Aug. 21 (UPI) — The Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors both took commanding 3-0 leads, while the Utah Jazz moved ahead of the Denver Nuggets in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.
The Celtics closed with a 10-0 run to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 102-94 on Friday. Kemba Walker led Boston with 24 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Jayson Tatum, who scored 30-plus points in each of the first two games in the series, had 15 points, six rebounds and four blocks for the Celtics. Jaylen Brown notched 21 points, seven boards and three assists.
Joel Embiid had 30 points and 13 rebounds for the 76ers, who shot 29.5% from the field. Josh Richardson and Shake Milton each added 17 points.
The Raptors grabbed their first 3-0 lead in franchise history after a 117-92 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. Pascal Siakam scored 26 points for the defending NBA champion Raptors to set up an elimination game Sunday.
The Jazz routed the Nuggets 124-87 on Friday to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round series. The 37-point loss tied the third-worst defeat in the Nuggets’ postseason history.