Game 1 of the series between the Raptors and 76ers is shown on Saturday at 6 p.m. in RDS and Sportish.

Kyrie Irving begins, Kevin Durant finishes: The Nets, transferred from their star, beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in a qualifier (115-108) on Tuesday, advancing to the NBA playoffs where they will challenge the Boston Celtics in the first round. round.

Logic was respected at the Barclays Center, where the meeting, as it was considered, seemed bent at the end of the first ten minutes, with Brooklyn then leading by twenty points (40-20).

“We had ups and downs, but we stayed together, we were resilient. “We feel good, even though we know the job is not over,” said Irving, who has been out of action for a long time this season over his refusal to get a COVID vaccine.

Irving, who finished with 34 points and 12 assists, flew so much over the debates that he was still 100% successful in the shots in the first period (9/9, 12/15 at the end), including a basket with the sound of the bell. shortly before the break that allowed his team to continue to lead quietly at the break (57-43).

Then, without warning, Cleveland gradually returned to the game, six points behind the Nets, twice in the 4th quarter, thanks to Darius Garland (32 points) and Evan Mobley (17 points).

Durand (25 points, 11 assists, 3 blocks, 2 blocks) then mitigated the opponent’s anger. Behind the bow after the first closure, then twice in the middle distance to extinguish the second.

The Cavaliers, taking advantage of the defensive superiority that Brooklyn would have to extinguish against Boston, returned to minus five in the last minute and this time “KD” and Kyrie, logically magnetizing their opponents, found teammates to score, before keep them – even a sufficient gap in free throws, to experience a stress-free end to the fight.

The night ended with a moderate joy, as emotion had invaded the Barclays Center a few hours earlier, after the morning subway attack near Brooklyn, where a man opened fire, injuring 23, ten of them, with a bullet.

moment of silence

The Cavaliers, taking advantage of the defensive superiority that Brooklyn will have to erase against Boston, returned to minus five in the last minute. And this time “KD” and Kyrie, logically magnetizing their opponents, found teammates to score, before maintaining the difference in free throws.

“Our team remained confident throughout. We have a lot of room for improvement. Not just individually, but collectively ”positive coach Steve Nash.

Relieved to see his team in the playoffs, the crowd at the Barclays Center showed a modest joy, as the emotion was still palpable, after the morning subway attack near Brooklyn, where a man opened fire. injuring 23, ten of whom were shot.

There was a minute’s silence before the match. “It is catastrophic. We pray and hope for the best for all those affected, “said Kevin Durant during the day.

In the first round, the Nets will have a hard time facing the Celtics of Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown, writers of a resounding second half of the regular season, as they have moved from 9th to 2nd place in four months. And in Boston, where he left an unforgettable memory, Irving will be welcomed in an electric atmosphere.

For Cleveland, the hope remains to stop the playoffs. That would require a home win on Friday against the play-off winner scheduled for Wednesday between Atlanta and Charlotte. With their look at a series from the first round against Miami.

Timberwolves are dangerous even when KAT is asleep

Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell combined for 59 points to help the Minnesota Timberwolves overcome a tough Carl-Anthony Towns game and beat the Los Angeles Clippers 109-104 in a qualifier against T.

Edwards had 30 points, including five three-pointers, and Russell had 29 points and six assists to send the Wolves to No. 7 in the Western Conference and a first-round date with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Paul George finished with 34 points after 2 to 10 in the first half for the Clippers, who have a second chance to advance to the playoffs with a home game on Friday for the No. 8 against the Pelicans from New Orleans or San Antonio Spurs. Reggie Jackson (17 points) and Norman Powell (16 points) did their part, but the Clippers were unable to remove the Timberwolves as they struggled in the first half.

Towns had just 11 points, making just three of 11 shots and was sent off for a foul in the middle of the fourth quarter, but his teammates were more than ready for the challenge.

Jackson’s three-pointer gave the Clippers their biggest lead in the game with 93-83 with 8:54 remaining, but about four minutes later Russell turned the game around with a three-pointer that gave the Wolves a 97-95 advantage. never gave up.