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Cavaliers' Mitchell, Warriors' Curry and Celtics' Tatum in the spotlight going into Game 2s

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Cavaliers' Mitchell, Warriors' Curry and Celtics' Tatum in the spotlight going into Game 2s
Sport

Sport

Cavaliers' Mitchell, Warriors' Curry and Celtics' Tatum in the spotlight going into Game 2s

2025-04-23 06:44 Last Updated At:06:51

Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell, Golden State's Stephen Curry and Boston's Jayson Tatum have been the driving forces for their teams throughout the season.

It is no surprise that all three are in the spotlight going into their respective Game 2s of the NBA Playoffs on Wednesday night.

Mitchell scored 30 points in the top-seeded Cavaliers 121-100 victory over the Miami Heat on Sunday night. It was the 26th time in 55 playoff games that the all-star guard has had at least 30 points. Mitchell's 28.1 points per game in the playoffs is seventh all-time among players with at least 50 postseason games and he is averaging 34.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists in Cleveland's last seven playoff contests.

Mitchell knows he is viewed as a scorer, but he is hoping his defense and forcing steals begin to stand out more against the Heat.

“Obviously, the 30 is cool. I mean that’s what I’m known for but I think for me it’s just steals, being in the passing lanes, getting on the boards, boxing out, diving on loose balls, different things like that. That’s really what’s going to continue to take us to that next level,” he said.

Curry needs three points to become the 11th player in league history to reach 4,000 points in the playoffs. The superstar guard led Golden State with 31 points in Sunday night’s 95-85 win at the Houston Rockets that included two off-balance 3-pointers in the second half.

The seventh-seeded Warriors — who are used to the rigors of postseason play — look to go up two games on a Rockets squad in the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

“I think the only real advantage is you don't get rattled if there's runs. The composure matters because then you can make plays down the stretch,” said Curry, who needs 49 points to surpass Tony Parker for 10th on the career playoff scoring list.

Tatum has 2,728 points — seventh-most by a player in NBA history before turning 28. But the all-star forward is listed as doubtful against the Orlando Magic with a bone bruise in his right wrist.

He suffered the injury during the fourth quarter of the Celtics' 103-86 victory on Sunday when he went up for a dunk and landed awkwardly after being hit hard by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Asked about Tatum’s status after the Celtics practiced Tuesday morning, coach Joe Mazzulla said the All-Star was limited, and day-to-day.

Boston veteran Al Horford called the play excessive.

“There was something extra there,” Horford said. “It was about the second or third time he especially KCP went at (Tatum) in that way.”

When/Where to Watch: Game 2, 7 p.m. EDT (TNT)

Series: Celtics lead, 1-0

BetMGM says: Celtics by 12.5.

What to Know: The Celtics trailed by a point at halftime in Game 1 before using a 30-18 third quarter to take control in a 103-86 win. Derrick White had 30 points and Payton Pritchard added 19 off the bench to lift a Boston team that started slowly but finished with 16 3-pointers. The Magic — who are 1-12 on the road all time in Game 2s — came in allowing opponents an NBA-low 11.4 3-pointers per game but were hurt more by their 15 turnovers which led to 24 Boston points.

When/Where to Watch: Game 2, 7:30 p.m. EDT (NBA TV)

Series: Cavaliers lead, 1-0

BetMGM says: Cavaliers by 12.5.

What to Know: Cleveland pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 21-point victory in Game 1. Cleveland was led by Mitchell (30 points), Ty Jerome (28 points) and Darius Garland (27 points), marking the first time in franchise history three players scored at least 27 points in a playoff game. It is expected to be another physical matchup in the paint between Miami's Bam Adebayo and Cleveland’s Evan Mobley. Adebayo held Mobley to three points in the 6:24 they were matched up against each other while Adebayo scored six points in 6:49.

When/Where to Watch: Game 2, 9:30 p.m. EDT (TNT)

Series: Warriors lead, 1-0

BetMGM says: Rockets by 2.5.

