wednesday night and even the Western Conference playoff series at a game apiece.

“This is how we’re going to have to win games,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “Our depth is going to be a big part of it.”

Two nights after scoring 42 points in the highest-scoring debut in postseason history, Doncic played just nine minutes in the second half because of foul trouble. He finished with eight rebounds and seven assists.

The 21-year-old picked up his fourth foul less than a minute into the third quarter, shaking his finger toward the Dallas bench that he didn’t want to come out.

He stayed on then and, when he did come out toward the end of the period, Dallas put together a strong stretch of basketball. A finishing 14-4 spurt made it 98-85 entering the fourth.

And even after Doncic picked up his fifth less than a minute into the final period and had to go out again, the Mavs pushed the lead to 18 in the final 12 minutes.

Doncic said when he returned to the bench he was frustrated for about 15 seconds, then turned his attention to supporting his teammates.

“Being on the bench, it’s hard for me. I want to help my team but we won the game,” Doncic said.

Kristaps Porzingis added 23 points for the Mavericks. They beat the Clippers for the first time in five meetings this season and earned their first playoff victory since 2016.

Kawhi Leonard had 35 points and 10 rebounds, but Paul George had a mostly miserable performance for the second-seeded Clippers. They played without starting guard Patrick Beverley because of a calf injury.

Jazz 124, Nuggets 105: Donovan Mitchell scored 21 of his 30 points in a big third quarter and the Utah Jazz beat the Denver Nuggets 124-105 on Wednesday to even the first-round playoff series at a game apiece.

Mitchell was 10 of 14 from the floor. He helped the Jazz break open the game in the third quarter and increase the lead to 31 in the fourth.

His performance was on the heels of scoring a Jazz playoff-record 57 points in a 135-125 overtime loss in Game 1. Mitchell was the focus of Denver’s defense, which helped open up other avenues for teammates.

Jordan Clarkson scored a personal playoff-best 26 points on a day the Jazz shot 51.7% from the floor. They also had 32 assists and hit 20 3-pointers.

Celtics 128, 76ers 101: Jayson Tatum scored 33 points and Boston beat Philadelphia to take a 2-0 seres lead.

Tatum scored a career playoff high for the second straight game after scoring 32 points in the opener Monday. Kemba Walker added 22 points and Jaylen Brown had 20 for the Celtics. Boston shot 51% from the field and committed just seven turnovers, including two in the first three quarters.

Joel Embiid had 34 points and 10 rebounds for the 76ers, and Josh Richardson added 18 points.

Raptors 104, Nets 99: Fred VanVleet had 24 points and 10 assists, Norman Powell had a big game off the bench with 24 points and defending NBA champion Toronto beat Brooklyn to take a 2-0 series lead.

Kyle Lowry had 21 points, nine rebounds and forced a big turnover in the closing seconds for the second seeded Raptors. Garrett Temple led the Nets with 21 points, and Caris LeVert had 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Eastern Conference

Orlando 1, Milwaukee 0

Tuesday, Aug. 18: Orlando, 122, Milwaukee 110

Thursday, Aug. 20: Milwaukee vs. Orlando, 6 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 22: Milwaukee vs. Orlando, 1 p.m.

Monday, Aug. 24: Milwaukee vs. Orlando, 1:30 p.m.

x-Wednesday, Aug. 26: Milwaukee vs. Orlando, TBD

x-Friday, Aug. 28: Milwaukee vs. Orlando, TBD

x-Sunday, Aug. 30: Milwaukee vs. Orlando, TBD

Toronto 2, Brooklyn 0

Monday, Aug. 17: Toronto 134, Brooklyn 110

Wednesday, Aug. 19: Toronto 104, Brooklyn 99

Friday, Aug. 21: Toronto vs. Brooklyn, 1:30 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 23: Toronto vs. Brooklyn, 6:30 p.m.

x-Tuesday, Aug. 25: Toronto vs. Brooklyn, TBD

x-Thursday, Aug. 27: Toronto vs. Brooklyn, TBD

x-Saturday, Aug. 29: Toronto vs. Brooklyn, TBD

Boston 2, Philadelphia 0

Monday, Aug. 17: Boston 109, Philadelphia 101

Wednesday, Aug. 19: Boston 128, Philadelphia 101

Friday, Aug. 21: Boston vs. Philadelphia, 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 23: Boston vs. Philadelphia, 1 p.m.

x-Tuesday, Aug. 25: Boston vs. Philadelphia, TBD

x-Thursday, Aug. 27: Boston vs. Philadelphia, TBD

x-Saturday, Aug. 29: Boston vs. Philadelphia, TBD

Miami 1, Indiana 0

Tuesday, Aug. 18: Miami 113 Indiana 101

Thursday, Aug. 20: Miami vs. Indiana, 1 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 22: Miami vs. Indiana, 3:30 p.m.

Monday, Aug. 24: Miami vs. Indiana, 6:30 p.m.

x-Wednesday, Aug. 26: Miami vs. Indiana, TBD

x-Friday, Aug. 28: Miami vs. Indiana, TBD

x-Sunday, Aug. 30: Miami vs. Indiana, TBD

Western Conference

Portland 1, L.A. Lakers 0

Tuesday, Aug. 18: Portland 100, L.A. Lakers 93

Thursday, Aug. 20: L.A. Lakers vs. Portland, 9 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 22: L.A. Lakers vs. Portland, 8:30 p.m.

Monday, Aug. 24: L.A. Lakers vs. Portland, 9 p.m.

x-Wednesday, Aug. 26: L.A. Lakers vs. Portland, TBD

x-Friday, Aug. 28: L.A. Lakers vs. Portland, TBD

x-Sunday, Aug. 30: L.A. Lakers vs. Portland, TBD

L.A. Clippers 1, Dallas 1

Monday, Aug. 17: L.A. Clippers 118, Dallas 110

Wednesday, Aug. 19: Dallas 127, L.A. Clippers 114

Friday, Aug. 21: L.A. Clippers vs. Dallas, 9 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 23: L.A. Clippers vs. Dallas, 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 25: L.A. Clippers vs. Dallas, TBD

x-Thursday, Aug. 27: L.A. Clippers vs. Dallas, TBD

x-Saturday, Aug. 29: L.A. Clippers vs. Dallas, TBD

Denver 1, Utah 1

Monday, Aug. 17: Denver 135, Utah 125, OT

Wednesday, Aug. 19: Utah 124, Denver 105

Friday, Aug. 21: Denver vs Utah, 4 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 23: Denver vs Utah, 9 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 25: Denver vs Utah, TBD

x-Thursday, Aug. 27: Denver vs Utah, TBD

x-Saturday, Aug. 29: Denver vs Utah, TBD

Houston 1, Oklahoma City 0

Tuesday, Aug. 18: Houston 123, Oklahoma City 108

Thursday, Aug. 20: Oklahoma City vs. Houston, 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 22: Oklahoma City vs. Houston, 6 p.m.

Monday, Aug. 24: Oklahoma City vs. Houston, 4 p.m.

x-Wednesday, Aug. 26: Oklahoma City vs. Houston, TBD

x-Friday, Aug. 28: Oklahoma City vs. Houston, TBD

x-Sunday, Aug. 30: Oklahoma City vs. Houston, TBD

x-If necessary