NBA scores: Clippers edge past Mavs in Game 7, Hawks take 1-0 lead against Philly

The Los Angeles Clippers became the final team to qualify to the 2nd round of the Conference Semifinals after winning their  Game 7 against the Mavericks. This means that they will meet Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Semifinals which is scheduled to start on Tuesday, June 8. Atlanta Hawks emerged victorious in their Eastern Conference Semifinals fixture against the Philadelphia 76ers. Here is more on the NBA Playoffs bracket, highlights and NBA scores from Sunday.

Atlanta Hawks vs Philadelphia 76ers 

Atlanta started off the game really well and took a commanding 20-point lead in the game. But the Philly defense totally locked them up going into the 4th quarter which led them to almost making a complete comeback but clutch free throws from John Collins sealed the game for Atlanta. Trae Young was once again phenomenal for the Hawks posting 35 points and 10 assists which makes him the first Hawks player to score 35 and assist 10 in a game. Bogdan Bogdanovic played brilliantly well as he shot an important three to increase the gap in the 4th quarter. 

Philadelphia would have wanted to start their Eastern Conference semifinals in a better way, but they fell short of an amazing comeback and would want to play some better basketball in Game 2. Ben Simmons had a bad shooting night from the free-throw line, shooting only 3-10 which included a crucial miss in the final few minutes. Game 2 will be crucial for Philly and they will need another big night from their star centre Joel Embiid who was brilliant after coming back from an injury. Embiid scored 39 points in the 1st Game, shooting at an efficient 57% from the field. Game 2 of the series is scheduled to be played on Tuesday, June 8 at 7:30 PM [Wednesday, June 9 at 5:00 AM IST]

Dallas Maverick vs Los Angeles Clippers

In the all-important Game 7 of this thriller series, the Clippers managed to edge past the Mavs with a 126-111 win. Luka Doncic was once again magical and dropped 46 points on the night. His brilliance in the series helped him get praises from his opposition players, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard who seemed to appreciate the performance the young Slovenian had put up in the entire series. 

Kawhi Leonard was once again unbelievable as he scored 28 points on the night leading the Clippers to a win. They will now face Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Semifinals and they do not have much time to prepare as the game is scheduled to be played on Tuesday, June 8. It will be very interesting to see how the Clippers perform after an exhausting 7 game series. 

NBA scores from Sunday 

Eastern Conference 

Atlanta Hawks 128 vs Philadelphia 76ers 124

Western Conference 

Dallas Mavericks 111 vs Los Angeles Clippers 126

NBA Playoffs bracket 

Eastern Conference 

Milwaukee Bucks vs Brooklyn Nets 

[Brooklyn leads 1-0]

Atlanta Hawks vs Philadelphia 76ers 

[Atlanta lead 1-0]

Western Conference 

Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Clippers

Denver Nuggets vs Phoenix Suns

Picture Credits: LA Clippers, Atlanta Hawks/ Twitter