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LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul was adamant the sun would not set on Paul Pierce's NBA run in Salt Lake City on Friday night.
"I looked over at 'Truth' during one of (those) timeouts and I said 'You're not ending your career in Utah,' " said Paul, referring to Pierce's popular nickname. "We told him that. We just said we want to keep this thing going for him. Paul was big tonight. Like the 3 he hit over there on the wing, and stuff like that. Just his energy and his voice in those different timeouts I think was huge for us."
With a crucial 98-93 victory over the Utah Jazz in Game 6, the Clippers will attempt to extend the career of the 39-year-old Pierce, who is retiring at season's end, and capture the series Sunday in Game 7 at Staples Center.
The winner advances to the second round to meet the Golden State Warriors in a best-of-seven affair beginning Tuesday at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif.
Paul, whose two late free throws sealed the win against the Jazz, led the charge by scoring 29 points, dishing eight assists and allowing the Clippers to avoid elimination in the opening round for the second straight season. The Portland Trail Blazers bounced them last season in six games, aided by injuries to Paul and Blake Griffin.
And as Paul loathes to hear, the point guard has never guided a team past the second round.
"This is what we talked about before (Game 6)," said Paul, who has become the Clippers' main force offensively with Griffin out of the playoffs again, this time with an injury to his big toe. "Doc (Rivers) said to go out there and give yourself a chance. We knew we couldn't win both games (Friday), and we wanted to give ourselves a chance."
Utah will have another opportunity to end Pierce's career on Sunday despite missing a chance on its home court. After the Jazz won Game 5 on Tuesday at Staples, All-Star forward Gordon Hayward made it clear he didn't want to return for a Game 7.
Hayward, though, is humming a different tune now.
"We've come a long way from where we were three years ago," Hayward told the Salt Lake Tribune. "If you had told me at the beginning of the year you'd be in a Game 7 against the Clippers in L.A., I'd have been like, 'Bring it on.' "
The Jazz will be forced to bring their best with center Rudy Gobert hobbling again. Gobert, who sustained a hyperextended left knee in Game 1 that kept him out of the lineup for two games, sprained his ankle in the second half of Game 6 and was forced to the bench because of it during critical stretches.
Gobert said the ankle wouldn't hinder him Sunday.
"I sprained it on somebody's foot," said Gobert, who finished with 15 points, nine boards and three blocks, according to the Tribune. "I tried to run through it, but that didn't work out. I've had a lot of sprained ankles before. I will be good."
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Celtics, Wizards renew intense rivalry in playoffs
Stats, LLC
BOSTON – "These teams don't like each other."
You've heard the cliche thousands of times if you're a sports fan. Sometimes it's justified. Sometimes it's a bit overblown.
The Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics, who open their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Sunday at TD Garden, really don't like each other.
The season series between the teams, even at 2-2 (both teams winning their two home games), featured all kinds of rudeness, some of it even threatening to pour off the court -- as members of the Boston police stood in the hallway between the locker rooms after one game.
The Wizards even wore black to a home game against the Celtics.
But Washington guard Bradley Beal, talking to reporters Saturday, said, "It's basketball -- we're not fighting out here ... gonna keep it clean."
Now, whether or not the teams can do anything really mean to each other Sunday could be in doubt because they could be too tired to do anything but play basketball.
Both wrapped up their first-round series with Game 6 wins on Friday night and now have to play again some 40 hours later.
And on the Boston side, top scorer Isaiah Thomas flew from Chicago to Tacoma, Wash., for his sister's funeral and is due back in time for the game.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens made it clear Friday night he was not requiring his best player to get back for the game. But Thomas, who played the entire first round just after his sister's passing, is expected back.
"His plan is to come back today," Stevens told reporters at Saturday's practice. "But like I said last night, if it becomes too much and he needs to stay, whatever he needs."
On Friday, Stevens said, "Tomorrow's a lot more important than Sunday."
Team president Danny Ainge and assistant coach Jerome Allen accompanied Thomas to the Pacific Northwest.
"If we would have played Tuesday, I was gone, I was going," Stevens said. "With this turnaround, Danny went, Jerome Allen went out there. We all send our best. It's hard to think about how he feels right now."
Thomas' teammate, Avery Bradley, who also grew up in Tacoma, said members of his family would represent him at the funeral.
Thomas averaged 27.8 points per game against the Wizards and their talented backcourt this season.
On the other side, John Wall averaged 17.8 points and 8.3 rebounds but shot just 37.3 percent from the floor and 15.4 percent on 3-pointers against Boston. Beal scored 22 per game while shooting 47.8 percent overall and from behind the arc. Backup Kelly Oubre Jr. has done a good job defending Thomas this season.
Washington's Otto Porter Jr. played well against Boston, averaging 17 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and notching 34/14 while hitting 14 of 19 shots in one win. He has helped the Wizards control the boards against the Celtics.
Wall and Beal, who could be the most talented guard tandem in the league, combined for 73 points in the elimination win Friday night.
Wall, who averaged 29.5 points and 10.3 assists in the series against Atlanta, scored 19 fourth-quarter points and had a huge block as the Wizards blew 19 of a 22-point lead before Wall made sure they didn't blow it and force Game 7.
"We've been in this situation before, but we probably didn't have the confidence to close like we did late in the game," Wall said. "Now we do."
The Wizards will have to do it without Ian Mahinmi for at least Game 1. He remains out with a calf injury after missing the entire first round.
BOSTON – "These teams don't like each other."
You've heard the cliche thousands of times if you're a sports fan. Sometimes it's justified. Sometimes it's a bit overblown.
The Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics, who open their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Sunday at TD Garden, really don't like each other.
The season series between the teams, even at 2-2 (both teams winning their two home games), featured all kinds of rudeness, some of it even threatening to pour off the court -- as members of the Boston police stood in the hallway between the locker rooms after one game.
The Wizards even wore black to a home game against the Celtics.
But Washington guard Bradley Beal, talking to reporters Saturday, said, "It's basketball -- we're not fighting out here ... gonna keep it clean."
Now, whether or not the teams can do anything really mean to each other Sunday could be in doubt because they could be too tired to do anything but play basketball.
Both wrapped up their first-round series with Game 6 wins on Friday night and now have to play again some 40 hours later.
And on the Boston side, top scorer Isaiah Thomas flew from Chicago to Tacoma, Wash., for his sister's funeral and is due back in time for the game.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens made it clear Friday night he was not requiring his best player to get back for the game. But Thomas, who played the entire first round just after his sister's passing, is expected back.
"His plan is to come back today," Stevens told reporters at Saturday's practice. "But like I said last night, if it becomes too much and he needs to stay, whatever he needs."
On Friday, Stevens said, "Tomorrow's a lot more important than Sunday."
Team president Danny Ainge and assistant coach Jerome Allen accompanied Thomas to the Pacific Northwest.
"If we would have played Tuesday, I was gone, I was going," Stevens said. "With this turnaround, Danny went, Jerome Allen went out there. We all send our best. It's hard to think about how he feels right now."
Thomas' teammate, Avery Bradley, who also grew up in Tacoma, said members of his family would represent him at the funeral.