What to Know: Jimmy Butler returned to “Playoff Jimmy” with 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists as the Warriors stole home court from the Rockets 95-85 in Game 1. Houston needs better execution from guards Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green, who were 7 of 34 from the field. Houston made just 6 of 29 from beyond the arc and was 11 of 20 from the foul line. The Rockets grabbed 22 offensive rebounds and got 23 points from their bench. With another win, Golden State coach Steve Kerr would take sole possession of sixth place in most playoff victories. Kerr and Larry Brown are tied with 100.

AP Sports Writer Kyle Hightower contributed to this report.

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

Boston Celtics' Jaylen Brown (7), left, and Jayson Tatum (0) play against the Orlando Magic during the first half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoff basketball series Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Boston Celtics' Jaylen Brown (7), left, and Jayson Tatum (0) play against the Orlando Magic during the first half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoff basketball series Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) smiles from the bench during the second half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets in Houston, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) smiles from the bench during the second half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets in Houston, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins, right, reaches for the ball as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) heads up the court in the second half in Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins, right, reaches for the ball as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) heads up the court in the second half in Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Next Article

Trump's meets with Syria's former-insurgent-turned-leader in Saudi Arabia

2025-05-14 16:27 Last Updated At:16:30

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump met Wednesday with Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the first such encounter between the two nations’ leaders in 25 years.

The meeting, on the sidelines of Trump get-together with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council, marks a major turn of events for a Syria still adjusting to life after the over 50-year, iron-gripped rule of the Assad family.

People across Syria cheered in the streets and shot off fireworks on Tuesday night to celebrate, hopeful their nation locked out of credit cards and global finance might rejoin the world's economy when they need investment the most.

It’s also remarkable given al-Sharaa, under the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, had ties to al-Qaida and joined insurgents battling U.S. forces in Iraq before entering the Syrian war. He was even imprisoned by U.S. troops in Iraq for several years.

The meeting is all the more notable because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had asked Trump not to lift sanctions on Syria. The request came during Netanyahu's visit to Washington last month, according to an Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the subject.

Israel was concerned a cross-border attack similar to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, assault, could come from Syria. Israel also fears al-Sharaa and his Islamist past could pose a threat on its northern border.

Trump, long a critic of America's once-called “forever wars” in the Mideast after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, also offered an anti-interventionist speech before the Saudi public as well.

Trump on Tuesday announced the meeting, saying the U.S. also would move to lift economic sanctions on Syria as well. Even before its ruinous civil war that began in 2011, Syria struggled under a tightly controlled socialist economy and under sanctions by the U.S. as being a state-sponsor of terror since 1979.

The Trump-al-Sharaa meeting on Wednesday took place behind closed doors and reporters were not permitted to witness the engagement.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined the meeting between Trump, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and al-Sharaa via video conferencing, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency. Turkey was a main backer to al-Sharaa and his rebel faction.

The White House later said the meeting ran for just over 30 minutes.

Trump earlier said he was looking to give Syria, which is emerging from more than a decade of brutal civil war “a chance at peace” under al-Sharaa

Al-Sharaa was named interim president of Syria in January, a month after a stunning offensive by insurgent groups led by al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, that stormed Damascus, ending the 54-year rule of the Assad family.

The United States has been weighing how to handle al-Sharaa since he took power in December.

Many Gulf Arab leaders have rallied behind the new government in Damascus and want Trump to follow, believing it is a bulwark against Iran’s return to influence in Syria, where it had helped prop up Assad’s government during a decadelong civil war.

But longtime U.S. ally Israel has been deeply skeptical of al-Sharaa’s extremist past and cautioned against swift recognition of the new government. However, Trump cited the intervention of Saudi Prince Mohammed as key to his decision.

The White House earlier signaled that the Trump and al-Sharaa engagement, on the sidelines of the GCC meeting in Riyadh convened as part of Trump’s four-day visit to the region, would be brief, with the administration saying the U.S. president had “agreed to say hello” to the Syrian president on Wednesday.

Prince Mohammed lauded Trump's decision on lifting sanction on Syria.

“We commend the decision made yesterday by President Trump to lift the sanctions on the brotherly Syrian Arab Republic, which will alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people,” he said in a speech to the GCC.

Al-Sharaa is the first Syrian leader to meet an American president since Hafez Assad met Bill Clinton in Geneva in 2000.

Syrians cheered the announcement by Trump that the U.S. will move to lift sanctions on the beleaguered Middle Eastern nation.

