Four points from Vučević, Boston one step away from the semifinals

Boston is one step away from the semifinals of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs, after defeating Philadelphia 128:96 last night.

The Celtics already reached a 16-point lead in the first quarter (34:18), while in the second, on two occasions, they were plus 21.

There was no doubt about it going forward, so the famous franchise will have the first match point for a place in the semifinals on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday.

Montenegrin basketball player Nikola Vučević spent 19 minutes on the court, scoring four points (2/6 from the field) and had five rebounds and two assists.

Peyton Pritchard led the Celtics with 32 points. Jayson Tatum had 30 points and six assists, while Jaylen Brown added 20 points.

The best player on the Philadelphia team was Joel Embiid, who returned to the court 17 days after appendectomy, with 26 points.

Houston's basketball team defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 115:96 at home and cut the lead to 3:1.

Houston, which was without Kevin Durant in this match, managed to avoid elimination thanks, above all, to a balanced offense. Houston's entire starting lineup scored double figures - Amen Topson scored 23, Tari Eason 20, Alperen Shengun 19, Reed Shepard 17, and Jabari Smith 16 points.

The Lakers were led by Deandre Ayton with 19 points and ten rebounds, before he was ejected midway through the third quarter for a second unsportsmanlike personal foul after hitting Shengun.

LeBron James scored ten points, shooting two of nine from the field, with nine assists and eight turnovers.

The fifth game of this series is scheduled for Wednesday.

San Antonio celebrated a 114:93 win over Portland as a guest and reached 3:1.

San Antonio was one step away from qualifying for the next round of the playoffs, led by Dearon Fox with 28 points and Victor Wembanyama, who returned to the court after a concussion, with 27 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks.

Danny Avdia led Portland with 26 points, Jrue Holiday added 20, and Jeremy Grant had 17 points.

The next game in this series will be played on Tuesday night.