New York (AFP)

The Los Angeles Clippers won their ticket to the conference semifinals by beating the Dallas Mavericks 111-97 on Sunday in the NBA play-offs in Orlando, while the Denver Nuggets managed to snatch a "Game 7" in beating the Utah Jazz.

Already in the semifinals, the defending Toronto Raptors, for their part, lost the first game against the Boston Celtics 112 to 94.

To overcome the Utah Jazz, Denver relied on an untenable Jamal Murray (50 points), who becomes the fourth player to have twice scored 50 points or more in the same series of play-offs .

Murray thus joins in history Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, but also Donovan Mitchell, who carried out this performance not later than last week and registered "only" 44 points this evening.

Obviously very moved after the match, Jamal Murray struggled to review his performance, and pointed to his shoes, which featured photos of George Floyd, an African-American suffocated by a white policeman on May 25, and Breonna Taylor, a black woman killed by police in March in her apartment.

“These shoes are important to me,” he responded. “I use these shoes as a symbol to keep fighting. (…) They help me find the strength to keep fighting in this world”.

The Nuggets, also helped by Nikola Jokic (22 points) and Jerami Grant (18 points), therefore snatch a decisive seventh game against the Jazz, for which a Rudy Gobert in double-double mode scored 11 points and took 11 rebounds.

- The Clippers are already there, Boston advantage -

The Clippers will therefore wait for the winner of this last game to know their opponent in the semi-finals, they who qualified after their victory against Dallas.

As throughout the series, Luka Doncic (38 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists) carried the Mavericks, but it was not enough against the Clippers, led by Kawhi Leonard, author of a double-double (33 points , 14 rebounds), and Paul George, who has now regained his level (15 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists).

Better organized, the Celtics widened the gap in the first quarter (39-23) and were never joined. Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart each scored 21 points. Daniel Theis signed a double-double (13 points, 15 rebounds) like point guard Kemba Walker (18 points, 10 assists).

As for the Raptors, barely offensively, Serge Ibaka brought a little tone (15 points, 9 rebounds). The Canadian franchise has been too clumsy, especially in the first half. Kyle Lowry scored 17 points and Pascal Siakam 13.

© 2020 AFP