Tatum Explodes In Celtics Victory Against Nets As Suns, Bucks Also Win

18th April 2022

The reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks, Eastern Conference top seeds Miami and Western Conference top seeds Phoenix also won their playoff openers

PHOTO | Courtesy
PHOTO | Courtesy
SUMMARY
  • The Boston Celtics opened their NBA Eastern Conference playoff series with a narrow 115-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday to take a 1-0 lead
  • In Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo scored 27 points and pulled down 16 rebounds to lead the Bucks to victory, although foul trouble kept him on the bench for much of the fourth quarter
  • In Miami, Heat reserve Duncan Robinson scored a career playoff high 27 points, and the Heat defensively dominated Atlanta for a 115-91 victory

The Boston Celtics opened their NBA Eastern Conference playoff series with a narrow 115-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday to take a 1-0 lead.

Jayson Tatum spun in for a buzzer-beating layup to give the Celtics the thrilling win and he added eight assists and two blocked shots to his 31 points.

Jaylen Brown added 23 points, and Al Horford and Marcus Smart scored 20 apiece for the Celtics, who took a 96-85 lead into the fourth quarter

The reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks, Eastern Conference top seeds Miami and Western Conference top seeds Phoenix also won their playoff openers.

The Bucks, led by NBA Most Valuable Player award finalist Giannis Antetokounmpo, beat the Chicago Bulls 93-86, and the Heat dominated the Atlanta Hawks 115-91.

In Phoenix, veteran point guard Chris Paul scored 19 of his 30 points in the second half as the Suns, who finished the regular season with the best record in the league, led wire-to-wire in a 110-99 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Former Celtic Kyrie Irving, booed throughout by Boston fans who still resent his departure for Brooklyn, led the Nets with 39 points. However, Kevin Durant was the only other Nets starter in double figures with 23.

In Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo scored 27 points and pulled down 16 rebounds to lead the Bucks to victory, although foul trouble kept him on the bench for much of the fourth quarter.

Montenegrin center Nikola Vucevic led the Bulls with 24 points and 17 rebounds, but missed two straight baskets in the paint in the final minute.

The Bucks led by as many as 16 points in the first half, the Bulls taking the lead for the first time with less than three minutes left in the third quarter.

In Miami, Heat reserve Duncan Robinson scored a career playoff high 27 points, and the Heat defensively dominated Atlanta for a 115-91 victory.

Robinson made 9-of-10 shots, including 8-of-9 from 3-point range, while Jimmy Butler added 21 points and P.J. Tucker contributed 16 for Miami.

The Hawks and their star guard Trae Young suffered through a miserable night against Miami’s defense, Young connecting on just one of 12 shot attempts on the way to eight points.