The NBA playoffs have been anything but dull through the first round. Early second-round action has proven that trend is likely to continue on an upward trajectory.

Thursday night's action got underway with Game 2 between the Cavaliers and Raptors -- or, "The LeBron James Show," as everyone who watched the game will tell you. After a close, well-played first half, the Cavaliers simply ran the Raptors out of the gym in the second half thanks to a spectacular performance by LeBron. He finished the game with 43 points, eight rebounds and 14 assists, hitting jumper after jumper no matter what the Raptors did defensively. Kevin Love also stepped up, bouncing back from a poor Game 1 performance with 31 points and 11 rebounds. 

In the second game, the Celtics matched the Cavs by taking a 2-0 lead in their series with the 76ers. At first, however, it seemed the Sixers would run away with the game. They jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter, and extended it to over 20 points in the second quarter. But the Celtics closed the frame on a 20-5 run to cut the deficit to just five points at the half. The second half was a back and forth affair, and the Sixers had a five-point lead with under six minutes left in the fourth. But it was the Celtics who pulled out the victory, with Al Horford sealing the game with a bucket in the closing seconds. Horford finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 21. 

Here's a recap of all the fun, scores, highlights and live updates below.

NBA playoff scores for Thursday, May 3

Game 2: Cavaliers 128, Raptors 110

It was a well-played first half in Toronto, with both teams shooting over 50 percent from the field. And unsurprisingly, each team's stars came ready to play. LeBron James and Kevin Love combined for 34 points, while DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry put up 29 of their own. 

Similar to Game 1, the Raptors had control for much of the first half, though they never quite pushed their lead up to the 14-point mark. But once again the Cavs closed the half strong to get right back in the game, and the Raptors led 63-61 at the break.

As for the second half, well, that belonged to one LeBron James. "The King" simply took over the game, and there was nothing the Raptors could do. 

LeBron finished the night with 43 points, eight rebounds and 14 assists, while Kevin Love added 31 points and 11 rebounds. 

Game 2: Celtics 108, 76ers 103

After being listed as doubtful with a hamstring injury that kept him out of Game 1, Celtics guard Jaylen Brown entered Game 2 early in the first quarter. He didn't waste any time getting into the action.

It was the Sixers, though, who jumped out to a huge lead in the first half. They used some strong shooting from JJ Redick and Robert Covington to push their advantage to more than 20 points in the second quarter. 

But the Celtics fought their way back into the game with a strong burst to end the half, cutting the deficit to just five points. 

The Celtics picked up right where they left off in the third quarter, outscoring the Sixers by nine points in the frame to take their first lead of the game. 

The Sixers bounced back, and the fourth quarter was an exciting, back and forth affair. At one point, the Sixers led by five with just under six minutes to play. But from that point on, the Celtics closed the game on a 20-10 run to take the game, 108-103. 

Jayson Tatum led the way for the Celtics with 21 points, while Terry Rozier scored 20 points and Al Horford added 13 points and 12 rebounds.  

Recap of live updates

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