Thomas averaged 27.8 points per game against the Wizards and their talented backcourt this season.
On the other side, John Wall averaged 17.8 points and 8.3 rebounds but shot just 37.3 percent from the floor and 15.4 percent on 3-pointers against Boston. Beal scored 22 per game while shooting 47.8 percent overall and from behind the arc. Backup Kelly Oubre Jr. has done a good job defending Thomas this season.
Washington's Otto Porter Jr. played well against Boston, averaging 17 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and notching 34/14 while hitting 14 of 19 shots in one win. He has helped the Wizards control the boards against the Celtics.
Wall and Beal, who could be the most talented guard tandem in the league, combined for 73 points in the elimination win Friday night.
Wall, who averaged 29.5 points and 10.3 assists in the series against Atlanta, scored 19 fourth-quarter points and had a huge block as the Wizards blew 19 of a 22-point lead before Wall made sure they didn't blow it and force Game 7.
"We've been in this situation before, but we probably didn't have the confidence to close like we did late in the game," Wall said. "Now we do."
The Wizards will have to do it without Ian Mahinmi for at least Game 1. He remains out with a calf injury after missing the entire first round.
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Paul scores 29, Clippers beat Jazz 98-93 to force Game 7
By KAREEM COPELAND
AP Sports Writer
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Clippers coach Doc Rivers put it simply when he said Chris Paul willed his team to victory with the season on the line.
Paul scored 29 points and the Los Angeles Clippers forced a Game 7 in their first-round series with a 98-93 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday night.
The Clippers will host the only do-or-die game of the first round Sunday, with the winner advancing to face the Golden State Warriors.
"It's just Chris," Rivers said. "He is as competitive as a human being as I've ever been around. When you put that with the talent and the will, that's why he has performances like this in big games.
"Chris was amazing. He just willed the game for us."
Los Angeles began to edge away in the third quarter and appeared to be in control when Austin Rivers capped a 9-2 run with a step-back 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 91-77 with 3:58 remaining.
He hit another with 1:29 left to make it 96-86, but Gordon Hayward scored seven straight to bring the Jazz within three before Joe Johnson missed a 3-pointer in the waning seconds.
Paul pushed Los Angeles throughout the night and just wouldn't let the Clippers lose. The nine-time All-Star dominated and finished with eight assists, three rebounds and two steals. DeAndre Jordan added 13 points and 18 rebounds.
"We do it together," Paul said. "I came to (Jordan) during one of those timeouts in the fourth and said let's find a way. We've been in these situations time and time again. Some of us since we were kids playing AAU. You've just been in that situation. High school basketball. College basketball. It's the same game, it's just a lot more people at the games. You just go out there and try to stay in the moment."
The Clippers overcame a slow start to finish at 49 percent shooting from the field. The Jazz went in the opposite direction, getting sloppy with the ball in the third quarter and making numerous defensive mistakes. They also shot just 41.0 percent from the field and were 7 for 26 from behind the arc.
Hayward led the Jazz with 31 points, George Hill added 22 and Rudy Gobert finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.
"I thought we were competing," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "I'm not sure if we got tired or got tired of missing. They were the more energetic team. Their physicality on the defensive end, we didn't respond offensively the way that we needed to, or as forceful as we needed to be.
"When you're not aggressive enough with your frame of mind, I don't think you shoot the ball as well."
The Clippers took a 47-45 lead into halftime after closing on an 8-2 run, including a pair of jumpers by Luc Mbah a Moute.
The Jazz jumped out to a 22-13 lead and looked to be on the brink blowing the game wide open before the offense went cold and the Clippers ripped off an 11-0 run. Utah shot just 3 for 13 from 3-point range in the first half and missed several wide-open attempts.
"Some days are diamonds, some days are stones," Hayward said. "We didn't shoot the ball well tonight. We got the looks we wanted, which is a positive thing for us. I think that's the important part, we found the open shots, found the good looks.
"Dug ourselves a hole there and it's hard to dig out of it. I don't think we were nervous, we just couldn't find it tonight."
TIP-INS
Clippers: Austin Rivers started for the first time this series after missing the first four games with a hamstring injury. ... Jordan's six double-doubles in the first six games are a playoff high. ... The Clippers held Johnson to 3-for-9 shooting.
Jazz: Utah is 5-1 all-time when leading a playoff series 3-2. ... The Jazz opened the game as the only team in the playoffs ranking in the top three in field goal percentage and 3-point percentage.
GOBERT OK
Gobert was taken out of the game in the fourth quarter after suffering a mild left ankle sprain. X-rays were negative and he's expected to be fine for Game 7.
PAINT POINTS
The team with the points-in-the-paint advantage won the first five games. That streak came to an end as the Jazz outscored the Clippers 42-36 in the paint.
AP Sports Writer
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Clippers coach Doc Rivers put it simply when he said Chris Paul willed his team to victory with the season on the line.
Paul scored 29 points and the Los Angeles Clippers forced a Game 7 in their first-round series with a 98-93 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday night.
The Clippers will host the only do-or-die game of the first round Sunday, with the winner advancing to face the Golden State Warriors.
"It's just Chris," Rivers said. "He is as competitive as a human being as I've ever been around. When you put that with the talent and the will, that's why he has performances like this in big games.
"Chris was amazing. He just willed the game for us."
Los Angeles began to edge away in the third quarter and appeared to be in control when Austin Rivers capped a 9-2 run with a step-back 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 91-77 with 3:58 remaining.
He hit another with 1:29 left to make it 96-86, but Gordon Hayward scored seven straight to bring the Jazz within three before Joe Johnson missed a 3-pointer in the waning seconds.
Paul pushed Los Angeles throughout the night and just wouldn't let the Clippers lose. The nine-time All-Star dominated and finished with eight assists, three rebounds and two steals. DeAndre Jordan added 13 points and 18 rebounds.
"We do it together," Paul said. "I came to (Jordan) during one of those timeouts in the fourth and said let's find a way. We've been in these situations time and time again. Some of us since we were kids playing AAU. You've just been in that situation. High school basketball. College basketball. It's the same game, it's just a lot more people at the games. You just go out there and try to stay in the moment."
The Clippers overcame a slow start to finish at 49 percent shooting from the field. The Jazz went in the opposite direction, getting sloppy with the ball in the third quarter and making numerous defensive mistakes. They also shot just 41.0 percent from the field and were 7 for 26 from behind the arc.
Hayward led the Jazz with 31 points, George Hill added 22 and Rudy Gobert finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.
"I thought we were competing," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "I'm not sure if we got tired or got tired of missing. They were the more energetic team. Their physicality on the defensive end, we didn't respond offensively the way that we needed to, or as forceful as we needed to be.
"When you're not aggressive enough with your frame of mind, I don't think you shoot the ball as well."
The Clippers took a 47-45 lead into halftime after closing on an 8-2 run, including a pair of jumpers by Luc Mbah a Moute.
The Jazz jumped out to a 22-13 lead and looked to be on the brink blowing the game wide open before the offense went cold and the Clippers ripped off an 11-0 run. Utah shot just 3 for 13 from 3-point range in the first half and missed several wide-open attempts.
