Donovan Mitchell scores 57 points but Utah Jazz still lose to Denver Nuggets in overtime

LAKE BUENA VISTA , FLA. - Jamal Murray showed up for his postgame Zoom call wearing a shirt featuring the image of boxing great Muhammad Ali.

Almost fitting, given the Denver Nuggets withstood blow after blow from Donovan Mitchell before landing the knockout punch.

Murray scored 10 of his 36 points in overtime on a day Mitchell erupted for a Jazz playoff-record 57 points and the Nuggets beat Utah 135-125 on Monday in Game 1 of their first-round series.

"It was just lights, camera, action and come on we're trying to get this win," Murray explained.

Nikola Jokic finished with 29 points and 10 rebounds for Denver. He had a chance to win it in regulation at the buzzer, but his righthanded hook shot over Utah's Rudy Gobert was off the mark. Murray took over in the extra period, sealing the game on a three-pointer with 46.8 seconds remaining.

Game 2 is Wednesday.

Mitchell was the star of the show in the absence of Mike Conley, who left the NBA bubble to return to Ohio for the birth of his son. Mitchell's scoring spree surpassed the Jazz mark of 50 by Karl Malone on April 22, 2000, against Seattle.

"The biggest thing was just to try to make the right plays," the 23-year-old said.

Mitchell's offensive explosion was the third-most points scored in an NBA playoff game, trailing only Michael Jordan (63) and Elgin Baylor (61), according to Basketball Reference.

Toronto 134, Brooklyn 110: Fred VanVleet scored 30 points and led Toronto's sizzling three-point attack as the defending NBA champion Raptors beat the Nets in Game 1 of their playoff series.

VanVleet went eight of 10 from three-point range and the Raptors shot 22 of 44 from beyond the arc as a team. VanVleet also had 11 assists with only one turnover, becoming the first Raptor in franchise history to combine 30-plus points and 10-plus assists in a playoff game.

Toronto's accuracy from beyond the arc helped the Raptors grab a 68-35 lead with less than five minutes left in the first half. Brooklyn got that margin down to eight late in the third quarter, but the Raptors regained control and won convincingly.

Boston 109, Philadelphia 101: Jayson Tatum had career playoff highs of 32 points and 13 rebounds, and the Celtics beat the 76ers in Game 1 of their playoff series.

Jaylen Brown scored 15 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter and Kemba Walker added 19 points for the Celtics.

Joel Embiid had 26 points and 16 rebounds and Josh Richardson and Alec Burks each added 18 points for the 76ers. Philadelphia nearly pulled off the win without All-Star guard Ben Simmons, who is out indefinitely after having left knee surgery.

Tatum scored 15 points in the second quarter to give the Celtics a 55-49 lead at halftime. The 76ers shot 56% in the first half, but the Celtics scored 16 points off the 76ers 13 turnovers.

The 76ers went on a 15-0 run late in the third quarter to take an 81-75 lead, and Philadelphia led 85-81 heading into the fourth.

Philadelphia cut Boston's lead to 103-100 on a three-pointer by Josh Richardson with 59 seconds remaining, but the Celtics made six of six free throws in the final minute.

Note: The Celtics' Gordon Hayward limped off the court with about three minutes remaining after spraining his ankle.