Kevin Durant recorded 32 points and 12 rebounds to help Brooklyn Nets notch a 104-93 victory over visiting Boston Celtics in the opening game of the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series on Saturday.
Kyrie Irving scored 29 points and James Harden added 21 points, nine rebounds,eight assists and four steals for the second-seeded Nets. The contest was just the ninth in which Durant, Harden and Irving played together.
Middleton pulls it off
Khris Middleton’s pull-up jumper with 0.5 seconds left in overtime lifted host Milwaukee Bucks to a 109-107 win over Miami Heat.
Middleton led the Bucks with 27 points, while Giannis Antetokounmpo had 26 points.
In the Western Conference, Dorian Finney-Smith hit two late 3-pointers, one triggering a 7-0 burst that broke a tie and propelled visiting Dallas Mavericks to a 113-103 win over fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers.
The results: EC: Bucks 109 bt Heat 107 (OT). Bucks lead 1-0; Nets 104 bt Boston 93. Nets lead 1-0.
WC: Mavericks 113 bt Clippers 103. Mavericks lead 1-0; Trail Blazers 123 bt Nuggets 109. Trail Blazers lead 1-0.