"Some days are diamonds, some days are stones," Hayward said. "We didn't shoot the ball well tonight. We got the looks we wanted, which is a positive thing for us. I think that's the important part, we found the open shots, found the good looks.
"Dug ourselves a hole there and it's hard to dig out of it. I don't think we were nervous, we just couldn't find it tonight."
TIP-INS
Clippers: Austin Rivers started for the first time this series after missing the first four games with a hamstring injury. ... Jordan's six double-doubles in the first six games are a playoff high. ... The Clippers held Johnson to 3-for-9 shooting.
Jazz: Utah is 5-1 all-time when leading a playoff series 3-2. ... The Jazz opened the game as the only team in the playoffs ranking in the top three in field goal percentage and 3-point percentage.
GOBERT OK
Gobert was taken out of the game in the fourth quarter after suffering a mild left ankle sprain. X-rays were negative and he's expected to be fine for Game 7.
PAINT POINTS
The team with the points-in-the-paint advantage won the first five games. That streak came to an end as the Jazz outscored the Clippers 42-36 in the paint.
Bradley scores 23, Celtics eliminate Bulls 105-83
By ANDREW SELIGMAN
AP Sports Writer
CHICAGO (AP) – The Boston Celtics kept reminding each other not to let up as they closed in on a lopsided victory and a trip to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
No need to worry about that.
Avery Bradley scored 23 points, and the hot-shooting Celtics pounded the Chicago Bulls 105-83 to win their first-round series 4-2 on Friday night.
The top-seeded Celtics simply torched Chicago to finish off a tougher-than-anticipated series and advance in the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Boston regrouped after dropping the first two games at home and will meet Washington in the Eastern semifinals. Game 1 is Sunday.
"Once we started to get the game at hand and in control, we all just kept repeating to stay focused, to keep it going, to keep pushing," Al Horford said. "We didn't want to give them any life. We were as focused and we were enjoying the moment."
Bradley finished one point shy of a playoff career high he set in Game 5. He nailed three 3-pointers and the Celtics hit 16 of 39 from long range.
Gerald Green scored 16 in his fourth straight start and Isaiah Thomas had 12 before heading home to Washington state for his sister Chyna's funeral on Saturday. Her death in a car accident the day before the playoff opener dealt a blow to the Celtics. But Boston rallied around its star player and regrouped when it looked like the series might slip from reach.
"Bigger things than basketball happen and that takes precedent," coach Brad Stevens said. "I was really proud of our guys, how they treated each other and how they stuck together. Nobody pointed fingers and we're a great support network for one another, especially Isaiah. I think they appreciated being counted out."
Jimmy Butler led Chicago with 23 points. But the Bulls never really found their rhythm over the final four games with point guard Rajon Rondo sidelined by a broken right thumb.
Dwyane Wade shot just 1 of 10 in a two-point effort that could be his final appearance for the Bulls. He has a $23.8 million option on the two-year deal he signed last summer to leave Miami and come home to Chicago.
"The big thing about it is we got off to poor starts in pretty much every game after the first two," coach Fred Hoiberg said. "But we found a way to bounce back and make it close."
Not this time.
The Celtics set the tone by hitting 3s on their first three possessions on the way to a 13-point halftime lead. They buried Chicago in the third, outscoring the Bulls 34-18. Things got so lopsided that Thomas gathered his teammates near the baseline late in the quarter and screamed: "That's a wrap for these (expletives)!"
"We came out and moved the ball around, we got open looks and they were going down for us," Bradley said. "It felt good to be playing Celtic basketball again. We were all smiling and having fun and that's how it's supposed to be."
TIP-INS
Celtics: The Celtics are 5-0 in playoff series against the Bulls. ... Boston made 76 3-pointers in the series while Chicago hit 42.
Bulls: The Bulls had 15 turnovers and 13 assists. ... Hoiberg said there is no structural damage in Butler's right knee. He also had this response when asked what soreness means: "Uh, that it hurts." ... New Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky, the No. 2 pick in the draft, got a rude welcome from the Chicago crowd. He was booed when he was shown on the videoboard in the third quarter.
QUOTABLE
Butler, whose name has come up in trade rumors, on his future with the Bulls: "I don't know. Go home and grab some dinner and talk about it with it my guys. Talk to them tomorrow and into two weeks."
SUPPORTING THOMAS
Bradley thought about attending Chyna Thomas' funeral. That won't happen with a game on Sunday, but his family will be there.
Bradley grew up near Thomas and they've known each other since they were youngsters.
"We're family," Bradley said. "Tacoma's small. We all know each other. I know my family will be there for him."
AP Sports Writer
CHICAGO (AP) – The Boston Celtics kept reminding each other not to let up as they closed in on a lopsided victory and a trip to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
No need to worry about that.
Avery Bradley scored 23 points, and the hot-shooting Celtics pounded the Chicago Bulls 105-83 to win their first-round series 4-2 on Friday night.
The top-seeded Celtics simply torched Chicago to finish off a tougher-than-anticipated series and advance in the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Boston regrouped after dropping the first two games at home and will meet Washington in the Eastern semifinals. Game 1 is Sunday.
"Once we started to get the game at hand and in control, we all just kept repeating to stay focused, to keep it going, to keep pushing," Al Horford said. "We didn't want to give them any life. We were as focused and we were enjoying the moment."
Bradley finished one point shy of a playoff career high he set in Game 5. He nailed three 3-pointers and the Celtics hit 16 of 39 from long range.
Gerald Green scored 16 in his fourth straight start and Isaiah Thomas had 12 before heading home to Washington state for his sister Chyna's funeral on Saturday. Her death in a car accident the day before the playoff opener dealt a blow to the Celtics. But Boston rallied around its star player and regrouped when it looked like the series might slip from reach.
"Bigger things than basketball happen and that takes precedent," coach Brad Stevens said. "I was really proud of our guys, how they treated each other and how they stuck together. Nobody pointed fingers and we're a great support network for one another, especially Isaiah. I think they appreciated being counted out."
Jimmy Butler led Chicago with 23 points. But the Bulls never really found their rhythm over the final four games with point guard Rajon Rondo sidelined by a broken right thumb.
Dwyane Wade shot just 1 of 10 in a two-point effort that could be his final appearance for the Bulls. He has a $23.8 million option on the two-year deal he signed last summer to leave Miami and come home to Chicago.
"The big thing about it is we got off to poor starts in pretty much every game after the first two," coach Fred Hoiberg said. "But we found a way to bounce back and make it close."
Not this time.
The Celtics set the tone by hitting 3s on their first three possessions on the way to a 13-point halftime lead. They buried Chicago in the third, outscoring the Bulls 34-18. Things got so lopsided that Thomas gathered his teammates near the baseline late in the quarter and screamed: "That's a wrap for these (expletives)!"
"We came out and moved the ball around, we got open looks and they were going down for us," Bradley said. "It felt good to be playing Celtic basketball again. We were all smiling and having fun and that's how it's supposed to be."
TIP-INS
Celtics: The Celtics are 5-0 in playoff series against the Bulls. ... Boston made 76 3-pointers in the series while Chicago hit 42.
