Kyrie Irving again watched from the sidelines on Friday as his Brooklyn Nets bounced back against his former NBA team, beating the Boston Celtics 112-107 at Barclays Center.
The Golden State Warriors began their quest for a three-peat by clobbering the Los Angeles Clippers, while the Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic delivered a pair of upset victories as the NBA playoffs began Saturday.
D'Angelo Russell scored 26 points as the sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets upset the Philadelphia 76ers 111-102 in their opening NBA playoff game on Saturday.
Stephen Curry scored 41 points and sank nine three pointers as the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 147-140.
Danny Green rattled in the go-ahead basket with 22 seconds remaining as the Toronto Raptors improved to a NBA-best 26-10 record with a 106-104 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday.
Anthony Davis scored 44 points and Rajon Rondo had a triple double as the New Orleans Pelicans ended a three-game losing streak with a 138-128 double overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets.
LeBron James scored 24 points and came up with a crucial late block as the Cleveland Cavaliers edged the Miami Heat 91-89 on Wednesday in a duel for third place in the NBA's Eastern Conference.
The Minnesota Timberwolves humbled LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, leading by as many as 41 points en route to a 127-99 triumph in Minneapolis.