D.J. Augustin scored the final five points of the game, including a tiebreaking three-pointer with 3.4 seconds left as the Orlando Magic upset the host Toronto Raptors 104-101 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round series Saturday.
The Magic, the seventh seed in the East, won their first playoff game since their most recent postseason appearance in 2012. The Raptors, the second seed, fell to 2-14 all time in series-opening games.
Kawhi Leonard scored four straight points to give the Raptors a 101-99 lead with 1:02 left. After Augustin tied the score with a driving layup with 44.9 seconds left, Marc Gasol’s open three-pointer from the corner rimmed out.
The Magic didn’t call timeout on their way up the floor, and Augustin sank the go-ahead basket as the shot clock dwindled. The Raptors then called timeout, after which Leonard lofted an air ball from three-point range from beyond the top of the key. Following a timeout, the Magic inbounded the ball without issue to end the game.
Nets 111, 76ers 102
D’Angelo Russell scored 26 points, Caris LeVert added 23 and visiting Brooklyn defeated Philadelphia in Game 1.
Spencer Dinwiddie contributed 18, and Ed Davis had 12 points and 16 rebounds for the sixth-seeded Nets, who competed in their first playoff game in four years after finishing the regular season at 42-40.
Jimmy Butler led the third-seeded Sixers with a career-high 36-point performance in the playoffs. Joel Embiid had been doubtful with left knee soreness and was cleared to play less than 10 minutes before the game. Embiid, who missed 14 of the team’s final 24 games, finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds but clearly looked bothered by his injury.
Spurs 101, Nuggets 96
DeMar DeRozan had 18 points and 12 rebounds, Derrick White scored 16 and San Antonio beat host Denver in Game 1.
LaMarcus Aldridge and Bryn Forbes scored 15 each for the seventh-seeded Spurs, who grabbed the lead early and never relinquished it.
Nikola Jokic had 10 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists for a triple-double in his first playoff game for Denver. Gary Harris had a game-high 20 points, and Jamal Murray scored 17.
Warriors 121, Clippers 104
Stephen Curry complemented a game-high 38 points with a career-playoff-high 15 rebounds in a historic performance as Golden State opened defense of its NBA title with a win over Los Angeles in a volatile Game 1 in Oakland, Calif.
The matchup of familiar Pacific Division rivals featured the ejections of the Warriors’ Kevin Durant and Clippers’ Patrick Beverley, each of whom was nailed with a second technical foul for a verbal altercation near midcourt midway through the fourth quarter.
Curry’s 38 points included 8-for-12 shooting on 3-pointers on a night when he passed Ray Allen (385) for the NBA all-time career playoff record. Curry finished the game with 386 career threes. —Field Level Media