Bulls: The Bulls had 15 turnovers and 13 assists. ... Hoiberg said there is no structural damage in Butler's right knee. He also had this response when asked what soreness means: "Uh, that it hurts." ... New Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky, the No. 2 pick in the draft, got a rude welcome from the Chicago crowd. He was booed when he was shown on the videoboard in the third quarter.
QUOTABLE
Butler, whose name has come up in trade rumors, on his future with the Bulls: "I don't know. Go home and grab some dinner and talk about it with it my guys. Talk to them tomorrow and into two weeks."
SUPPORTING THOMAS
Bradley thought about attending Chyna Thomas' funeral. That won't happen with a game on Sunday, but his family will be there.
Bradley grew up near Thomas and they've known each other since they were youngsters.
"We're family," Bradley said. "Tacoma's small. We all know each other. I know my family will be there for him."
John Wall scores 42 points, Wizards knock out Hawks 115-99
By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer
ATLANTA (AP) – John Wall had that look in his eye at morning shootaround.
Bradley Beal knew it was going to be a big night for Washington's star point guard.
Wall scored 42 points - a career playoff high , with 19 coming in the fourth quarter to single-handedly hold off a furious Atlanta comeback - and the Wizards eliminated the Hawks with a 115-99 victory Friday, capturing the opening-round playoff series 4-2.
"You could just tell he was locked in," Beal said. "He was ready to go. We just feed off that."
Beal wasn't too shabby either, scoring 31 points.
But this one was all about Wall, who stared down the crowd, jawed with NFL star Julio Jones and other celebrities sitting courtside and hit every big shot down the stretch . He was determined to get back at the Hawks for a second-round loss in 2015, when he missed three games with a broken hand.
"We came here with that focus and determination that we wanted to do the same thing those guys did to us two years ago," Wall said. "Me and Brad led the way. We locked in. Our teammates understood what we had (to do). We didn't want to have a Game 7."
Wall also came up with a huge defensive play that stymied the Hawks' momentum, hustling back to block Dennis Schroder's layup from behind when Atlanta had a chance to close within a single point after being down by as many as 22 .
"I knew he was going to get it," Beal said. "That was an easy play for him."
After claiming the first road victory by either team in the series, the Wizards advanced to face top-seeded Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals . The Celtics closed out the Bulls 4-2 with a 105-83 victory in Chicago.
Game 1 is Sunday in Boston.
Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 31 points, and Schroder had 26. After losing three close games in Washington, the Hawks finally ran out of steam.
"It's tough to get back in the game and then to get over the hump down the stretch," Millsap said. "You wear yourself out so much that it's tough to get over the hump."
Washington pushed out to a double-digit lead late in the first quarter, and closed the first half on a 19-4 run to take a 65-46 lead at the break. The Hawks turned the ball over six times during that five-minute stretch, making things easy for the Wizards.
Atlanta finished with 22 turnovers, including seven by Kent Bazemore.
After his big block on Schroder, Wall somehow got one to fall as he slammed into Millsap, further silencing a crowd that was in a frenzy with the home team rallying. Atlanta's Jose Calderon missed a 3-pointer, and Wall knocked down a pullup jumper to stretch the lead to 97-90.
That was it.
Washington finished on a 22-9 spurt to win going away.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Jason Smith was able to play 12 minutes after leaving Game 5 with a sprained left knee. "Give our staff a lot of credit," coach Scott Brooks said. "There was definitely a chance that he wasn't going to play." ... Markieff Morris finally managed to stay out of foul trouble. He scored 17 points, grabbed eight rebounds and picked up only two fouls.
Hawks: Dwight Howard, a non-factor most of the series, started out aggressively and seemed determined to have a big game. It didn't last. He finished with nine points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes. For the series, Howard averaged just 8.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. ... Tim Hardaway Jr. also had a rough night, hitting only 5 of 18 shots and scoring 13 points.
HEATED EXCHANGE
A series marked by hard feelings nearly took a really ugly turn in the final minute of the first quarter.
Bazemore lost the ball and Beal took off the other way for a layup. Bazemore appeared to give a little shove in the back, sending the Wizards star tumbling out of bounds.
Beal hopped up quickly and gave Bazemore a pop with the shoulder. Smith and Hardaway also got into it, but cooler heads prevailed and no punches were thrown.
All four players received technicals.
EARLY EXIT
The Hawks made their earliest exit from the playoffs since 2014, when they lost to Indiana in the opening round.
After claiming the top seed in the East two years ago and reaching the conference final, Atlanta has steadily regressed. The Hawks slipped to 48-34 last season and lost in the second round. This season, after signing Howard and handing the point guard job to Schroder, they dipped even further, going 43-39 during the regular season.
With Millsap set to become a free agent, it figures to be a very interesting offseason in Atlanta.
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Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .
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For more AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball
AP Sports Writer
ATLANTA (AP) – John Wall had that look in his eye at morning shootaround.
Bradley Beal knew it was going to be a big night for Washington's star point guard.
Wall scored 42 points - a career playoff high , with 19 coming in the fourth quarter to single-handedly hold off a furious Atlanta comeback - and the Wizards eliminated the Hawks with a 115-99 victory Friday, capturing the opening-round playoff series 4-2.
"You could just tell he was locked in," Beal said. "He was ready to go. We just feed off that."
Beal wasn't too shabby either, scoring 31 points.
But this one was all about Wall, who stared down the crowd, jawed with NFL star Julio Jones and other celebrities sitting courtside and hit every big shot down the stretch . He was determined to get back at the Hawks for a second-round loss in 2015, when he missed three games with a broken hand.
"We came here with that focus and determination that we wanted to do the same thing those guys did to us two years ago," Wall said. "Me and Brad led the way. We locked in. Our teammates understood what we had (to do). We didn't want to have a Game 7."
Wall also came up with a huge defensive play that stymied the Hawks' momentum, hustling back to block Dennis Schroder's layup from behind when Atlanta had a chance to close within a single point after being down by as many as 22 .
"I knew he was going to get it," Beal said. "That was an easy play for him."
After claiming the first road victory by either team in the series, the Wizards advanced to face top-seeded Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals . The Celtics closed out the Bulls 4-2 with a 105-83 victory in Chicago.
Game 1 is Sunday in Boston.
Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 31 points, and Schroder had 26. After losing three close games in Washington, the Hawks finally ran out of steam.
"It's tough to get back in the game and then to get over the hump down the stretch," Millsap said. "You wear yourself out so much that it's tough to get over the hump."
Washington pushed out to a double-digit lead late in the first quarter, and closed the first half on a 19-4 run to take a 65-46 lead at the break. The Hawks turned the ball over six times during that five-minute stretch, making things easy for the Wizards.
Atlanta finished with 22 turnovers, including seven by Kent Bazemore.
After his big block on Schroder, Wall somehow got one to fall as he slammed into Millsap, further silencing a crowd that was in a frenzy with the home team rallying. Atlanta's Jose Calderon missed a 3-pointer, and Wall knocked down a pullup jumper to stretch the lead to 97-90.
That was it.
