Russell Westbrook believes the Los Angeles Clippers were missing "the best in the world" as Kawhi Leonard sat out a Game 3 defeat to the Phoenix Suns.

Devin Booker scored 45 points as the Suns beat the Clippers 129-124 on Thursday to take a 2-1 lead, and only the Phoenix star is scoring more points so far in the postseason (36.3 per game) than Leonard (34.5).

But Leonard was not on the floor, watching instead from the sideline due to a knee injury.

The setback was only reported hours before the game in Los Angeles, although it was quickly clarified it was not related to the ACL injury that saw him miss the whole of last season.

Leonard could be back for Game 4, but his absence was a blow – especially as the Clippers came so close to beating the Suns even without him.

"I just feel sorry for him," team-mate Westbrook said. "He probably was playing his best basketball in a while, probably the best in the world, honestly. It just sucks just for him mentally.

"But it was good to see him be around and communicate with us on the bench. Hopefully we can see how he's feeling and see what's next.

"If he's not back, we have to rally around each other, support each other, find ways to make something happen. It's a series. First to four. Get ready for Saturday afternoon."

Coach Ty Lue added of the injury: "It's very deflating. I think more so for Kawhi.

"You have a guy who's coming off ACL, hasn't missed a rehab session, eats right, eats clean, does everything he can for his body, works extremely hard to get to this point. Then you have something like this happen.

"So, it's tough for him, for all the work that he puts in. I feel bad for him."

James Harden could not understand why he was ejected from Game 3 between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets, although he was not the only individual frustrated with the officiating on Thursday.

A hot-tempered affair saw a player from each side ejected and the Nets claiming Joel Embiid should have joined them.

Embiid and Nic Claxton clashed after the MVP frontrunner was fouled in the first quarter. As Claxton stared Embiid down, the Sixers big man appeared to aim a kick at his opponent.

While Embiid was issued a flagrant foul one, Claxton was hit with a technical and would later be ejected for a second technical, again for confronting Embiid.

Embiid later described himself as "too valuable" to allow that situation to escalate, but team-mate Harden was thrown out of the game in a separate incident.

He caught Nets forward Royce O'Neale while in possession late in the third quarter, and referee Tony Brothers explained after the game: "Based on the point of contact directly to the groin, it rose to the level of excessive and ejection."

Harden disagreed, not even believing the incident was worthy of a foul.

"Unacceptable, unacceptable flagrant two," Harden said. "First time I've been ejected.

"I'm not labelled as a dirty player, and I didn't hit him in a private area. Somebody is draped on you like that defensively, that's a natural basketball reaction. I didn't hit him hard enough for him to fall down like that.

"For a flagrant two, it's unacceptable. This is a playoff game. We've seen around the league, things are much worse than that play was.

"Honestly, I didn't think it was a foul on me. But that's unacceptable. It can't happen."

By contrast, Brothers said Embiid's foul was "unnecessary" but "didn't rise to the level of excessive" as contact was made with Claxton's leg.

Nets coach Jacque Vaughn responded: "I don't think I've ever seen that in my career before.

"For a guy to intentionally kick someone in an area that none of us want to be kicked at or towards, for him to continue to play...

"I've never seen that before in a game and a guy continues to play. Intentional."

Despite Harden playing only 29 minutes and Embiid scoring just 14 points, the 76ers won 102-97 to take a 3-0 series lead.

Stephen Curry acknowledged the "noise" around Draymond Green's suspension but was determined the Golden State Warriors would "make it about basketball" in Game 3 – with a nod to his team-mate's "history".

Green was ejected from the previous game against the Sacramento Kings – a second straight Warriors defeat – for stomping on Domantas Sabonis after the center appeared to grab his leg.

The Golden State star was then issued a one-game suspension in a statement that referred to his "history of unsportsmanlike acts".

Joe Dumars, the NBA's executive vice president and head of basketball operations, also described Green as "a repeat offender", with this the fourth suspension of his career.

Most notably, Green was suspended during the 2016 NBA Finals, which the Warriors lost, for an altercation with LeBron James. He has also twice been banned for confrontations with team-mates in Kevin Durant and Jordan Poole.

But Curry suggested this latest "tough blow" became a source of motivation for the Warriors, who continued their strong home form from the regular season with a 114-97 defeat of the Kings on Thursday.

