WASHINGTON, April 21 (Xinhua) -- DeMar DeRozan created his career-high scores in the NBA playoffs with 41 points on Thursday, leading Chicago Bulls to a 114-110 victory with the Milwaukee Bucks for a 1-1 tie in the best of seven series.
Starting with a 9-0 run, Bulls nearly lost their advantage at 29-28 when the first quarter was finished. However, Bulls fought hard en route to the win.
Besides DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic grabbed 24 points and 13 rebounds while guard-forward Zach LaVine got 20 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points and 18 rebounds and nine assists for Milwaukee, while Brook Lopez added 25.
Jaylen Brown scored 22 points and 4 rebounds to help Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets 114-107, grabbing a 2-0 lead in the first-round matchup. Jayson Tatum added 19 points, 4 rebounds and 10 assists for Boston. The team was also boosted by 16 points from Al Horford and Daniel Theis also added 15.
Elsewhere, Joel Embiid made a 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds left in the game with the Toronto Raptors, helping the Philadelphia 76ers gain a 104-101 victory and a 3-0 lead in their first-round playoff series. ■
