National Basketball Association

NBA playoffs Top Moments: First Round

Updated Jun. 2, 2021 11:09 a.m. ET

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A trio of pivotal Game 5s highlighted Tuesday's NBA playoff schedule, with each potentially having ramifications for the postseason landscape moving forward.

Up first in the Eastern Conference, the Brooklyn Nets returned to Barclays Center with a 3-1 series lead over the Boston Celtics, and they closed the series with a dominant fourth quarter.

Then, in the West, there were two series knotted at 2-2, with four teams trying to inch one win closer to the conference semifinals.

The Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets were looking to gain an edge on each other. They put on a double-overtime thriller, with the Nuggets coming out victorious.

In the other set, the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers fell to the brink of elimination after being routed by the Phoenix Suns.

Here are the top moments from Tuesday night's NBA playoff slate.

Phoenix Suns 115, Los Angeles Lakers 85 (Suns lead 3-2)

The Lakers were without Anthony Davis but were preaching togetherness before the game. 

But the Suns were in control early, as Devin Booker scored 18 points in the first quarter.

He got some help, too.

Two players were doing most of the damage for Phoenix, yet that's all it took to overwhelm the Lakers early.

The Suns continued to keep the heat on the Lakers, taking a 30-point lead into halftime.

It was the largest playoff halftime deficit of LeBron James' career.

Brooklyn Nets 123, Boston Celtics 109 (Nets win series 4-1)

High praise before the game came from Draymond Green, a guy who knows a thing or two about playing on offensive juggernauts.

The Nets' big three of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving had dominated this series thus far, and they got it done on both ends of the floor against the Celtics.

That continued the entire half, with Harden leading the way with 18 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

The Nets led by eight at the half, but it seemed like they were always on the verge of a run.

Harden continued to dominate in the second half.

Marcus Smart found Romeo Langford as the Celtics stayed within range.

Harden kept working his magic in the fourth.

Harden ended up with a triple-double as the Nets cruised to victory.

Not everyone was thrilled by the Nets' dominant showing.

Denver Nuggets 147, Portland Trail Blazers 140, 2OT (Nuggets lead 3-2)

Denver started hot, running out to a 10-0 lead.

Facundo Campazzo, the 30-year-old rookie, was a huge catalyst for the Nuggets.

Denver kept pouring it on in the first half, making six of its first 10 3-point attempts. At one point, the Nuggets led by 22 points.

The Blazers didn't quit, though, going on a 17-2 run and pulling within 65-62 at the half.

It's hard to imagine Austin Rivers defending Damian Lillard any better here, but it didn't matter.

Denver's 22-point lead was gone by the end of the third quarter.

A wacky fourth quarter came to a close with Lillard doing what he does best: coming through in the clutch.

His heroics continued into overtime, when he broke the NBA playoff record for 3-pointers in a game and forced double overtime.

He recorded a 55-point night in the process.

But in the end, the Nuggets held on to win.

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National Basketball Association

Portland Trail Blazers

Denver Nuggets

Brooklyn Nets

Los Angeles Lakers

Phoenix Suns

Chris Paul

Kevin Durant

Kyrie Irving

Devin Booker

LeBron James

Damian Lillard

Nikola Jokic

James Harden