"There's a lot of distractions and noise around the series," Curry told TNT after scoring a game-high 36 points.

"Obviously, losing both games up there was a tough way to start, and we wanted to come home with some good focus. Then you get that call that he's suspended. It's a tough blow.

"But yesterday, at practice, we had really good energy, understanding what the mission was, understanding that we couldn't change anything about the decision that we knew was wrong.

"If we could come out and win tonight, it changes the momentum of the series, and it gives us an opportunity just to make it about basketball.

"That was Draymond's message the whole time: make the right adjustments, come with the right energy, protect the home court.

"When he gets back on Sunday, we've got to capitalise off of that and try to win and even up the series.

"So, we did what we were supposed to do. They say Draymond's got a history? So do we, so we know how to bounce back."

Stephen Curry was the star of the show in Thursday's crucial 114-97 Golden State Warriors victory in Game 3 of their first-round series against the Sacramento Kings.

After dropping the first two games of the series on the road, it was a do-or-die fixture for a Warriors team who were without future Hall-of-Famer Draymond Green due to his stomping suspension from Game 2.

But Kevon Looney picked up the slack on the interior, snatching down 20 rebounds to go with an equal career-high nine assists as he did his best Green impression, while Curry provided the scoring firepower.

Curry finished with a game-high 36 points on 12-of-25 shooting, hitting six-of-12 from long range, while adding six rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block, posting a plus/minus of plus 24 in his 37 minutes.

Andrew Wiggins was the Warriors' top perimeter defender, and he chipped in 20 points (eight-of-16) in an important two-way effort as Golden State survived Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole combining to shoot nine-of-28 from the field (32.1 per cent).

For the Kings, recently announced winner of the inaugural Clutch Player of the Year award De'Aaron Fox was far from a disappointment, scoring 26 points (nine-of-22) with nine rebounds, nine assists and two steals. 

All-Star Domantas Sabonis also had a solid stat line of 15 points (seven-of-14) and 16 rebounds, but the duo combined for 10 costly turnovers, while the Warriors had 11 as a team.

Green will return for an energised Warriors team as they try to tie the series at 2-2 in Game 4, but if the Kings take it, they will get a chance to seal the series at home when things head back to Sacramento for Game 5.

Maxey delivers down the stretch

Third-year standout Tyrese Maxey was the Philadelphia 76ers' hero down the stretch of their 102-97 road win against the Brooklyn Nets to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.

It was a strange game for overwhelming MVP favourite Joel Embiid as the 76ers' big-man was lucky to not be ejected for kicking at Nic Claxton as the Nets center tried to step over him, and he went on to post just 14 points (five-of-13 shooting) and 10 rebounds, with five fouls and five turnovers in 38 minutes.

But after trailing 96-91 with 2:15 remaining, Maxey scored eight points in a row to put Philadelphia up, while the 76ers' defense allowed just one point in the final two minutes.

Maxey finished with a team-high 25 points (10-of-17 shooting), while James Harden was ejected for a low blow after racking up 21 points (eight-of-15) in 29 minutes, although the former MVP did have a plus/minus of minus 15.

Despite being down 3-0, Nets wing Mikal Bridges has shown he has what it takes to deliver offensively as a focal point in the playoffs, averaging 25.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists across the three games, with shooting splits of 45/42/88.

Booker outduels heroic Powell performance

With Kawhi Leonard ruled out, Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker had to deal with an offensive explosion from Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell before emerging victorious 129-124.

The win gives the Suns a 2-1 advantage after dropping Game 1 at home, and they were led by Booker's 45 points (18-of-29 shooting), six rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.

This series has been a defensive awakening for Booker, who also had four steals and three blocks in Game 1, while Kevin Durant filled a secondary role.

Durant's 28 points (eight-of-15 shooting), six rebounds, five assists and two steals were slightly soured by his six turnovers, and he had no luck slowing down Powell.

Powell's 42 points on 15-of-23 shooting was one off his career-high, while Russell Westbrook also rose to the occasion with 30 points (11-of-23), 12 assists, eight rebounds and three steals, posting a plus/minus of plus one in 40 minutes.