Washington finished on a 22-9 spurt to win going away.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Jason Smith was able to play 12 minutes after leaving Game 5 with a sprained left knee. "Give our staff a lot of credit," coach Scott Brooks said. "There was definitely a chance that he wasn't going to play." ... Markieff Morris finally managed to stay out of foul trouble. He scored 17 points, grabbed eight rebounds and picked up only two fouls.
Hawks: Dwight Howard, a non-factor most of the series, started out aggressively and seemed determined to have a big game. It didn't last. He finished with nine points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes. For the series, Howard averaged just 8.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. ... Tim Hardaway Jr. also had a rough night, hitting only 5 of 18 shots and scoring 13 points.
HEATED EXCHANGE
A series marked by hard feelings nearly took a really ugly turn in the final minute of the first quarter.
Bazemore lost the ball and Beal took off the other way for a layup. Bazemore appeared to give a little shove in the back, sending the Wizards star tumbling out of bounds.
Beal hopped up quickly and gave Bazemore a pop with the shoulder. Smith and Hardaway also got into it, but cooler heads prevailed and no punches were thrown.
All four players received technicals.
EARLY EXIT
The Hawks made their earliest exit from the playoffs since 2014, when they lost to Indiana in the opening round.
After claiming the top seed in the East two years ago and reaching the conference final, Atlanta has steadily regressed. The Hawks slipped to 48-34 last season and lost in the second round. This season, after signing Howard and handing the point guard job to Schroder, they dipped even further, going 43-39 during the regular season.
With Millsap set to become a free agent, it figures to be a very interesting offseason in Atlanta.
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Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .
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NBA Playoff Capsules (April 29, 2017)
CHICAGO (AP) – Avery Bradley scored 23 points, and the hot-shooting Boston Celtics pounded the Chicago Bulls 105-83 to win their first-round series 4-2 on Friday night.
The top-seeded Celtics simply torched Chicago to finish off a tougher-than-anticipated series and advance in the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Boston regrouped after dropping the first two games at home and will meet Washington in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Game 1 is Sunday.
Bradley finished one point shy of a playoff career high he set in Game 5. He nailed three 3-pointers and the Celtics hit 16 of 39 from long range.
Gerald Green scored 16 and Isaiah Thomas had 12 before heading home to Washington state for his sister Chyna’s funeral on Saturday. Her death in a car accident the day before the playoff opener dealt a blow to the Celtics. But Boston rallied around its star player and regrouped when it looked like the series might slip from reach.
Jimmy Butler led Chicago with 23 points. But the Bulls never really found their rhythm over the final four games with point guard Rajon Rondo sidelined by a broken right thumb.
CLIPPERS 98, JAZZ 93
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Chris Paul scored 29 points and Los Angeles forced a Game 7 in their first-round series against Utah.
The Clippers will host the only do-or-die game of the first round Sunday, with the winner advancing to face the Golden State Warriors.
Los Angeles began to edge away in the third quarter and appeared to be in control when Austin Rivers capped a 9-2 run with a step-back 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 91-77 with 3:58 remaining.
He hit another with 1:29 left to make it 96-86, but Gordon Hayward scored seven straight to bring the Jazz within three before Joe Johnson missed a 3-pointer in the waning seconds.
WIZARDS 115, HAWKS 99
ATLANTA (AP) – John Wall scored 42 points, Bradley Beal added 31 and Washington withstood a furious comeback to close out Atlanta, winning the opening-round playoff series 4-2.
The Hawks fell behind by 22 early in the third quarter before making a game of it down the stretch. But the home team never led, and Wall stymied the rally with huge plays at both ends of the court.
Wall’s block of Dennis Schroder’s layup kept the Hawks from closing within a single point, and Wall hit every big shot in the closing minutes. He scored 19 points in the fourth quarter, ensuring that Washington picked up the first road victory by either team in the series.
The Wizards advanced to face top-seeded Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Celtics closed out the Bulls 4-2 with a 105-83 victory in Chicago.
Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 31 points, and Schroder had 26.
The top-seeded Celtics simply torched Chicago to finish off a tougher-than-anticipated series and advance in the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Boston regrouped after dropping the first two games at home and will meet Washington in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Game 1 is Sunday.
Bradley finished one point shy of a playoff career high he set in Game 5. He nailed three 3-pointers and the Celtics hit 16 of 39 from long range.
Gerald Green scored 16 and Isaiah Thomas had 12 before heading home to Washington state for his sister Chyna’s funeral on Saturday. Her death in a car accident the day before the playoff opener dealt a blow to the Celtics. But Boston rallied around its star player and regrouped when it looked like the series might slip from reach.
Jimmy Butler led Chicago with 23 points. But the Bulls never really found their rhythm over the final four games with point guard Rajon Rondo sidelined by a broken right thumb.
CLIPPERS 98, JAZZ 93
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Chris Paul scored 29 points and Los Angeles forced a Game 7 in their first-round series against Utah.
The Clippers will host the only do-or-die game of the first round Sunday, with the winner advancing to face the Golden State Warriors.
Los Angeles began to edge away in the third quarter and appeared to be in control when Austin Rivers capped a 9-2 run with a step-back 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 91-77 with 3:58 remaining.
He hit another with 1:29 left to make it 96-86, but Gordon Hayward scored seven straight to bring the Jazz within three before Joe Johnson missed a 3-pointer in the waning seconds.
WIZARDS 115, HAWKS 99
ATLANTA (AP) – John Wall scored 42 points, Bradley Beal added 31 and Washington withstood a furious comeback to close out Atlanta, winning the opening-round playoff series 4-2.
The Hawks fell behind by 22 early in the third quarter before making a game of it down the stretch. But the home team never led, and Wall stymied the rally with huge plays at both ends of the court.
Wall’s block of Dennis Schroder’s layup kept the Hawks from closing within a single point, and Wall hit every big shot in the closing minutes. He scored 19 points in the fourth quarter, ensuring that Washington picked up the first road victory by either team in the series.
The Wizards advanced to face top-seeded Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Celtics closed out the Bulls 4-2 with a 105-83 victory in Chicago.
Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 31 points, and Schroder had 26.
Friday, April 28, 2017
Spurs get much-needed time off before semifinal with Houston
By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer
MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AP) – Gregg Popovich feels like his San Antonio Spurs survived the Memphis Grizzlies and is grateful their first-round series finally is over after six games.
His Spurs desperately need a couple days off before hosting Houston on Monday night in their Western Conference semifinal.
The Spurs finished the game on a 22-8 run Thursday night after trailing by seven in beating Memphis 103-96 to take the series 4-2. Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points, and Tony Parker added 27.
"I'm seriously thrilled that we were able to get through that first round," Popovich said. "That's the good news. The bad news is that we now have to go play Houston."
The Spurs advanced by winning on the road, something neither San Antonio nor Memphis had managed against each other all season long. LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and 12 rebounds as San Antonio outrebounded Memphis 46-28. They got 16 of those on the offensive boards, leading to 17 second-chance points.
Parker said the Spurs treated this like a Game 7 to make sure they avoided heading home to play a deciding seventh game that had been scheduled for Saturday. That would've meant only one day to rest and prepare for the No. 3-seeded Rockets with this semifinal starting Monday night in San Antonio.
