NBA Playoffs: Kyrie Irving erupts for 37 points, Celtics edge Pistons

April 18 (UPI) -- Boston Celtics star Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 37 points in a win against the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the Easter Conference playoffs.

Irving also dished out seven assists and had six rebounds in the victory, helping the Celtics earn a 2-0 lead in the series Wednesday at TD Garden in Boston.

"I'm just happy to be a part of a lineage of players that have put on some unbelievable performances here in the TD as well as in the old Garden," Irving told reporters. "It's really special to know that the fans here are rooting on us and want everything to be perfect. It's not the reality of the game but we do our best to really lay it all out there on the line."

The star guard lit up the Pacers for 18 first half points, giving the Celtics a 52-50 lead at the break with a floating jump shot off of the glass with 1 second remaining in the second quarter.

He scored 10 of his 19 second half points in the third frame, going off for eight consecutive toward the end of the quarter.

Fellow Celtics star Jayson Tatum helped Irving out in the fourth frame, scoring 10 points in the quarter. Tatum also gave Boston its final lead by hitting a 3-pointer with 50 seconds remaining.

"I was trying to put as many points on the board as I could in the third quarter just to sustain something for us," Irving said. "We didn't start off as well as we would have liked, but that happens sometimes. You have to be able to weather the storm and I think we did a great job of that tonight."

Tatum had 26 points in the victory. Bojan Bogdanovic led Indiana with 23 points and eight rebounds in the loss.

The Celtics hit the road for the third game of the series at 8:30 p.m. Friday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.