Updated NBA Playoffs bracket after Pacers, Celtics take care of business

Two more tickets got punched to the second round of the NBA Playoffs on Tuesday night — although in two very, very different fashions.

Down Damian Lillard, left for dead by just about everyone, Giannis Antetokounmpo gave the Indiana Pacers all they could handle and then some in Game 5 of their first-round series. Behind a vintage triple-double from the Greek Freak and some spectacular shooting from AJ Green and Gary Trent Jr. it looked like the Milwaukee Bucks would improbably stave off elimination and force a Game 6 back home later in the week.

And then everything fell apart. The Bucks blew a four-point lead in the final minute of regulation, then one-upped that by blowing an eight-point lead with just 40 seconds remaining in overtime, as Tyrese Haliburton sank the game-winning layup in the final seconds to send Milwaukee packing with a 119-118 loss.

Things were far less stressful for the Boston Celtics, who hit more than 50 percent of their 3s and used a 36-13 third quarter to bury the Orlando Magic and polish off a gentleman's sweep. Boston didn't look quite like the defending champs we're use to seeing for good portions of this series, but they sure did over the final two quarters on Tuesday night, and now they're one step closer to becoming the NBA's first repeat champion since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018.

Indy and Boston became the third and fourth teams to advance to the conference semifinals. How is the bracket looking with the latest updates? Let's dive in.

Updated NBA Playoffs bracket after Pacers, Celtics advance

The New York Knicks also had a chance to advance on Tuesday night, but a steely performance from the young Detroit Pistons kept that series alive and forced a Game 6 back at Little Caesar Arena later this week. That means we'll have to wait a little longer until the East side of the bracket is fully set, while only the Oklahoma City Thunder have yet advanced out West.

Who do the Pacers play in the second round?

After surviving a scare from Milwaukee, the road will only get tougher from here for Indiana. Next up? The No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers, kicking their feet up after beating the breaks off the Miami Heat in an opening-round sweep.

These Central Division rivals are all too familiar with each other. But while the Cavs have conquered nearly all comers this year, they had a bit more trouble than you'd expect with the Pacers. In fact, Indy won three of four regular-season meetings, one of only two Eastern Conference teams to win the season series against Cleveland. (The other? The Atlanta Hawks, oddly enough.)

Indy won in Cleveland by 15 in mid-January, and while the Cavs answered back with a road win of their own two days later, the Pacers won a pair of thrillers in April — including one in double overtime. Indiana was just 13th in net rating this year, with a top-10 offense dragged down a bit by a merely average defense, but Haliburton looks more and more comfortable, and this team is battled tested after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last spring.

Who do the Celtics play in the second round?

The Celtics have still yet to learn their opponent in the conference semis. Boston will face either the Knicks or the Pistons, as the two teams head back to Detroit after Cade Cunningham lead his team to an impressive Game 5 win on Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.

Whichever team the Celtics draw, though, the defending champs won't figure to be too rattled — especially with a few days off to rest up. Boston swept the Knicks during the regular season and won three of four against Detroit, with the lone loss coming back in late February. New York doesn't figure to have the adaptability nor the depth to keep pace with Boston, although the Pistons might be able to muck things up much in the same way the Magic did in the first round.