The China Mail - Nuggets hold off T'Wolves, Cavs thump Raptors in NBA playoff openers

Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic added 13 rebounds and 11 assists, shaking off a slow start that saw him score just six points in the first half to help the Nuggets pull away in a game tied 62-62 at halftime.

Murray scored 17 of his 30 in the first half to keep the Nuggets close, finishing a perfect 16 of 16 from the free-throw line.

The third playoff series in four seasons between the teams got off to a physical start at Denver's Ball Arena, with more than 40 fouls called, a flagrant foul called on Minnesota's Jaden McDaniels and a technical on Denver coach David Adelman.

The Nuggets trailed by as many as 12 in the first quarter before bearing down in the second period and pulling away after the break.

"I thought the second quarter was a much better defensive effort that really started trending into the second half," Adelman said.

Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 22 points and Rudy Gobert added a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds, but ultimately they couldn't find an answer for Jokic.

"(Jokic) is such a patient player," Adelman said. "Early it was a lot of our guys making plays for each other and as they changed their coverages then he went to work."

The Nuggets, who beat Minnesota in the 2023 playoffs on the way to the NBA title, then lost to them the following year, will try to double their advantage when they host game two of the best-of-seven Western Conference series on Monday.

In Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points to fuel the Cavaliers in a 126-113 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

James Harden added a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds and Max Strus scored 24 points off the bench for Eastern Conference fourth seeds Cleveland, who will try to build on their advantage when they host game two of the best-of-seven series on Monday.

RJ Barrett scored 24 points for the Raptors, who never led after the opening minutes and trailed by as many as 24.

Mitchell has now scored at least 30 points in an NBA record nine straight playoff series openers.

"You see the focus," Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said of Mitchell. "How he just gets more locked-in than ever. The goal for him now is to sustain, whatever that looks like, however many games we go, now it's sustaining and keeping that consistency."

Elsewhere in the East, the third-seeded Knicks host the Atlanta Hawks while in the West the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers host the Houston Rockets.

The Lakers and Rockets series pits Lakers superstar LeBron James against an old rival in Houston's Kevin Durant.

But James is shouldering a heavy load with league-leading scorer Luka Doncic and teammate Austin Reaves sidelined indefinitely in the wake of late season injuries.

A.Zhang--ThChM