MANILA – Brooklyn Nets recovered from a slow start to score a 104-93 victory over Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Eastern Conference first round playoffs on Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Kevin Durant paced the Brooklyn’s offense with double-double 32 points and 12 rebounds, while Kyrie Irving chipped in 29 markers, with 15 coming in the fourth quarter.
James Harden fell short of a triple-double stat line with 21 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals, while Joe Harris contributed 10 markers for the Nets.
Trailing by as much as 12 points in the opening half, the Nets started its move in the third period on consecutive baskets from Durant and triples by Irving, Harden and Harris for a 76-67 edge.
The Celtics rallied to 79-82 early in the fourth, but seven straight points from Irving followed by baskets from Durant gave the Nets its largest lead at 99-82.
Boston had its last push trimming the deficit to 93-101 on three free throws by Jayson Tatum and eight straight points by Kemba Walker, but free throws by Irving and Harden sealed the win for Brooklyn.
Tatum finished the game with 22 points, Marcus Smart and Walker added 17 and 15 markers, respectively, while Robert Williams had 11 points, nine rebounds and nine blocks for the Celtics.
Khris Middleton, meanwhile, drained a game-winner as Milwaukee Bucks escaped with a 109-107 win over Miami Heat in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first round playoffs series.
With the score tied at 107-all, Middleton broke a tie for the Bucks with a 19-footer jumper despite 0.5 seconds left and being closely guarded by Miami’s Duncan Robinson.
Middleton finished the match with 27 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Giannis Antetokounmpo chipped in 26 points, 18 rebounds and five assists for the No. 3 seed Bucks.
Dallas Mavericks, on the other hand, heated up in the endgame to score a 113-103 victory over Los Angeles Clippers for a 1-0 edge in their first round playoffs. Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with triple-double 31 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
BOX SCORE:
BROOKLYN 104 – Durant 32, Irving 29, Harden 21, Harris 10, Claxton 6, Green 3, Brown 2, Griffin 1, Shamet 0.
BOSTON 93 – Tatum 22, Smart 17, Walker 15, R. Williams 11, Fournier 10, Parker 9, Nesmith 5, Thompson 4, G. Williams 0, Waters 0, Pritchard 0.
QUARTERSCORES:
16-21, 47-53, 78-73, 104-93./PN