Game 4 will remain in Los Angeles, and if the Suns take it, they can lock up a 4-1 series win back at home in Game 5.

Boston Celtics reserve Malcolm Brogdon has been named NBA Sixth Man of the Year for his stellar first season with his new team.

Brogdon, 30, was traded to the Celtics from the Indiana Pacers in July for a 2023 first-round draft pick and a combination of smaller contract for matching salary, and it has proved a shrewd move.

The 2017 Rookie of the Year had put together a rare 50-40-90 shooting season in 2018-19 to earn a big free agent deal with the Pacers, and he returned to his sharpshooting best coming off the bench in Boston.

Registering zero starts from his 67 regular season appearances, Brogdon averaged 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in his 26.0 minutes per game, while shooting 48.4 per cent from the field, 44.4 per cent from three-point range and 87.0 per cent from the free throw line.

Among players to play at least 20 games this season while averaging at least four three-point attempts per contest, Brogdon's 44.4 per cent clip is the third-highest in the league, trailing only Memphis Grizzlies sniper Luke Kennard (49.4) and Brogdon's Boston team-mate Al Horford (44.6).

His main competition for the award was New York Knicks spark plug Immanuel Quickley, who incredibly finished with almost identical averages to Brogdon at 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists, and while he played 14 more games than the eventual winner, 21 of his outings came in the starting line-up.

Quickley's performances in the starting line-up boosted his figures considerably, playing 38.6 minutes in those fixtures and averaging 22.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists while shooting 46.9 per cent from the field, 40.1 per cent from deep and 84.6 per cent from the free throw line.

His late-season run as a starter likely cost Quickley some votes from voters who are stricter about their definition of a sixth man, as Brogdon received 60 of the 100 first-place votes, while Quickley scooped up 34. Milwaukee Bucks back-up big-man Bobby Portis finished third.

The Los Angeles Clippers will be without Kawhi Leonard in Game 3 against the Phoenix Suns due to a knee injury for the two-time NBA champion.

Leonard averaged 34.5 points across the first two games of the first-round playoff series, despite sustaining a right knee injury in Game 1 and playing through the pain in Game 2.

Yet the 31-year-old will miss Thursday's third showdown between the two teams, with the series tied at 1-1, according to reports.

Leonard's recovery from a knee strain will be monitored on a day-to-day basis, ESPN said, as the Clippers hope their five-time All Star will be healthy for Saturday's Game 4.

The two-time Finals MVP's aggravation of a knee problem is not related to the ACL injury that saw him miss the whole of last season, the ESPN report added.

The Clippers are already without fellow star Paul George, who is also recovering from a knee injury.

Steve Kerr said he will continue "to bat" for Draymond Green after being "extremely surprised" by the one-game suspension handed out to the Golden State Warriors star over a stomping incident.

Green was ejected from Game 2 of the Warriors' playoff series against the Sacramento Kings when he was seen lashing out at the ribs of Domantas Sabonis, who appeared to grab at Green's legs when falling to the ground.

Initially it was reported that Green would be unlikely to be banned for the incident but the NBA league office confirmed he will sit out Game 3 of the first-round playoff series, which the Warriors are trailing 2-0 in.

Asked about his initial reaction to the news, head coach Kerr said: "I was extremely surprised and then immediately into 'Alright, what's next? How do we win the game?'

"There's no time to spend worrying about it or thinking about it or complaining about it, it doesn't matter, we know what the league decided to do, we have to respond accordingly and go out there and win the game."

Green's suspension was in part due to his past history when it comes to ill-discipline.

Back in the 2016 Finals, he was suspended after accumulating too many fouls in a Game 4 clash that ended with Green hitting LeBron James in the groin, having already been ejected earlier in the playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was also ejected in Game 1 of last season's second-round series versus the Memphis Grizzlies.

In 2018, Green was suspended by the Warriors following an altercation with Kevin Durant, and spent time away from the team earlier this season after punching teammate Jordan Poole.

"He's the ultimate competitor. Everybody knows he's going to occasionally tip over the edge and his emotions get the best of him. That's part of it," Kerr said when asked about Green's past misdemeanours counting against him.

"There's no stopping it. You're not going to be able to put your arm around him and say, 'OK, let's move forward'. It doesn't work that way.

