Doncic's 35-point double-double leads Mavericks' Game 7 rout of Suns to advance to conference finals

Luka Doncic scored 35 points, Spencer Dinwiddie added 30 and the Dallas Mavericks stunned the top-seeded Phoenix Suns with a 123-90 Game 7 blowout Sunday night in Phoenix, advancing to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2011.

Dallas broke through on the road after the home team won the first six games of the series, dominating in a hostile environment from start to finish. Conversely, it was an embarrassing no-show for the playoff-tested Suns — who advanced to the NBA Finals last season with a very similar roster.

The fourth-seeded Mavericks travel to face Golden State in Game 1 on Wednesday.

Doncic and Dinwiddie, who came off the bench, combined to pour in 48 of the Mavericks' 57 points.

Game 7 drama? Not in the desert.

Simply put, the Suns looked overwhelmed by the pressure of a Game 7. They missed shots they usually make, made bad passes they usually don't make and looked nothing like the team that won an NBA-best 64 games during the regular season.

By halftime, many Suns fans were booing at the unsightly display.

The series might have been close but the individual games usually were not. Three of the first six games were decided by at least 20 points and none of the games came down to the final possession.

Game 7 followed a similar pattern, except the team doing all the damage was the road team. Doncic was fantastic, making shots from all over the floor and finishing 12 of 19 from the field, including  6-of-11 on threes. He also got some help: Dinwiddie was fantastic in the first half with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-5 from three-point range.

After this setback, it's fair to wonder if there will be many more opportunities. Booker finished with 11 points and shot 3-of-14. Paul had 10 points and four assists. The Suns shot just 37.9 per cent from the field.

Dallas beat the odds with the win: After the Celtics defeated the Bucks earlier Sunday, the home team was 110-33 (77 per cent) in NBA Game 7s.

It's the second straight year the Suns have lost a playoff series after having a 2-0 lead. They won the first two games against the Bucks in the NBA Finals last season before losing four straight games.

Celtics set Game 7 3-pointer record to down Bucks

Grant Williams scored a career-high 27 points and hit seven three-pointers, Jayson Tatum added 23 and the Boston Celtics set a Game 7 record with 22 three-pointers to eliminate the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks 109-81 on Sunday in Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Boston will face top-seeded Miami beginning Tuesday in a rematch of the 2020 East finals. The Heat beat the Celtics in six games in that series at Walt Disney World.

The Celtics trailed early but outscored the Bucks 61- 38 in the second half to cruise to the victory. Boston used a whopping 54-point advantage from behind the arc to improve to 25-9 in decisive seventh games.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists. But he was just 3 of 11 in the paint in the second half, including one for six in the fourth quarter. Jrue Holiday added 21 points and eight assists. Brook Lopez finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Williams finished seven for 18 behind the arc as the Celtics finished the comeback after dropping Game 5 at home to fall into a 3-2 hole.

Boston started the second half on an 11-4 run to open a 59-47 lead.

It was 63-53 when Tatum went to the bench after being whistled for his fourth foul. But the Celtics rallied without him, outscoring the Bucks 16-11 the rest of the quarter to take a 79-64 lead to the fourth.

The Bucks led the entire first quarter as Antetokounmpo scored or assisted on 24 of Milwaukee's 26 first-quarter points.

He ended the period with 10 points, eight rebounds and six assists to help the Bucks grab a 26-20 lead.

With Portis on the bench, the Celtics took their first lead of the game on a dunk by Al Horford that punctuated a 12-2 run.

Boston led 45-43 in the final minute of the half when Tatum was called for an offensive foul on Grayson Allen — Tatum's third foul of the game.

Following an unsuccessful challenge by Celtics coach Ime Udoka, the teams exchanged misses. But after Smart's steal near mid-court, Antetokounmpo fouled Smart as he attempted a last-second, three-point heave.

Smart connected on each of his three free throws to give Boston the 48-43 halftime lead.

Celtics centre Robert Williams III was available to play after missing three straight games with soreness and a bone bruise in his surgically repaired left knee. But he didn't play.