Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets cruised towards NBA playoff conference semifinals on Wednesday as Kyrie Irving led a late Boston Celtics fightback in a dramatic win over Indiana Pacers.
In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo gave a commanding display as Bucks surged into a 2-0 series lead against Detroit Pistons with a crushing 120-99 win.
Domination
Antetokounmpo dominated in the second half as Milwaukee saw four players go into double digits against an out-muscled Pistons. Antetokounmpo finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. Eric Bledsoe added 27 points while Khris Middleton finished with 24 points.
In Houston, James Harden finished with a triple double as Rockets romped to a blow-out 118-98 win over Utah Jazz to take a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference series.
Off like a rocket
Harden had 32 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists as Rockets led from the start to record a straightforward win.
In Boston, Celtics star Irving scored 37 points and led a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat Pacers 99-91.
Celtics now lead their Eastern Conference series 2-0.
Pacers appeared to be closing in on a series-levelling victory after taking an 11-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
But some superb shot-making from Irving and a 26-point display from Jayson Tatum helped Boston outscore Pacers 31-12 in the final quarter.
Irving finished with six rebounds and seven assists in addition to his points tally.
Irving, however, warned teammates against complacency over the remainder of the series.
“Tonight gives us confidence but anything can happen on the road,” Irving said.
“We've got to go to Indiana, a tough place to play, and be ready for whatever. It's going to be a war out there. We understand the type of team we're playing against. It's a series for a reason,” he said.
The 27-year-old point guard said the Celtics' never-say-die approach had helped them transform Wednesday's game into a win.
“It's just staying resilient, understanding that we're never out of this game,” Irving said.
“It's the playoffs, anything can happen. “I tell the guys all the time, we've got to stay communicative and do the little things in order to get the win.”
Pacers shot only four of 17 from the field in the fourth quarter, and coughed up two vital turnovers in the final 15 seconds to gift Celtics victory.
Bojan Bogdanovic led the scoring with 23 points for Indiana, with Thaddeus Young (15 points), Darren Collison (13) and Tyreke Evans (13) the other Pacers players to make double figures.
The results:
Boston Celtics 99 (Jayson Tatum 26, Kyrie Irving 37) bt Indiana Pacers 91 (Bojan Bogdanovic 23). Celtics lead 2-0 .
Milwaukee Bucks 120 (Khris Middleton 24, Giannis Antetokounmpo 26, Eric Bledose 27) bt Detroit Pistons 99. Bucks lead 2-0 .
Houston Rockets 118 (James Harden 32) bt Utah Jazz 98.
Rockets lead 2-0 .
