Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, center, fights for a rebound against New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein, left, and forward OG Anunoby during the first half in Game 1 of their NBA first-round playoff series on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. (AP photo)

BOSTON (AP) — The Celtics spent the days leading up to their playoff matchup with Miami talking about wanting to match the physicality of a team that would be looking for an edge without star Jimmy Butler.

Boston did that and then some.

Jayson Tatum notched his first career playoff triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to lead Boston past the Miami Heat 114-94 on Sunday to open their first-round playoff series.

Derrick White added 20 points and four assists for Boston, which finished with six players in double-figures. The Celtics’ lead grew as high as 34 points in the fourth quarter. Miami used a late run to get as close as 14, but Boston closed it out.

“It’s supposed to be tough. In the playoffs no game is easy,” Tatum said. “There’s no guaranteed wins regardless of time and score, how much time is left. … We just had to respond and we did that.”

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis shoots past Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler during the second half in Game 5 of their's NBA Finals series in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Oct. 9, 2020. (AP file photo)

Miami spoiled the Celtics’ NBA finals dreams last season, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the conference finals and then blowing them out in Boston in Game 7.

But Boston fed off the energy of the TD Garden crowd on Sunday, tying a franchise playoff record with 22 3-pointers and outscoring the Heat 31-14 in the third quarter.

“There was a four or five-minute stretch when we didn’t handle it well, but I think the other 42-43 minutes — that’s the recipe,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said.

Including the regular season, Boston is 38-4 at home and has won its past four meetings with the Heat.

Bam Adebayo scored 24 points for the Miami, which played for the second straight game without star Butler following his right knee injury during the play-in round. Terry Rozier also remained out with a neck injury. Delon Wright added 17 points and tied a career-high with five 3s. Jaime Jaquez Jr. finished with 16 points. Tyler Herro had 11 points, but shot just 4 of 13 from the field, including 2 of 9 from beyond the arc.

“Applying pressure and making things difficult, not really allowing me to get comfortable really from the beginning,” Herro said. “It’s one game. We’re going to leave it behind us and keep it moving.”

Game 2 is Wednesday in Boston.

Tempers flared in the final minute when Caleb Martin undercut Tatum on a rebound attempt and sent him crashing hard to floor. Brown got in Martin’s face afterward, leading to a brief scrum and double technical fouls on Brown and Martin.

“It’s a physical game playing against a physical team. (Stuff is) going to happen,” Tatum said. “It’s probably not the last time I’m gong to get hit like that, or fouled in this series. I wasn’t hurt to get hit like that. Just get up. … Just go down there and knock the free throws down.”

Miami was pushed around for most of the game, notably limited to just five offensive rebounds.

That set tone, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

“Boston controlled this game from the tip,” he said. “They won the big muscle areas. Definitely won the 3-point line and the majority of the areas in between.”

Boston didn’t have reserve big man Luke Kornet after he strained his right calf in practice on Saturday. But the Celtics’ bench stepped up without him, contributing 30 points.

Sunday’s game had a completely different feel without Butler, whose postseason heroics keyed Miami’s run from play-in qualifier to the NBA finals a year ago.

Boston beat the Heat in all three regular-season meetings this season, including a 33-point drubbing in Miami.

Sunday’s game resembled that one, with the Celtics jumping on the Heat from the opening tap.

On the first possession of the game Tatum was stripped at the last second on a dunk attempt but corralled the loose ball and found Brown for a 3-pointer.

After a Miami miss, Brown followed that up with a drive and spin move past Jaquez Jr. for a two-handed dunk.

It was part of a 17-2 run by the Celtics over the first three-plus minutes. Miami started by missing its first four shots before Adebayo’s short jumper finally got the Heat on the scoreboard.

Los Angeles Clippers 109, Dallas Mavericks 97

LOS ANGELES (AP) — James Harden spent the season developing a pick-and-roll chemistry with big man Ivica Zubac. The future Hall of Famer in his first season in Los Angeles is schooling the longest-tenured Clipper.

It paid off in their playoff series opener.

Harden scored 28 points in his playoff debut for the Clippers, Zubac had a playoff-career high 20 points to go with 15 rebounds, and Los Angeles defeated Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks 109-97 Sunday.

“Just a perfect game for a big,” said Harden, who, like Paul George, is seeking his first NBA championship.

Game 2 is Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.

“We are going against some Hall of Famers,” Dallas’ Kyrie Irving said. “I don’t even know if we even are favorites in this series and so we just have to pay attention to what we can control.”

Coach Tyronn Lue called the game’s first play for Zubac, and the Clippers were off to a dominating start.

“When I’m out there, I’m going to try to punish them in the post,” said Zubac, in his sixth season with the team. “I want to be the best version I can be for this team.”

Harden hit 6 of 11 3-pointers and had eight assists. George finished with 22 points after the Mavs slowed him in the first half. The Clippers outdid the Mavs at their own 3-point game, making 18 of 36 from long range to 10 of 33 for Dallas.

“We’re going to be very good any time Zu is playing at that level,” George said.

The Clippers had five players in double figures without Kawhi Leonard. The two-time NBA Finals MVP hasn’t played since March 31 because of inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee. Russell Westbrook finished with 13 points and fellow reserve guard Norman Powell played 30 minutes.

“We obviously want Kawhi back when he’s ready,” George said. “The luxury we have is just experience with James, myself, Russ, Norm’s been in big playoff battles.”

The teams were meeting in the playoffs for the third time in five years, with the Clippers having won both previous series.

“Their mentality was next man up and they did very well, very well,” Doncic said. “We just got to stay focused 48 minutes.”

Doncic led the Mavs with 33 points and 13 rebounds. Irving had 31 points and seven rebounds, but the Mavs got little from their supporting cast.

“Luka was finding the open guy. We just didn’t shoot well,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “I like the way we played in the second half and we got to build on that.”

Trailing by 22, the Mavs outscored the Clippers 10-2 to close within 102-88. Dallas was helped by a technical on Zubac and a flagrant-1 foul for his subsequent actions after a second free throw attempt by Doncic. In all, it cost the Clippers four points after Doncic scored when the Mavs retained possession.

“I didn’t have a lot of technicals and flagrants in my life,” Zubac said. “I don’t know how I got both on the same play.”

Harden hit another 3-pointer, George scored four in a row and the Clippers closed out the win.

“Very important to start off on the right note,” George said. “You want to take care of business at home.”

The Mavs revived themselves in the third, when Doncic and Irving (20 points) combined for 29 of their 34 points. But they still trailed 87-64 going into the fourth. George’s 3-pointer put the Clippers ahead by 29, their largest lead.

“In the second half that is how we should play the whole game, so we got to learn from that,” Doncic said.

The Clippers dominated the first half, leading 56-30 at the break. It was the fewest points they’ve allowed in either half of a playoff game and a first-half playoff low for the Mavs, who were outscored 22-8 in the second quarter when they made just two field goals.

“In a playoff game, man, scoring eight points feels like forever,” Irving said. “It started with how we started off the second quarter and allowed them to feel very comfortable in that first quarter and there was carryover. We got to give them credit for hitting shots and doing the right thing. Capitalizing off our turnovers and our lack of physicality.”

Harden scored 20 points in the half, including nine in a row in the second quarter. He made his first four 3s.

Doncic and Irving were a combined 5 of 19 from the floor in the half. Doncic had all of his 11 in the first quarter; Irving had two of his six points in the second.

Terance Mann and Amir Coffey, who started in place of Leonard, led a Clippers defense that held Dallas to 9 of 40 field-goal shooting and 2 of 18 from 3-point range in the half.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba