NBA: Celtics, Warriors victorious in semis openers

ANKARA

The Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors each grabbed series opener wins on Sunday in the NBA as they go up 1-0 in their conference semifinals.

The Celtics, playing away, managed to upset the Milwaukee Bucks as they won 112-90, behind Al Horford's defensive masterpiece and Kyrie Irving's all-around performance.

Horford scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, but his brighter moments came during his defensive efforts against MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo, as the managed to block him three times and kept Giannis on a 7/21 shooting from the field.

Irving, on the other hand, scored 26 points, dished out 11 assists and grabbed 7 rebounds.

Warriors beat Rockets 104-100

The defending champion Golden State Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets 104-100 at home on Sunday evening, grabbing 1-0 series lead.

In a very tight Western Conference showdown, the Warriors managed to pull away behind Kevin Durant's 35 point-performance.

Draymond Green also continued his all-around performance, he scored 14 points, made 9 assists and grabbed 9 rebounds.

With 24 seconds to go, Stephen Curry hit a three-pointer to make the score 103-98 in favor of the Warriors. The Rockets had a chance to tie the game at the end but missed out on the opportunity as Chris Paul was ejected with 4.4 seconds left for a second technical foul.

For the Rockets, James Harden scored 35 points and Eric Gordon 27, after both struggling to find their shots in the early periods of the game. The Rockets shot 14/47 from the three-point line.