By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Jalen Brunson did it like Luka Doncic. With the Slovenian star out for second straight game, the Dallas Mavericks got the 110-104 win over the Utah Jazz (1-1) in their first-round Western Conference playoffs series with Brunson finishing the game with 41 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
German big man Maxi Kleber who gave the extra push for the win with 25 points on 8/11 threes, honoring the legacy of Dirk Nowitzki in the most glorious way. Latvian Davis Bertans added one rebound and one assist for the winning side.
Utah dominated the boards having a 50-31 advantage but it was not enough. Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points, French big man Rudy Gobert had eight points and 17 rebounds, Croatian sharp shooter Bojan Bogdanovic added 25 points and Spaniard Juancho Hernangomez chipped in three rebounds and three assists.
Meanwhile, the Sixers dominated Toronto. The won 112-97 in Game 2 getting a 2-0 lead in their first-round Eastern Conference playoffs series behind Joel Embiid who powered his way to 31 points and 11 rebounds in a game with no European contribution.