NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking Points from NBA Playoffs - April 17th - James Harden and the Houston Rockets annihilate the Utah Jazz

April 17th of the NBA playoffs featured three exciting matches. All the teams have now played each other two times.

The first match of the night was a nail-biting encounter between the Indiana Pacers and the Boston Celtics. The Pacers led for most parts of the match but the Celtics ran away with the match when it mattered the most. The match ended with a scoreline of 99-91 in the Celtics' fafavourThe second match of the night was a blowout win for the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks were the best team in the NBA during the regular season. They have continued their domination in the playoffs getting two easy wins. They won this match against the Pistons by a scoreline of 120-99.

The final match of the night saw James Harden and the Houston Rockets coasting to a comfortable win against the Utah Jazz. They won this match by a scoreline of 118-98.

Let's have a look at the three key talking points:

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#3 Domination in the clutch period from the Celtics

Kyrie Irving took charge of this game

The Celtics and the Pacers played out a very tantalizing encounter. The Pacers led by 11 points going into the 4th quarter but totally lost control of the match during the final moments.

The Celtics displayed their peak performance as they outscored the Pacers by 10-0 during the final 50 seconds of the match and thus, take a 2-0 advantage in the series. Kyrie Irving was again superb for the Celtics. He finished with 37 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists on an outstanding 15-26 shooting from the floor.

Jason Tatum was also superb as he scored 26 points on the night. This was a welcome sight for the Celtics faithfuls who have seen Tatum struggle for most of the season.

#2 The Bucks continue their superb form

Detroit Pistons v Milwaukee Bucks - Game Two

The Milwaukee Bucks finished with the best record in the regular season. After the first two matches in the playoffs, they have looked even more unstoppable.

The Pistons are missing Blake Griffin. Andre Drummond is struggling massively and he has a combined net rating of -77 in the two playoff matches.

Giannis Antetokounmpo continued his dominating display. He is the front runner for the NBA MVP award. He ended this match with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Eric Bledsoe was also great as he finished with 27 points and 6 assists on 11-19 shooting from the field.

The Bucks are a very complete team. They were one of the topmost ranked teams in both offensive and defensive efficiency during the regular season. The Bucks don't have Malcolm Brogdon but they don't seem to miss him. They are looking like serious contenders for the NBA championship this season.

#1 Triple double for James Harden

James Harden finished with a triple-double

James Harden was on an absolute tear in the regular season. He has also lighted up the playoffs till now.

James Harden dominated in this match against the Jazz. He ended up with a triple-double, 32 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. He also shot 6-13 from the 3 point line. Chris Paul added 17 points for the Rockets. Gordon and Tucker both scored 16 points each.

The Rockets took a 20-point lead after the first quarter only and never looked back. They had a 28-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter. Donovan Mitchell struggled for the entire match and the Rockets are playing great defence on him in this series.

The way Rockets have been playing since the All-Star break, they have affirmed themselves as one of the favourites this year. They have been great on both ends of the floor.