"We wanted those days off before playing Houston because it's going to be a fast-paced game against them," Parker said. "They have a great offense, and the key is going to be defense. So we're going to have to have our legs. I think this win is huge obviously, because we won the series, but even to prepare against Houston."
For much of this series, Leonard carried the Spurs as he matched or topped his playoff career high in scoring in three of the five games. He also hit his first 42 free throws of this series, the most to start a postseason series in NBA history.
But some of the other Spurs started stepping up as San Antonio turned a 2-2 tie into a series victory. Patty Mills came through in San Antonio's Game 5 win with 20 points off the bench, and he added another 10 Thursday night. Manu Ginobili ended an 0-of-15 shooting skid with 10 points off the bench in Game 5.
Parker had his best game of the series Thursday night, hitting his first six shots and finishing with 27 points. He also had two rebounds and four assists. The veteran guard, who turns 35 on May 17, was seen icing both feet and his left knee after the game but walked just fine talking to reporters.
He said he talked with Popovich about how the Grizzlies were going under on pick-and-rolls and not giving shots for Aldridge.
"I had to be aggressive," Parker said. "That's a choice that Memphis made. We talked about it last week. They just are going to leave me in the corner 3s and just go under the pick-and-rolls, so I had to be aggressive."
The Spurs easily swept the Grizzlies a year ago when Memphis had a patchwork roster with Mike Conley and Marc Gasol injured on the bench. Then they lost to Oklahoma City in six games. They agreed this series against Memphis will be much better preparation for what lies ahead.
"It's an experience that helps you push through the tough times on the floor, and that's how you gain confidence," Leonard said.
Leonard said the break also will be good for the older Spurs, plus himself after a very physical series.
"We can just regroup, get our energy back and get our bodies prepared for the next round," Leonard said. "It's going to be tougher."
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AP Sports Writer
MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AP) – Gregg Popovich feels like his San Antonio Spurs survived the Memphis Grizzlies and is grateful their first-round series finally is over after six games.His Spurs desperately need a couple days off before hosting Houston on Monday night in their Western Conference semifinal.
The Spurs finished the game on a 22-8 run Thursday night after trailing by seven in beating Memphis 103-96 to take the series 4-2. Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points, and Tony Parker added 27.
"I'm seriously thrilled that we were able to get through that first round," Popovich said. "That's the good news. The bad news is that we now have to go play Houston."
The Spurs advanced by winning on the road, something neither San Antonio nor Memphis had managed against each other all season long. LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and 12 rebounds as San Antonio outrebounded Memphis 46-28. They got 16 of those on the offensive boards, leading to 17 second-chance points.
Parker said the Spurs treated this like a Game 7 to make sure they avoided heading home to play a deciding seventh game that had been scheduled for Saturday. That would've meant only one day to rest and prepare for the No. 3-seeded Rockets with this semifinal starting Monday night in San Antonio.
"We wanted those days off before playing Houston because it's going to be a fast-paced game against them," Parker said. "They have a great offense, and the key is going to be defense. So we're going to have to have our legs. I think this win is huge obviously, because we won the series, but even to prepare against Houston."
For much of this series, Leonard carried the Spurs as he matched or topped his playoff career high in scoring in three of the five games. He also hit his first 42 free throws of this series, the most to start a postseason series in NBA history.
But some of the other Spurs started stepping up as San Antonio turned a 2-2 tie into a series victory. Patty Mills came through in San Antonio's Game 5 win with 20 points off the bench, and he added another 10 Thursday night. Manu Ginobili ended an 0-of-15 shooting skid with 10 points off the bench in Game 5.
Parker had his best game of the series Thursday night, hitting his first six shots and finishing with 27 points. He also had two rebounds and four assists. The veteran guard, who turns 35 on May 17, was seen icing both feet and his left knee after the game but walked just fine talking to reporters.
He said he talked with Popovich about how the Grizzlies were going under on pick-and-rolls and not giving shots for Aldridge.
"I had to be aggressive," Parker said. "That's a choice that Memphis made. We talked about it last week. They just are going to leave me in the corner 3s and just go under the pick-and-rolls, so I had to be aggressive."
The Spurs easily swept the Grizzlies a year ago when Memphis had a patchwork roster with Mike Conley and Marc Gasol injured on the bench. Then they lost to Oklahoma City in six games. They agreed this series against Memphis will be much better preparation for what lies ahead.
"It's an experience that helps you push through the tough times on the floor, and that's how you gain confidence," Leonard said.
Leonard said the break also will be good for the older Spurs, plus himself after a very physical series.
"We can just regroup, get our energy back and get our bodies prepared for the next round," Leonard said. "It's going to be tougher."
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More AP NBA: apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball
Tested again, resilient Raptors rest up for Cavs rematch
By GENARO C. ARMAS
AP Sports Writer
MILWAUKEE (AP) – The Toronto Raptors keep getting themselves into tough situations in the playoffs.
They hope their resilience helps make them stronger as they get ready to face the Cleveland Cavaliers again.
At the least, the Raptors will need to get better at holding onto big leads after blowing a 25-point advantage against the Milwaukee Bucks before winning 92-89 on Thursday night. Toronto took a physical, tiring first-round series in six games.
"We're just a team up north. We don't get a lot of respect and I like that," coach Dwane Casey said. "As a matter of fact I think we're better with our backs against the wall."
The Eastern Conference semifinals start in Cleveland on Monday.
"Ready for the next one. Ready for the next one," guard DeMar DeRozan said. The Raptors' leading scorer had 32 points on 12-of-24 shooting, along with five steals.
But once again, the Raptors didn't make it easy on themselves. They looked as if they were on cruise control after DeMarre Carroll's 3 gave them the 71-46 advantage with 5:16 left in the third quarter.
Then they started resembling the team that got embarrassed in a 27-point blowout in Game 3.
Giannis Antetokounmpo played 47 minutes, mustering enough energy to help spearhead a second-half rally. He repeatedly tore through the Toronto defense to get to the lane, finishing with 34 points. Khris Middleton fought through an illness that bothered him all week to score 19 points.
On offense, the Raptors stopped moving the ball. They had so much success up to that point with throwing quick passes, finding cutters and scoring on pick-and-rolls. The Bucks didn't trap as much as earlier in the series, throwing a new wrinkle at Toronto.
"I handled it well. I was ready (for) whatever they were going to throw at me," DeRozan said. "I knew later in the game it was going to be difficult and it was."
Both teams were tired in the final few minutes, especially the Bucks. But Milwaukee still set an aggressive tone from late in the third quarter through most of the fourth. Casey said his team had lost some composure during the Bucks' run.
"Our physicality is something we have to look at," he said. "At the end of the day, I loved our resiliency. I loved how our guys didn't cave in."
Toronto answered the Game 3 blowout by winning a defensive slugfest in Game 4, the start of three straight victories to close out the series.
Now it's on to Cleveland, a year after losing to the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals in six games.
Casey said again on Thursday night that his playoff-tested team knows how to respond from adversity. They're used to being doubted.
"We're better from that standpoint," he said. "We've got some fighters and scrappers. ... We make it hard on ourselves sometimes, but at the end of the day we're going to go down swinging."
