PACERS 119, BUCKS 118, OT
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Pacers, odds 1.269
Line: Bucks (+8.5), odds 1.917
Total Points: Over (222), odds 1.909
Pre-game Prediction
Bucks, 30.5%
Pacers, 69.5%
Pacers win the series 4-1
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers stole one from the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.
Indiana forced two turnovers in the final 29 seconds of overtime, and Haliburton blew past Giannis Antetokounmpo for the go-ahead layup with 1.3 seconds left to give the Pacers a 119-118 victory and a 4-1 series win.
The Pacers closed the game with an 8-0 run over the final 40 seconds of OT to eliminate the Bucks in the first round for the second straight season. They will face top-seeded Cleveland in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Haliburton had 26 points and 10 assists as he improved to 9-0 in home playoff games. This chippy playoff series ended fittingly with a shoving match between the teams at midcourt.
Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo tried to will the short-handed Bucks to victory, finishing with 30 points, 20 rebounds and 13 assists, and Gary Trent Jr. made eight 3-pointers and scored 33 points for Milwaukee.
NBA's Top 10 Plays of the Night - April 29 - NBA Playoffs
PISTONS 106, KNICKS 103
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Pistons, odds 2.838
Line: Pistons (+5.5), odds 1.909
Total Points: Under (215.5), odds 1.909
Pre-game Prediction
Pistons, 35.5%
Knicks, 64.5%
Knicks lead the series 3-2
NEW YORK (AP) — Cade Cunningham had 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Detroit stayed alive in their first postseason appearance since 2019 by beating New York in Game 5 of their first-round series.
Ausar Thompson added 22 points and Tobias Harris had 17 for the Pistons, who will have a chance to even things up Thursday night at home in Game 6. If they win that, the deciding game would be back at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
Detroit, though, has lost an NBA record-tying nine straight home games since 2008.
But the Pistons seem comfortable in New York, where they were 2-0 in the regular season and now 2-1 in this series, including their Game 2 victory that snapped their 15-game postseason losing streak, the longest in NBA history.
OG Anunoby scored 19 points for the Knicks, who were trying to reach the Eastern Conference semifinals for the third straight season. Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges each had 17, but Jalen Brunson had his worst game of the postseason with 16 points on 4-for-16 shooting.
CELTICS 120, MAGIC 89
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Celtics, odds 1.144
Line: Celtics (-11.5), odds 1.923
Total Points: Over (199.5), odds 1.899
Pre-game Prediction
Magic, 17.6%
Celtics, 82.4%
Celtics win the series 4-1
BOSTON (AP) — When Magic star Paolo Banchero went to the bench with five fouls, the Boston Celtics pulled away and cruised into the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Jayson Tatum had 35 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, and the Celtics abandoned their usual 3-point barrage to beat Orlando 120-89 in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night.
The defending NBA champions will play either the New York Knicks or Detroit Pistons in the second round. The Knicks lead their series 3-2 despite falling 106-103 earlier Tuesday in New York.
“You just have to find different ways,” said Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, whose team set NBA records in the regular season for the most 3-point baskets but made none at all in the first half — a first in almost four years.
“That’s what this series called for. Every series calls for different things,” Mazzulla said. “You have to be able to win in different ways on both sides of the ball.”
NUGGETS 131, CLIPPERS 115
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Nuggets, odds 2.106
Line: Nuggets (+1.5), odds 1.869
Total Points: Over (209), odds 1.909
Pre-game Prediction
Clippers, 48.7%
Nuggets, 51.3%
Nuggets lead the series 3-2
DENVER (AP) — Nuggets interim coach David Adelman sensed one of Jamal Murray's patented playoff performances coming, and he was right on the money — just like his point guard.
Murray's 43-point outburst powered Denver's 131-115 win over the Clippers on Tuesday night that handed Los Angeles its first back-to-back losses since March 4 and put the Nuggets one win away from a Round 2 matchup with Oklahoma City.
Murray was 17-of-26 shooting, including 8 for 14 from long range.
“Tonight, he played great," Kawhi Leonard said. "He came out, made shots, got hot, found his teammates and we pretty much couldn’t stop him. He played amazing. Russ (Westbrook) came in and played great, as well.”
Westbrook scored 21 points in his return from a left foot injury, including 16 of them in 12 first-half minutes as Denver led wire-to-wire.
