Tuesday's NBA playoffs: Nets bounce Celtics, advance to Eastern semis versus Bucks
New York — James Harden had 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his first postseason triple-double with Brooklyn, leading the Nets into the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 123-109 victory over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night in Game 5.
Kyrie Irving scored 25 points and Kevin Durant had 24 for the Nets, who will face the Milwaukee Bucks in their first appearance in the second round since 2014. The No. 2-seeded Nets will host Game 1 on Saturday.
Jayson Tatum had 32 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics, who made the Eastern Conference finals last year but went quickly with Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker unavailable.
Evan Fournier added 18 points and Romeo Langford had 17 starting in place of Walker, who missed his second straight game with a knee injury.
►Nuggets 147, Trailblazers 140, 2OT: Michael Porter Jr.’s 3-pointer with 1:33 left in the second overtime helped Denver squelch an epic comeback by Portland Game 5 of the playoff series.
The Nuggets won despite Damian Lillard’s franchise playoff record 55 points and NBA playoff record 12 3-pointers.
Lillard scored 17 of Portland’s 19 points in the two overtimes, but he didn’t score again after his 12th 3-pointer in 17 attempts put the Blazers ahead 140-138 with 3:47 left. And his teammates didn’t score again, either.
Nikola Jokic scored 38 points and came one assist shy of a triple-double.
The series shifts to Portland for Game 6 on Thursday night with Denver leading 3-2.
Monte Morris scored 28 points off the bench and hit a pair of free throws with 8.8 seconds to seal it for Denver. Shaq Harrison added two free throws with 3.8 seconds remaining.
Lillard broke his own franchise scoring record, a 50-point outburst against Oklahoma City on April 23, 2019.
►Suns 115, Lakers 85: Devin Booker scored 30 points after two quiet games and Phoenix sent LeBron James to the locker room early, dismantling Los Angeles to take a 3-2 first-round series lead.
The Suns won in Los Angeles on Sunday to tie the series and went right at the Anthony Davis-less Lakers in front of a revved-up crowd in Game 5.
The Suns made 14 3-pointers and had just four turnovers against the NBA’s regular-season defensive efficiency leader.
The only bad news: point guard Chris Paul took a shot to his injured right shoulder in the third quarter and did not return.
James scored 17 of his 24 points in the third quarter, but couldn’t rally the listless Lakers. The four-time league MVP sat at the end of the bench by himself in the fourth quarter before heading to the locker room with about five minutes left.
Game 6 is Thursday in Los Angeles
NBA Playoff glance
Play-in First Round
Eastern Conference
Tuesday, May 18
Indiana 144, Charlotte 117
Boston 118, Washington 100
Western Conference
Wednesday, May 19
Memphis 100, San Antonio 96
L.A. Lakers 103, Golden State 100
Play-in Second Round
Eastern Conference
Thursday, May 20
Washington 142, Indiana 115
Western Conference
Friday, May 21
Memphis 117, Golden State 112, OT
FIRST ROUND (Best-of-7)
Eastern Conference
Philadelphia 3, Washington 1
Sunday, May 23: Philadelphia 125, Washington 118
Wednesday, May 26: Philadelphia 120, Washington 95
Saturday, May 29: Philadelphia 132, Washington 103
Monday, May 31: Washington 122, Philadelphia 114
Wednesday, June 2: Washington at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
x-Friday, June 4: Philadelphia at Washington, TBD
x-Sunday, June 6: Washington at Philadelphia, TBD
Brooklyn 4, Boston 1
Saturday, May 22: Brooklyn 104, Boston 93
Tuesday, May 25: Brooklyn 130, Boston 108
Friday, May 28: Boston 125, Brooklyn 119
Sunday, May 30: Brooklyn 141, Boston 126
Tuesday, June 1: Brooklyn 123, Boston 109
Milwaukee 4, Miami 0
Saturday, May 22: Milwaukee 109, Miami 107, OT
Monday, May 24: Milwaukee 132, Miami 98
Thursday, May 27: Milwaukee 113, Miami 84
Saturday, May 29: Milwaukee 120, Miami 103
Atlanta 3, New York 1
Sunday, May 23: Atlanta 107, New York 105
Wednesday, May 26: New York 101, Atlanta 92
Friday, May 28: Atlanta 105, New York 94
Sunday, May 30: Atlanta 113, New York 96
Wednesday, June 2: Atlanta at New York, 7:30 p.m.
x-Friday, June 4: New York at Atlanta, TBD
x-Sunday, June 6: Atlanta at New York, TBD
Western Conference
Utah 3, Memphis 1
Sunday, May 23: Memphis 112, Utah 109
Wednesday, May 26: Utah 141, Memphis 129
Saturday, May 29: Utah 121, Memphis 111
Monday, May 31: Utah 120, Memphis 113
Wednesday, June 2: Memphis at Utah, 9:30 p.m.
x-Friday, June 4: Utah at Memphis, TBD
x-Sunday, June 6: Memphis at Utah, TBD
Phoenix 3, L.A. Lakers 2
Sunday, May 23: Phoenix 99, L.A. Lakers 90
Tuesday, May 25: L.A. Lakers 109, Phoenix 102
Thursday, May 27: L.A. Lakers 109, Phoenix 95
Sunday, May 30: Phoenix 100, L.A. Lakers 92
Tuesday, June 1: Phoenix 115, L.A. Lakers 85
Thursday, June 3: Phoenix at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m.
x-Saturday, June 5: L.A. Lakers at Phoenix, TBD
Denver 3, Portland 2
Saturday, May 22: Portland 123, Denver 109
Monday, May 24: Denver 128, Portland 109
Thursday, May 27: Denver 120, Portland 115
Saturday, May 29: Portland 115, Denver 95
Tuesday, June 1: Denver 147, Portland 140, 2OT
Thursday, June 3: Denver at Portland, 8 p.m.
x-Saturday, June 5: Portland at Denver, TBD
Dallas 2, L.A. Clippers 2
Saturday, May 22: Dallas 113, L.A. Clippers 103
Tuesday, May 25: Dallas 127, L.A. Clippers 121
Friday, May 28: L.A. Clippers 118, Dallas 108
Sunday, May 30: L.A. Clippers 106 Dallas 81
Wednesday, June 2: Dallas at L.A. Clippers, 10 p.m.
Friday, June 4: L.A. Clippers at Dallas, TBD
x-Sunday, June 6: Dallas at L.A. Clippers, TBD
CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
(Best-of-7)
TBD
CONFERENCE FINALS
Conference Semifinals winners, TBA
NBA FINALS
(Best-of-7)
Conference Finals winners, TBA