Round-up of the opening weekend in the NBA Playoffs

This past weekend saw the return of the long-awaited NBA Playoffs, with all game one's of each series taking place on Saturday and Sunday.

The opening weekend had its traditional game-one winner, but some surprise performances could change the course of several series.

Here is a round-up of the opening weekend of NBA Playoff action!

76ers star Joel Embiid led with 26 points, five rebounds, and three assists as Philadelphia asserted their dominance over the much weaker Brooklyn Nets.

Despite Embiid's excellence, Philly's dominant victory was due to James Harden, who had 23 points and 13 assists. The 76ers hit 21 threes, primarily due to Harden's elite playmaking ability.

The Boston Celtics had the game won at halftime in their opening encounter against the Atlanta Hawks, up 30 points at the end of the second quarter.

Celtic's dynamic duo Jaylen Brown (29 points) and Jayson Tatum (25 points) combined for 54 points, easing them past Trae Young and co, who failed to any pressure on the Celtics surge.

New York Knicks rotation player Josh Hart scored 17 points off the bench to help The Knicks take a much-needed road victory in their opening game against Cleveland.

Donovan Mitchell finished with 38 for the Cavaliers, but contributions from Julius Randle (19 points) and Jalen Brunson (27 points) were enough to see The Knicks take game one.

The Sacramento Kings made their long-awaited return to the playoffs with a high-scoring victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Kings guard De'Aaron Fox had a playoff debut to remember, scoring 38 points, while Domantas Sabonis contributed with 16 rebounds and 12 points in the victory over Steph Curry and co.

Rui Hachimura equaled the Los Angeles Lakers record for points off the bench, scoring 29 points in 29 minutes to sink two-seed Memphis Grizzlies on the road.

Grizzlies star Ja Morant injured his hand in game one, and looks set to miss game two in the week. Memphis will have to rely on fellow star Jaren Jackson Jr, who scored a game-high 31 points in the loss.

The Miami Heat took a shock road victory over number one seed Milwaukee Bucks after Bucks star man Giannis Antetokounmpo only managed 11 first-quarter minutes due to a back injury.

Miami's Jimmy Butler was the star for his team, registering 35 points, five rebounds, and 11 assists. Milwaukee's Khris Middleton scored 33, but it wasn't enough for the Bucks to take game one at home.

Despite Kevin Durant's (27 points) and Devin Booker's (26 points) best efforts, The LA Clippers took an unexpected game-one victory without superstar forward Paul George.

38 points for Kawhi Leonard and nine points with 11 rebounds for Russell Westbrook helped end Kevin Durant's 8-0 streak as a Suns player.

Six Denver Nuggets players ended in double-digit scoring after dominating the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 29-point blow-out victory.

Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic had 13 points and 14 rebounds, while Jamal Murray was the standout performer with 24 points and eight rebounds and assists.