"It's not anything we can control. Draymond is incredibly passionate and competitive and fiery and he's helped us win more championships, I've said it many times – we don't have a single championship without Draymond Green. That's the truth. He crossed the line over the years, but that's part of it. We will go to bat for Draymond."

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James may be the most recognisable figure in the NBA, but the Memphis Grizzlies' Dillon Brooks is enjoying showing his rival no respect.

The Grizzlies beat the Lakers 103-93 on Wednesday in Game 2 of their first-round playoff to tie the series, with Brooks and James competing at close proximity.

Brooks exchanged heated words with James in the third quarter after his fourth foul allowed the NBA's all-time leading scorer to sink a couple of baskets to reduce the Grizzlies' lead to 14.

James apparently called Brooks "dumb" for his antagonistic approach, which the 27-year-old snapped back at.

Brooks, who is regarded as one of the NBA's fieriest wing defenders, suggested James' behaviour showed he was wilting under pressure a little earlier than expected.

Speaking of his confrontation with the 38-year-old James, Brooks said: "I don't care – he's old. You know what I mean? I was waiting for that.

"I was expecting him to do that Game 4, Game 5. He wanted to say something when I got my fourth foul.

"He should have been saying that earlier on. But I poke bears. I don't respect no one until they come and give me 40."

James has never posted 40 points in 13 games against Brooks, reaching 28 on Wednesday as the Lakers fell well short.

But more opportunities will arrive as the series progresses, and Brooks – who managed just 23 minutes on court due to his persistent fouling – is seemingly looking forward to more tussles.

"I said, 'Oh, finally you want to talk,' then we started to get into a conversation," Brooks continued.

"I just let him know that, 'You can't take me one-on-one. You haven't.' You go look at the film; he doesn't really take me one-on-one until that moment.

"Then when he got subbed out, he was tired. So I did my job."

There was a cutting tone to much of what Brooks said about James, though some of his comments were undercut with a hint of respect.

"He's not at the same level that he was when he was on Cleveland winning championships, Miami," Brooks added.

"I wish I got to see that. It would have been a harder task, but I'm playing with what I've got.

"Just wear and tear on him throughout a seven-game series and see if he can take it. See if he wants to play the one-on-one battle or if he wants to be out on the sidelines shooting the basketball."

The Grizzlies and Lakers will contest Game 3 of the series on Saturday at the Crypto.com Arena.

The Milwaukee Bucks found a way to victory without Giannis Antetokounmpo by draining 25 three-pointers in their 138-122 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 2 on Wednesday.

The Bucks squared up their first-round playoff series, scoring 81 first-half points and tying the NBA record for three-point baskets in a postseason game. Milwaukee led 118-85 at three-quarter time, even without Antetokounmpo due to lower back bruising.

Brook Lopez top scored for the Bucks with 25 points on 12-of-17 shooting, but Pat Connaughton shot six-of-10 from beyond the arc for 22 points to led Milwaukee's long-range assault, with Joe Inglis making five-of-six from three-point range.

Jrue Holiday scored four triples in his 24 points with 11 assists, while Grayson Allen made four-of-eight from three-point range in a 16-point haul.

The Bucks shot at 51 per cent from three-point range as a team, having only managed 11-of-45 from beyond the arc in Game 1.

Jimmy Butler managed 25 points on eight-of-12 shooting from the field, but the Heat missed Tyler Herro out with a broken right hand, with his replacement Duncan Robinson scoring 14 points.

The series moves to Miami at 1-1 with Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday.

Nuggets hold off Wolves for gritty win

The Denver Nuggets withstood an almighty Minnesota Timberwolves' rally to go 2-0 up in their first-round playoff series with a 122-113 victory.

The Nuggets led by as many as 21 points in the second quarter, shooting at 61 per cent in the first half, before the Timberwolves stormed back into the game, fuelled by a 14-0 run, taking the lead with 2:31 left in the third on a Kyle Anderson dunk.

Anthony Edwards was outstanding with 41 points on 14-of-23 shooting with six-of-10 three-pointers, but the Timberwolves ran out of gas.

Jamal Murray top scored for Denver with 40 points on 13-of-22 shooting with five assists, while Nikola Jokic had 27 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

Grizz triumph despite Ja absence

The Memphis Grizzlies overcame the absence of All-Star Ja Morant to right hand soreness to square their series with the Los Angeles Lakers with a 103-93 victory.