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AP Sports Writer
They hope their resilience helps make them stronger as they get ready to face the Cleveland Cavaliers again.
At the least, the Raptors will need to get better at holding onto big leads after blowing a 25-point advantage against the Milwaukee Bucks before winning 92-89 on Thursday night. Toronto took a physical, tiring first-round series in six games.
"We're just a team up north. We don't get a lot of respect and I like that," coach Dwane Casey said. "As a matter of fact I think we're better with our backs against the wall."
The Eastern Conference semifinals start in Cleveland on Monday.
"Ready for the next one. Ready for the next one," guard DeMar DeRozan said. The Raptors' leading scorer had 32 points on 12-of-24 shooting, along with five steals.
But once again, the Raptors didn't make it easy on themselves. They looked as if they were on cruise control after DeMarre Carroll's 3 gave them the 71-46 advantage with 5:16 left in the third quarter.
Then they started resembling the team that got embarrassed in a 27-point blowout in Game 3.
Giannis Antetokounmpo played 47 minutes, mustering enough energy to help spearhead a second-half rally. He repeatedly tore through the Toronto defense to get to the lane, finishing with 34 points. Khris Middleton fought through an illness that bothered him all week to score 19 points.
On offense, the Raptors stopped moving the ball. They had so much success up to that point with throwing quick passes, finding cutters and scoring on pick-and-rolls. The Bucks didn't trap as much as earlier in the series, throwing a new wrinkle at Toronto.
"I handled it well. I was ready (for) whatever they were going to throw at me," DeRozan said. "I knew later in the game it was going to be difficult and it was."
Both teams were tired in the final few minutes, especially the Bucks. But Milwaukee still set an aggressive tone from late in the third quarter through most of the fourth. Casey said his team had lost some composure during the Bucks' run.
"Our physicality is something we have to look at," he said. "At the end of the day, I loved our resiliency. I loved how our guys didn't cave in."
Toronto answered the Game 3 blowout by winning a defensive slugfest in Game 4, the start of three straight victories to close out the series.
Now it's on to Cleveland, a year after losing to the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals in six games.
Casey said again on Thursday night that his playoff-tested team knows how to respond from adversity. They're used to being doubted.
"We're better from that standpoint," he said. "We've got some fighters and scrappers. ... We make it hard on ourselves sometimes, but at the end of the day we're going to go down swinging."
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More AP NBA: apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball
Bruno Caboclo leads Raptors 905 to NBA D-League title
Associated Press
MISSISSAUGA, Ontario (AP) – Bruno Coboclo led Raptors 905 to the NBA Development League title Thursday night, scoring 31 points and adding 11 rebounds in a 122-96 victory over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
Raptors 905 won the best-of-three series 2-1, taking the last two at home after dropping the opener at Rio Grande.
Caboclo was 13 for 19 from the field, going 5 of 7 from 3-point range. Fred VanVleet added 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting and 14 rebounds, and Pascal Siakim had 17 points. Troy Williams led the Vipers with 23 points.
Raptors 905 is affiliated with the NBA's Toronto Raptors, and Rio Grande with the Houston Rockets.
MISSISSAUGA, Ontario (AP) – Bruno Coboclo led Raptors 905 to the NBA Development League title Thursday night, scoring 31 points and adding 11 rebounds in a 122-96 victory over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
Raptors 905 won the best-of-three series 2-1, taking the last two at home after dropping the opener at Rio Grande.
Caboclo was 13 for 19 from the field, going 5 of 7 from 3-point range. Fred VanVleet added 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting and 14 rebounds, and Pascal Siakim had 17 points. Troy Williams led the Vipers with 23 points.
Raptors 905 is affiliated with the NBA's Toronto Raptors, and Rio Grande with the Houston Rockets.
Spurs advance: San Antonio beats Grizzlies 103-96 in Game 6
By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – The San Antonio Spurs wanted no part of playing a seventh game against the Grizzlies, not with the Houston Rockets looming in the next round.
Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points, and the Spurs advanced to the Western Conference semifinals by beating Memphis 103-96 on Thursday night to take the series 4-2.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich congratulated Memphis on a great year, especially rookie coach David Fizdale.
"I'm seriously thrilled that we were able to get through that first round," Popovich said. "That's the good news. The bad news is that now we have to go play Houston."
The Spurs now have beaten Memphis four of the five playoff series between these teams, and this was San Antonio's second straight win over the Grizzlies in the first round. But this was the first time all season that the visiting team won.
"It's huge for us," Spurs guard Tony Parker said. "Memphis, you have to give them a lot of credit. They played unbelievable. They're a great team, and they made it hard on us and so we didn't want to come back for Game 7. We treated this game as if it was Game 7. We wanted those days off before playing Houston because it's going to be a fast-paced game against them."
Parker added 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting, while LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and 12 rebounds. San Antonio outrebounded Memphis 46-28, with 16 of those offensive boards. That led to 17 second-chance points.
Fizdale said rebounds, points in the paint and who pressured the best impacted each game in the series.
"I kept stressing that to our guys," Fizdale said. "To their credit, (the Spurs) won it more games than we did. But it definitely wasn't from a lack of competition on our part. I can sleep at night knowing my guys battled and competed their tails off."
The Spurs' semifinal with Houston will start Monday night in San Antonio.
Mike Conley scored 26 points, leading the five Memphis starters in double digits. Marc Gasol added 18.
The Grizzlies fell to 3-10 in elimination games, losing six straight.
This was a taut game with 16 ties and nine lead changes, especially with four ties in the fourth quarter.
The Spurs took control after the Grizzlies went up 88-81 on three free throws from Conley with 6:29 left. Then Leonard scored eight straight for San Antonio, starting a 22-8 run to finish the game.
"The guys were amazing in the fourth quarter," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. "Huge plays. Great defense too. So, happy to go back home with a win and win the series."
Even with Conley and Gasol a combined 2 of 10 in the first quarter, the Grizzlies trailed only 24-22 after Conley knocked down a 3 at the end of the quarter for his first bucket of the game. Conley hit another 3 for the final shot in the second quarter, putting Memphis up 50-45. The team that led at halftime won each of the first five games.
Parker hit his first six shots before finally missing his seventh with 29 seconds left in the first half.
The Grizzlies took their biggest lead at 57-47 on a 3-pointer by James Ennis III. That gave Memphis as many made 3s (9 of 17) as the Spurs had attempted (3 of 9) at that point. Randolph's layup with 7:19 left matched that 10-point lead at 63-53.
Then the Spurs went on a 13-3 run over a 4-minute span to erase that lead on Aldridge's three-point play at 67-66. Aldridge finished with nine points in helping the Spurs lead 75-74 at the end of the quarter.
TIP-INS
Spurs: They improved to 36-15 with a chance to clinch a series under Popovich, who took over in the 1996-97 season. ... Ginobili converted a four-point play with 1:31 left in the third, putting the Spurs up 73-69. ... The Spurs wound up tying the Grizzlies' reserves with 16 points thanks to Mills.
Grizzlies: The Grizzlies set a franchise record hitting eight 3-pointers in the first half, topping the previous mark of seven in the second half May 1, 2005, against Phoenix. ... Conley has 20 or more points in five straight playoff games, the longest such streak in franchise history.
