NBA Playoffs 2012 Scores And More: Sixers Stifle Bulls, Lakers Defeat Denver, Paul Pierce Problematic For Hawks

The 2012 NBA Playoffs are well underway with a trio of Game 2s happening on Tuesday night and, while none of the three games were must-watch, there was some fun basketball being played across America. That'll be the case for the foreseeable future, of course, but let's take a quick look back at what happened Tuesday.

The closest game in terms of the actual score was the Los Angeles Lakers' 104-100 victory over the Denver Nuggets. It didn't really seem as close as the final score indicates, however, as Kobe Bryant dominated to the tune of 38 points while big man Andrew Bynum scored 27 points to go with his nine rebounds. The Nuggets were led by 25 points from point guard Ty Lawson while rookie Kenneth Faried put up a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double in defeat.

Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics picked up what was most likely the least-expected win on Tuesday night when factoring in that they were missing their backcourt as Rajon Rondo served a suspension while Ray Allen dealt with injury issues. The Celtics picked up an 87-80 victory over the Atlanta Hawks thanks to 36 points and 14 rebounds from Pierce. The Hawks got 22 points from Joe Johnson while Josh Smith turned in another double-double before suffering a knee injury.

The third game of the evening saw the Chicago Bulls, in their first game without Derrick Rose, get blown out by the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers tied the series on the strength of Jrue Holiday's 26 points, though it certainly doesn't hurt to be able to bring Lou Williams in to score 20 points off the bench. Chicago's leading scorer was Joakim Noah with 21 points. John Lucas III scored 15 points and dished four assists after beginning the game on the bench.

For all of the gifs, videos and reaction from Tuesday night's slate of games, be sure to visit our StoryStream.