NBA: Celtics rally past Pacers for 2-0 series lead, another triple-double for Harden as Rockets rout Jazz again

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (left) drives past Indiana Pacers guard Bojan Bogdanovic during the second half in game two of the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. PHOTO: REUTERS/USA TODAY SPORTS

(REUTERS) - Jayson Tatum buried a go-ahead three-pointer with 50.8 seconds remaining on Wednesday (April 17) night, allowing the hosts Boston Celtics to overcome a late Indiana Pacers flurry and pull out a 99-91 victory in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round play-off series.

With the fourth-seeded Celtics having successfully held serve on their home court to go up 2-0 in the best-of-seven set, the fifth-seeded Pacers will host Games 3 and 4 on Friday night and Sunday afternoon.

Indiana blew a 12-point, fourth-quarter lead. However, the Pacers appeared primed to even the series when Wesley Matthews and Bojan Bogdanovic combined for three three-pointers in a 70-second spurt, allowing Indiana to retake a 91-89 advantage with 2:16 to go.

But the Pacers did not score again, and the Celtics finally did when Tatum drilled his third three-pointer of the game for a one-point lead in the final minute. The Celtics scored the game's final 10 points.

Meanwhile, James Harden posted his third career post-season triple-double, and Houston recorded another rout of visiting Utah in Game 2 of a Western Conference first-round series.

Harden totalled 32 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in the wire-to-wire victory. After Utah utilised an unorthodox defensive approach against him in the series opener, he exploded for 25 first-half points on Wednesday on 8-of-15 shooting, including 5-of-9 accuracy on three-point attempts.

He finished 11 of 24 from the floor, 6 of 13 from long distance. Harden, however, did commit a game-high eight turnovers. The Rockets will take a 2-0 series lead to Salt Lake City for Game 3 on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Giannis Antetokounmpo sparked the decisive run in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference first-round series, scoring Milwaukee's first seven points of the second half in a win over visiting Detroit.

The top-seeded Bucks lead the best-of-seven series two games to none. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday in Detroit, where the eighth-seeded Pistons will try to snap a 12-game post-season losing streak that dates back to 2008. That is tied for the second-longest post-season losing streak in NBA history, behind only the New York Knicks' 13 consecutive losses from 2001-12.

Antetokounmpo scored 13 of his 26 points during a third quarter in which the Bucks outscored the Pistons 35-17. He also grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds.

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