Boston completed a 4-1 series win over Cleveland with a 113-98 victory before Dallas beat Oklahoma City 104-92.
The Boston Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-98 to reach a third consecutive Eastern Conference final, while Oklahoma City, the Western Conference's top favorites, was on the brink of elimination after falling 104-92 at home to Dallas.
Jayson Tatum's 25 points helped the Celtics subdue an injury-hit Cavs lineup to complete a 4-1 win in the best-of-seven series in Boston on Wednesday.
The top seeds in the Eastern Conference will face either the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks for a spot in the NBA Finals.
But while Boston continued its progress, Oklahoma City's playoff campaign hangs in the balance after its damaging loss to Dallas.
Mavericks star Luka Doncic led from the front with a triple-double, finishing with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
The Mavs lead the series 3-2 and can clinch a spot in the Western Conference finals with a win in Game 6 in Dallas on Saturday.
“We just have to win one more of two games, and that's it,” Doncic said. “It's 3-2, but that's nothing. We have to finish it and go with the same mentality.”
Doncic had been furious after the Mavs gave up the lead in a Game 4 loss at Texas on Sunday, but said a more relaxed approach had been the key to Wednesday's dominant effort.
“Sometimes I forget that I love playing basketball, it's what I do,” Doncic said. “My mental focus was just going out there with a smile on my face and playing basketball.”
Doncic received offensive support from Derrick Jones Jr with 19 points, while three other players scored in double figures.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder scorers with 30 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
🏆FINAL SCORES FOR WEDNESDAY 🏆
Jayson Tatum and the @celtas Take care of your business at home and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals!
Horford: 22 PTS, 6 3PM, 15 REB, 5 AST, 3 BLK
White: 18 PTS, 4 3PM, 5 REB, 6 AST
Mobley: 33 points, 7 reboundsBOS plays against the winner of NYK/IND pic.twitter.com/Uhav8hbCoV
—NBA (@NBA) May 16, 2024
'Battle-tested' Celtics want to go all the way
Earlier, Cleveland's hopes of returning to its series with Boston were shaken before the game after confirmation that three of its top six players (Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert) were out with injuries.
But Cleveland shrugged off that setback to produce a fighting performance that saw them pull within three points of the Celtics midway through the fourth quarter.
Evan Mobley was excellent for Cleveland, scoring a game-high 33 points, while Marcus Morris Sr. added 25 off the bench.
However, just as Celtics fans at TD Garden were nervously wondering if a stunning loss was on the cards, Boston went on a decisive 13-2 run, capped by a Tatum 3-pointer, that left them ahead by 14 points. 101. 87.
Tatum, who also added 10 rebounds and nine assists, said Boston had prepared for a fight despite Cleveland's injury-hit lineup.
“Anyone who has played in this league understands what happens when someone's best players are out,” Tatum said. “The rest of the guys have more freedom, they play with a different level of confidence and they play differently.
“Our mentality coming into this game was, 'However long it takes, that's how long it's going to take.' We didn't expect to win the game in either the first or the second quarter. We shred it.”
Tatum said Boston was now determined to break its dismal recent record in the Eastern Conference finals. Boston has lost in the Eastern Conference finals in four of five appearances since the 2016-17 season.
“Every year presents different challenges,” Tatum said. “Me and the rest of the team have been to the conference finals about four or five times.
“We are battle tested. We know what it takes. We just have to put individual things aside and try to overcome that obstacle.”
