DeMar DeRozan made sure the Chicago Bulls altered their painful recent history against the Milwaukee Bucks and gave this first-round series a fresh new start.
Now it’s the defending champion Bucks who are suddenly hurting as the teams head to Chicago all tied up.
After pushing the Toronto Raptors to the brink of elimination, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid pledged to finish the job as quickly as possible.
Embiid made a 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds left in overtime to give the 76ers a 104-101 victory on Wednesday night and a 3-0 lead in their first-round series.
Minnesota Timberwolves (46-36, seventh in the Western Conference) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (56-26, second in the Western Conference)
Memphis, Tennessee; Tuesday, 8:30 p.m. EDT
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Grizzlies -7; over/under is 241.5
Celtics fans got under Kyrie Irving’s skin in the opening game of their first-round matchup with the Nets.
It was Boston’s defense that kept him – and Kevin Durant – off balance in Game 2.
Atlanta Hawks (43-39, eighth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Miami Heat (53-29, first in the Eastern Conference)
Miami; Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. EDT
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Heat -7.5; over/under is 217.5
Jayson Tatum made a layup at the buzzer off a pass from Marcus Smart to give the Boston Celtics a dramatic 115-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday in the Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round series.
Tatum scored 16 of his 31 points in the second half, the final two after a poised Boston possession in the frantic final seconds. Jaylen Brown dribbled toward the middle and swung the ball out to Smart, who fired it into a cutting Tatum, who spun around and dropped in his layup just before time expired.
New Orleans Pelicans (36-46, eighth in the Western Conference) vs. Phoenix Suns (64-18, first in the Western Conference)
Phoenix; Tuesday, 10 p.m. EDT
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Suns -10.5; over/under is 222.5
Chris Paul scored 19 of his 30 points during a brilliant fourth-quarter shooting display and the Phoenix Suns beat the New Orleans Pelicans 110-99 on Sunday night in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series.
The top-seeded Suns needed Paul’s big finish despite dominating most of the game. The Pelicans shook off a slow start, cutting a 23-point deficit to 79-71 by the end of the third.
Denver Nuggets (48-34, sixth in the Western Conference) vs. Golden State Warriors (53-29, third in the Western Conference)
San Francisco; Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EDT
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Warriors -6.5; over/under is 223.5
