There were four exciting NBA games last night, and we saw the Cleveland Cavaliers advance to the next round. Besides the Cavaliers, the Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, and Utah Jazz were victorious, in what was one of the most exciting nights of this year's NBA playoffs.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers
The Cavaliers started the game with a 3-0 lead over the Pacers, and they were on a mission to sweep Indiana and advance to the next round of the playoffs.
When the final buzzer sounded off, Cleveland had 106 points while the Pacers had 102.
LeBron James had another fantastic game with 33 points and ten rebounds, while his teammate Kyrie Irving added 28 points. On the other side, Myles Turner and Lance Stephenson combined for 42 points, while Paul George underachieved with 15 points on the horrible 5-of-21 shooting.
Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder entered the game trailing the Rockets 1-2 in the series, and it seemed they would win the game. They had a big lead over the almost entire game, but the Rockets fought hard and managed to take the lead in the closing minutes of the game.
In the end, the Rockets had 113 points, and the Thunder had 109, in what was a disappointing loss.
Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with another triple-double as he had 35 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists. Even though the Thunder lost, Westbrook was +14 and was undoubtedly the best player of the game. For the Rockets, Nene had 28 points and ten rebounds off the bench, while Eric Gordon and Lou Williams scored 18 points each.
Houston Rockets have a 3-1 lead in the series, and they will look to close it out in the next game, which will be played in Houston Tuesday night.
Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls won first two games of the series in Boston, taking a commanding 2-0 lead. It seemed that the Celtics would once again be eliminated in the first round, but they responded with two amazing games, tying the series at two.
Once again, they scored 104 points and got a big win before going back to Boston.
The Celtics got another great performance from Isaiah Thomas, who was leading scorer of the team with 33 points, and he also added seven assists. Jimmy Butler also had a big game with 33 points and nine assists, but no one else on the team stepped up to help him.
The series shift to Boston for the next game, which will be played on Tuesday.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Utah Jazz
Both the Clippers and the Jazz had suffered significant injuries in the series, as the Clippers lost Blake Griffin while the Jazz big man Rudy Gobert went down in the first game of the postseason. Fortunately, Gobert returned for the Jazz, and he made a big impact on the game as Utah won 105 to 98.
Chris Paul nearly recorded a triple-double for the Clippers with 27 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists, and Jamal Crawford added 25 points off the bench. The Jazz were led by Joe Johnson, who had 28 points as a reserve, while Rudy Gobert recorded a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
With the series tied at two, next game will be played in Los Angeles in two days. Blake Griffin will miss rest of the series, which will allow the Jazz to reclaim the home-court advantage and possibly win the series.