NBA Playoff Thrills: Celtics, Pistons, and Nuggets Win Crucial Games

NBA playoff action: Celtics dominate Magic, Pistons stay alive against Knicks, and Nuggets edge Clippers with Jamal Murray's impressive performance.

The Indiana Pacers staged an impressive comeback to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 119-118 in overtime, sealing the series 4-1. The Pacers trailed by as many as 20 points but battled back to take control in extra time.

In other action, the Boston Celtics secured their spot in the second round of the NBA playoffs. Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons kept their postseason hopes alive with a win over the New York Knicks.

The Boston Celtics dominated the Orlando Magic, closing out the series with a 120-89 win at TD Garden.

The Indiana Pacers advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals against Cleveland after a thrilling 119-118 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, coming back from a 20-point deficit to seal the series 4-1.

watch our fantastic finish to close out the series against the Bucks 📹 pic.twitter.com/W1TYDbrDgl

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 30, 2025

The Detroit Pistons stayed alive in their series against the New York Knicks, winning 106-103 at Madison Square Garden, keeping their postseason hopes intact after the Knicks had led 3-1.

The Denver Nuggets took a 3-2 lead in their series against the Los Angeles Clippers, thanks to Jamal Murray's 43-point performance in a 131-115 win in Colorado.

ANOTHER ONE GOES TO US#MileHighPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/Avx2MzScjq

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) April 30, 2025

The Pacers trailed 118-111 with 40 seconds left but mounted an 8-0 run, capped by Tyrese Haliburton's driving layup with 1.3 seconds remaining, to win 119-118. A crucial turnover by Milwaukee's Gary Trent Jr. on a wide-open pass set up the winning basket.

“It was an incredible finish,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “Both teams literally left every single ounce of everything they had out there, including timeouts - nobody had anything left.”

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle praised his team's bold performance, saying, “But you know, fortune favours the bold - and our guys were bold in the last three quarters and we're very grateful and thankful to be moving on.”

When asked about his halftime message after falling 20 points behind, Carlisle replied, “Hit somebody.” Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 26 points, five rebounds, and nine assists, while Myles Turner added 21 points and Aaron Nesmith finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

Gary Trent Jr. led Milwaukee with 33 points, and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 30 in the absence of injured Damian Lillard. Despite the strong performances, the Bucks fell short.

Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers attributed the loss to turnovers and poor execution down the stretch. “These games will kill you,” Rivers said. “Execution down the stretch is something you have to have, and we have to own that. We failed in that department tonight. But give them credit - they hung in there.”

Celtics Overpower Magic

The Boston Celtics closed out their series against the Orlando Magic, led by Jayson Tatum's 35-point performance and 23 points from Jaylen Brown. After a sluggish first half, the Celtics trailed 49-47 but dominated with a 35-9 run in the third quarter to secure a 120-89 victory.

Do you believe in magic?

Nah. pic.twitter.com/3R7DFyQ8JH

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 30, 2025

“We didn't really like the way we played in the first half,” Tatum said. “But it's tough to put a team away. We just stuck with it.”

The Celtics will advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they'll face the winner of the series between the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons.

Jayson Tatum said, “But we're champions and we can win in multiple different ways, with multiple different lineups. The Magic forced us to play in a different way, but we adapted and figured it out.”

Late Drama Sees Pistons Stay Alive

The Detroit Pistons extended their postseason run, defeating the New York Knicks to trail 3-2 in their best-of-seven series. Despite the Knicks closing to within one point at 104-103 with seven seconds left, the Pistons held on for the win.

One left, let's work pic.twitter.com/Wzt3ulDdDB

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) April 30, 2025

Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 24 points, while Ausar Thompson added 22 points in a game that saw the lead change hands 18 times.

Jamal Murray went on a shooting clinic, making eight three-pointers en route to 43 points, leaving the Denver Nuggets one win away from taking the series against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Nuggets will look to close out the series in Game 6, which takes place in Los Angeles on Thursday. Murray's performance marked the sixth 40-point playoff game of his career.