The state-run SANA news agency published video and photographs of Syrians cheering in Umayyad Square, the largest in the country’s capital, Damascus. Others honked their car horns or waved the new Syrian flag in celebration.

People whistled and cheered the news as fireworks lit the night sky.

A statement from Syria’s Foreign Ministry issued Tuesday night called the announcement “a pivotal turning point for the Syrian people as we seek to emerge from a long and painful chapter of war.”

The statement also was careful to describe the sanctions as coming “in response to the war crimes committed by the Assad regime against the Syrian people,” rather than the war-torn nation’s new interim government.

“The removal of these sanctions offers a vital opportunity for Syria to pursue stability, self-sufficiency and meaningful national reconstruction, led by and for the Syrian people,” the statement added.

Associated Press photographer Alex Brandon and writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, and Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed to this report. Madhani reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Syrians wave Saudi and Syrian flags in celebration after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans during his visit to Saudi Arabia to ease sanctions on Syria and normalize relations with its new government, in Homs, Syria, late Tuesday, May 13, 2025.(AP Photo/Omar Albam)

Syrians wave Saudi and Syrian flags in celebration after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans during his visit to Saudi Arabia to ease sanctions on Syria and normalize relations with its new government, in Homs, Syria, late Tuesday, May 13, 2025.(AP Photo/Omar Albam)

Syrians celebrate after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans during his visit to Saudi Arabia to ease sanctions on Syria and normalize relations with its new government, in Homs, Syria, late Tuesday, May 13, 2025.(AP Photo/Omar Albam)

Syrians celebrate after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans during his visit to Saudi Arabia to ease sanctions on Syria and normalize relations with its new government, in Homs, Syria, late Tuesday, May 13, 2025.(AP Photo/Omar Albam)

Father Serafeim, a Lebanese-Syrian, prepares coffee in the kitchen of Simonopetra, or the Simonos Petra Monastery, home of the all-male autonomous community Agion Oros, or Holy Mountain, on the peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Father Serafeim, a Lebanese-Syrian, prepares coffee in the kitchen of Simonopetra, or the Simonos Petra Monastery, home of the all-male autonomous community Agion Oros, or Holy Mountain, on the peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Syrians celebrate in Umayyad Square after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to ease sanctions on Syria and move toward normalizing relations with its new government to give the country 'a chance at peace,' in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Syrians celebrate in Umayyad Square after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to ease sanctions on Syria and move toward normalizing relations with its new government to give the country 'a chance at peace,' in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Syrians celebrate after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to ease sanctions on Syria and move toward normalizing relations with its new government to give the country 'a chance at peace,' in Idlib, Syria, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Syrians celebrate after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to ease sanctions on Syria and move toward normalizing relations with its new government to give the country 'a chance at peace,' in Idlib, Syria, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

A girl holds a Saudi flag in celebration after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans during his visit to Saudi Arabia to ease sanctions on Syria and normalize relations with its new government, in Homs, Syria, late Tuesday, May 13, 2025.(AP Photo/Omar Albam)

A girl holds a Saudi flag in celebration after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans during his visit to Saudi Arabia to ease sanctions on Syria and normalize relations with its new government, in Homs, Syria, late Tuesday, May 13, 2025.(AP Photo/Omar Albam)

Syrians celebrate after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans during his visit to Saudi Arabia to ease sanctions on Syria and normalize relations with its new government, in Homs, Syria, late Tuesday, May 13, 2025.(AP Photo/Omar Albam)

Syrians celebrate after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans during his visit to Saudi Arabia to ease sanctions on Syria and normalize relations with its new government, in Homs, Syria, late Tuesday, May 13, 2025.(AP Photo/Omar Albam)

FILE - Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, looks on during a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, Feb. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)

FILE - Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, looks on during a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, Feb. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)

This combination of photos shows U.S. President Donald Trump, left, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 13, 2025 and Syria's President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Ankara, Turkey, on Feb. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File) (AP Photo, File)

This combination of photos shows U.S. President Donald Trump, left, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 13, 2025 and Syria's President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Ankara, Turkey, on Feb. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File) (AP Photo, File)

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