Jimmy Butler scored 28 points, Caleb Martin added 26 and the Miami Heat became the second No. 8 seed to reach the NBA Finals with a convincing 103–84 victory over the host Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals on Monday night, May 29. Butler was named MVP of the series after…

BOSTON—Derrick White had 24 points, including six 3-pointers, and the Boston Celtics dominated the Miami Heat 110–97 on Thursday night, May 25, in Game 5 to extend the Eastern Conference finals. Marcus Smart had 23 points and five steals. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown finished with 21 points apiece as the Celtics claimed their second…

BOSTON—Jimmy Butler went forehead-to-forehead with the Boston Celtics, and the Heat are heading back to Miami with an opportunity to advance to the NBA Finals. Butler scored 27 points, hitting back-to-back buckets to tie the game and give Miami the lead, and the eighth-seeded Heat left Boston with a 111–105 victory Friday night and a…

Joel Embiid scored 33 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and blocked four shots to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 115–103 road victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Tuesday night. Tyrese Maxey added 30 points and seven rebounds for Philadelphia, which leads the best-of-seven series 3–2. The 76ers can…

PHILADELPHIA—James Harden had a new friend he called his good-luck charm in the arena and the grit he needed to turn in a vintage effort—in the form of tying and winning shots—for the 76ers. Looking down-and-out in the previous two games, Good Game James saved the 76ers in Game 4. Harden hit the floater with…

BOSTON—The Celtics walked off the court angry and frustrated after giving up home-court advantage in their series-opening loss to the 76ers. Boston called on those emotions—and its defense—to dominate in Game 2. Jaylen Brown scored 25 points and the Celtics rolled past Philadelphia 121–87 on Wednesday night, spoiling the return of new league MVP Joel…

Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics scored an All-Star Game record 55 points, knocked down 10 3-pointers and earned MVP honors while leading Team Giannis to a 184–175 victory over Team LeBron on Sunday night in the annual showcase game at Salt Lake City. Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers drained the decisive 3-pointer…

LOS ANGELES—Jayson Tatum scored 44 points, Jaylen Brown added five of his 25 in overtime, and the Boston Celtics blew a 20-point lead in the second half before rallying from a late 13-point deficit for a thrilling 122–118 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. Marcus Smart hit four 3-pointers and scored 18…

Jayson Tatum’s injured ankle looked fine Wednesday night as he scored a team-high 37 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to help the Boston Celtics kick off a six-game homestand with a 125–112 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Tatum was listed as questionable on the team’s injury report Wednesday with a sprained left ankle, but…

Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert became the first Cleveland teammates to score 40-plus points in the same game since 2016, as their combined 82 points powered the visiting Cavaliers to a 132–123 win in overtime over the host Boston Celtics on Friday. Mitchell shot 15-of-26 from the floor, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range, en route…