NBA playoffs: Boston Celtics advance into Eastern Conference finals, Dallas Mavericks take series lead

The Boston Celtics are into their third straight Eastern Conference finals after securing a 4-1 semi-final series win against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

They came out 113-98 winners at TD Garden to take an unassailable 4-1 lead in the best-of-seven semi-final.

Although the Cavaliers were without a number of vital players - including All-Star Donovan Mitchell and center Jarrett Allen - they stayed close through the first three quarters and were within three points early in the fourth.

However, a 13-2 run from Boston saw them take control, with Jayson Tatum ending the game with 25 points and 10 rebounds.

He was delighted with the victory and said: “It just shows the character of the team, the organization. People might think it’s a given we’re supposed to be here.

“We’re all in this together. We’re doing something right.”

Al Horford racked up 22 points which included six 3-pointers and he praised the way his team got the job done.

“We had a great opportunity at home to handle this, and I knew it was going to take a lot more than handling it normally,” he said.

The Celtics will face either the New York Knicks or Indiana Pacers for the Eastern Conference title and a place in the NBA Finals.

The Knicks are 3-2 up in that series.

Dallas Mavericks have taken a 3-2 series lead against Oklahoma City Thunder in their Western Conference semi-final.

They were 104-92 winners in the fifth match between the teams with Luka Doncic scoring 31 points.

With 10 rebounds and 11 assists, it was a second consecutive triple-double for Doncic - who was the league’s leading scorer in the regular season.

After letting a 14-point lead slip in Game 4, Doncic was impressed with the way his team bounced back from that disappointment.

"It's just our mentality," he said.

"We know in the last game we played them at home, we let it go. It was our mistakes and they hit shots."

The Mavericks can wrap up the series and reach the Western Conference finals by winning the next match between the teams on Sunday.

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