The Grizzlies raced to a 30-19 quarter-time lead and never looked back as Xavier Tillman scored a career-high 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting with 13 rebounds and three assists.

Recently crowned Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr had 18 points with nine rebounds, one steal and three blocks, while Desmond Bane added 17 points.

Lakers star LeBron James scored a game-high 28 points on 12-of-23 shooting with 12 rebounds and three assists, while Anthony Davis was kept to 13 points (four-of-14) with eight rebounds and five blocks.

Mike Brown has been crowned the NBA's Coach of the Year after leading the Sacramento Kings to their first playoffs in 17 years.

Brown, who only took over as Kings head coach in May last year after six years as an assistant coach at the Golden State Warriors, was a unanimous selection for the Red Auerbach Trophy.

The Kings head coach claimed every single one of the 100 first-place votes, making it two awards in two nights for Sacramento after De'Aaron Fox was named the inaugural Clutch Player of the Year.

"These honours don't come around often, so you're very appreciative of them," Brown said on TNT.

Brown won the award ahead of Oklahoma City Thunder's Mark Daignault and Boston Celtics' Joe Mazzulla.

He became the first-ever unanimous Coach of the Year, having led Sacramento to the Western Conference three seed with a 48-34 record, with the Kings 2-0 up against the Golden State Warriors in their first round playoff series.

"I had to make sure I understood what their strengths were, and I had to accept being able to play to their strengths," Brown said.

Prior to this season, the Kings' last winning campaign was in 2005-06, when they last made the playoffs with a 44-38 record.

The Kings have not won a playoff series since 2003-04, beating the Dallas Mavericks in the first round 4-1.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has been ruled out of Game 2 of the Milwaukee Bucks' first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat due to a bruised lower back.

Antetokounmpo exited the Game 1 loss with a lower back contusion after landing heavily when driving to the basket and charging into Heat's Kevin Love. He initially tried to play on but was ruled out at half-time.

The Bucks had listed the MVP candidate as doubtful on Tuesday after an X-ray and MRI scan both came back clean, later updating that to questionable.

Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer confirmed prior to Wednesday's Game 2 that Antetokounmpo would be unavailable.

"[We were] hopeful that he would play and also aware that he might not," Budenholzer told reporters. "The guys are ready. The group's focused and in a good place."

Antetokounmpo's status will be critical for the Bucks during the series, but Budenholzer remained optimistic that he will return soon.

"He's continued to improve, but organizationally and talking and working with him and the sports performance group, the decision was made," Budenholzer said.

"He's out. The guys that are ready and the guys that are available are good to go. We'll continue to monitor him and expect for him to improve and still continue to be optimistic that soon he'll be ready to play."

The Greek forward averaged 31.1 points and 11.8 rebounds per game during the regular season, sitting in the NBA's top five for both categories.

Ja Morant was listed as "out" by the Memphis Grizzlies for Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Morant left the court in Sunday's Game 1 defeat to the Lakers at FedExForum in the fourth quarter after trying to break his fall on a drive with his right hand, with his wrist bending unnaturally.

An MRI on Monday revealed a re-aggravation of soft tissue in his hand, having previously suffered an issue against the Milwaukee Bucks on April 7.

According to multiple reports, the Grizzlies listed Morant out prior to the start of Game 2 in Memphis on Wednesday, citing "right-hand soreness".

The 23-year-old was in excellent form in the regular season, averaging 26.2 points and 8.1 assists per game from 61 appearances.

The Grizzlies are already missing key players Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke for the whole of the playoffs, and will be hoping Morant can return as soon as possible.

Draymond Green's one-game suspension handed to him by the NBA was in part due to being a "repeat offender".

That is according to the league's executive vice president and head of basketball operations, Joe Dumars, who explained the reasoning behind the ban for the Golden State Warriors star, meaning Green will miss Game 3 of their NBA playoffs first-round series against the Sacramento Kings.

The Kings lead the series 2-0, with the incident occurring in Game 2 on Monday when Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis appeared to grab at Green's leg after falling to the ground.

Green responded by stomping on Sabonis' ribs, and while the Lithuanian was issued a technical for his involvement, Green was ejected with a flagrant two, with Dumars confirming via an NBA statement that the four-time All-Star would be suspended for one game.

Speaking to ESPN, Dumars said: "Here's what it came down to: excessive and over-the-top actions, conduct detrimental and a repeat offender. That's what separates this where you end up with a suspension."

He added: "You know what the situation is, but you have to set that aside and look at the facts in front of you... [Being a] repeat offender weighs as heavy as anything."

On whether Sabonis got away lightly with his involvement, Dumars said: "Sabonis was penalised in the game with a technical foul, and Golden State gets the free throw.

"It wasn't like [Sabonis] didn't get off without any punishment, but we didn't think that rose to the level of excessive and over-the-top, conduct detrimental and repeat offender.

"That's why you separate those two and deal with one act on the court, and then another act."

This was Green's 17th career ejection, with the ban being his fourth suspension.

Game 3 of the series takes place at Chase Center on Thursday.

Trae Young is confident he will return to his best after being showered with "overrated" chants by opposition supporters in the Atlanta Hawks' Game 2 defeat to the Boston Celtics.

The Hawks fell 119-106 at TD Garden on Tuesday to go 2-0 down in the series ahead of back-to-back home games.

Young averaged 26.2 points during the regular season – only nine players performed better – but he fell short of that with 16 points in Atlanta's latest loss.

The 24-year-old point guard also struggled in the postseason last year as he averaged just 15 points against the Miami Heat in a five-game first-round defeat.

Celtics fans took aim at Young as he lined up for a free throw attempt during the fourth quarter, but the two-time NBA All-Star will not let the criticism get the better of him.

"I didn't play my best today, and I know I will going forward. I'm not worried," he said. 

"I could be better. I didn't shoot the ball really well. I had some turnovers where I was just driving, and [the ball] left my hands. I'm gonna be better at home.

"The last two years we've played the number one and number two seeds. Everybody knows the defenses are keyed towards me, and it's up to me to make the right decisions."

Young shot just 9-of-22 from the field and had nearly as many turnovers (five) as assists (six), as his disappointing run of postseason performances continued.

"I know Trae," Celtics head coach Quin Snyder said. "He'll be the first one watching the tape on the plane, trying to figure out ways where he can play better.

"I think we have a lot of guys that are gonna do that, and certainly I'm gonna do it, too."

Darius Garland says showing a more "aggressive" side to his game was the key to his inspirational display in the Cleveland Cavaliers' Game 2 victory against the New York Knicks.

After making a limited impact in Saturday's Game 1 loss, Garland was far more involved in Tuesday's contest at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The 2022 NBA All-Star posted a game-high 32 points on eight-of-17 shooting, draining six-of-10 from long range, and he also chipped in seven assists in a masterful offensive showing.

Asked about the key to his improved performance in his side's 107-90 triumph to level the series, Garland said: "Everybody in the building told me to go be aggressive.

"They said to shoot the ball. So I watched the film from the first game and seeing some opportunities where I can and be aggressive, and that's what I just tried to do today.

"They showed a couple clips where I had open shots and I didn't shoot them. So it's really the entire organisation telling me to shoot the ball; it's not just one person."

Garland averaged 21.6 points during the regular season, with that tally bettered only by Donovan Mitchell (28.3) among Cavs players.

Mitchell, who added 17 and a career playoff-high 13 assists, praised the showing of young point guard Garland.

"That's the All-Star we all know, and it was great to see," Mitchell said. "I told him at the end of the day, that's what we're going to need, continue to be aggressive."

Garland became the third player in the Cavs' franchise history, after LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, to score 26 points or more in a half.

While the 23-year-old was widely praised for his performance, Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff was equally as impressed by what he saw from Mitchell.

"What he did tonight is make sure that everybody had belief, that everybody played to their strength," Bickerstaff said. 

"When they had it going, he could've very easily decided it was time for him to take shots, but he didn't; he made sure those guys kept going so they could keep that confidence.

"We have to continue to hammer this home. We got our a** kicked on the boards the other night, and tonight those guys took it personal and made a huge change."

Cleveland now travel to Madison Square Garden for Games 3 and 4, which take place on Friday and Sunday respectively.