HE SAID IT
Popovich: "I'm thrilled we were able to win because if we played 10 times, we each would probably win five."
FREE THROW WATCH
Fizdale earned a $30,000 fine from the NBA for his "Take that for data" rant about the free throw discrepancy in Game 2. Well, Leonard was 9 of 10 at the free throw line through three quarters compared to the Grizzlies' 7 of 8. The Spurs were 18 of 20 through three quarters. The Spurs finished 22 of 25 compared to 20 of 24 for Memphis.
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AP Sports Writer
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – The San Antonio Spurs wanted no part of playing a seventh game against the Grizzlies, not with the Houston Rockets looming in the next round.
Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points, and the Spurs advanced to the Western Conference semifinals by beating Memphis 103-96 on Thursday night to take the series 4-2.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich congratulated Memphis on a great year, especially rookie coach David Fizdale.
"I'm seriously thrilled that we were able to get through that first round," Popovich said. "That's the good news. The bad news is that now we have to go play Houston."
The Spurs now have beaten Memphis four of the five playoff series between these teams, and this was San Antonio's second straight win over the Grizzlies in the first round. But this was the first time all season that the visiting team won.
"It's huge for us," Spurs guard Tony Parker said. "Memphis, you have to give them a lot of credit. They played unbelievable. They're a great team, and they made it hard on us and so we didn't want to come back for Game 7. We treated this game as if it was Game 7. We wanted those days off before playing Houston because it's going to be a fast-paced game against them."
Parker added 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting, while LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and 12 rebounds. San Antonio outrebounded Memphis 46-28, with 16 of those offensive boards. That led to 17 second-chance points.
Fizdale said rebounds, points in the paint and who pressured the best impacted each game in the series.
"I kept stressing that to our guys," Fizdale said. "To their credit, (the Spurs) won it more games than we did. But it definitely wasn't from a lack of competition on our part. I can sleep at night knowing my guys battled and competed their tails off."
The Spurs' semifinal with Houston will start Monday night in San Antonio.
Mike Conley scored 26 points, leading the five Memphis starters in double digits. Marc Gasol added 18.
The Grizzlies fell to 3-10 in elimination games, losing six straight.
This was a taut game with 16 ties and nine lead changes, especially with four ties in the fourth quarter.
The Spurs took control after the Grizzlies went up 88-81 on three free throws from Conley with 6:29 left. Then Leonard scored eight straight for San Antonio, starting a 22-8 run to finish the game.
"The guys were amazing in the fourth quarter," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. "Huge plays. Great defense too. So, happy to go back home with a win and win the series."
Even with Conley and Gasol a combined 2 of 10 in the first quarter, the Grizzlies trailed only 24-22 after Conley knocked down a 3 at the end of the quarter for his first bucket of the game. Conley hit another 3 for the final shot in the second quarter, putting Memphis up 50-45. The team that led at halftime won each of the first five games.
Parker hit his first six shots before finally missing his seventh with 29 seconds left in the first half.
The Grizzlies took their biggest lead at 57-47 on a 3-pointer by James Ennis III. That gave Memphis as many made 3s (9 of 17) as the Spurs had attempted (3 of 9) at that point. Randolph's layup with 7:19 left matched that 10-point lead at 63-53.
Then the Spurs went on a 13-3 run over a 4-minute span to erase that lead on Aldridge's three-point play at 67-66. Aldridge finished with nine points in helping the Spurs lead 75-74 at the end of the quarter.
TIP-INS
Spurs: They improved to 36-15 with a chance to clinch a series under Popovich, who took over in the 1996-97 season. ... Ginobili converted a four-point play with 1:31 left in the third, putting the Spurs up 73-69. ... The Spurs wound up tying the Grizzlies' reserves with 16 points thanks to Mills.
Grizzlies: The Grizzlies set a franchise record hitting eight 3-pointers in the first half, topping the previous mark of seven in the second half May 1, 2005, against Phoenix. ... Conley has 20 or more points in five straight playoff games, the longest such streak in franchise history.
HE SAID IT
Popovich: "I'm thrilled we were able to win because if we played 10 times, we each would probably win five."
FREE THROW WATCH
Fizdale earned a $30,000 fine from the NBA for his "Take that for data" rant about the free throw discrepancy in Game 2. Well, Leonard was 9 of 10 at the free throw line through three quarters compared to the Grizzlies' 7 of 8. The Spurs were 18 of 20 through three quarters. The Spurs finished 22 of 25 compared to 20 of 24 for Memphis.
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Whew! Raptors blow 25-point lead, but beat Bucks 92-89
By GENARO C. ARMAS
AP Sports Writer
MILWAUKEE (AP) – The crowd on the road was rowdy. The 25-point lead was gone. The Toronto Raptors were frazzled, in danger of losing a Game 6 in the playoffs again.
This time, Toronto found a way to win.
DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points, Cory Joseph had five points in a 9-0 run in the final 2 minutes to answer a furious rally by the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Raptors held on for a 92-89 victory Thursday night to take their first-round playoff series in six games.
The Raptors move on to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, a series that starts Monday.
"We lost our composure a little bit," coach Dwane Casey said. "Again, we found a way to (hold on). That's what good teams do."
Toronto snapped a five-game losing streak in Game 6s, earning a couple extra days off to rest for the Cavaliers. The Raptors also need to work on finishing off opponents in the second half.
Joseph's 3 with 1:27 left put Toronto up for good, 85-82. Two foul shots from Joseph with 33.9 seconds extended the lead to seven.
The Raptors could finally breathe easy after DeRozan went 2 of 2 from the foul line with 3.1 seconds to play for a three-point lead. Tony Snell's inbounds pass on the ensuing possession was intercepted by DeRozan.
"We stayed calm. We knew they weren't going to give up," DeRozan said.
Jason Terry's 3 with 3:06 left had given the Bucks an 80-78 lead, completing an unlikely comeback from the 25-point deficit with 5:16 left in the third quarter. The Raptors looked as if they were on cruise control after DeMarre Carroll's 3 gave them the 71-46 advantage.
Giannis Antetokounmpo spearheaded the second-half rally for Milwaukee. He had 34 points.
But the Bucks finished one comeback short.
A 9-of-18 showing from the foul line in the fourth quarter hurt, too.
"We always talk about the little things, and when we look at this it comes down to just free throws," coach Jason Kidd said. "We don't need to overanalyze it. We got to the stripe and we just couldn't capitalize on that."
Khris Middleton added 19 points for the Bucks after missing practice time this week because of illness.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Toronto last won a Game 6 in 2001 after defeating Philadelphia in a second-round series. ... Entering Thursday, Toronto was 0-4 all-time in Game 6s on the road, and 0-3 in Casey's six-year tenure with the team. That stretch started in 2014, when the Raptors lost a first-round series to the Brooklyn Nets, who were then coached by Kidd. ... DeRozan was 7 of 13 for a game-high 16 points in the first half. ... The Raptors lost three of four games to Cleveland in the regular season.
Bucks: Middleton made the only 3 of the first half for Milwaukee, which missed its eight other shots from behind the arc. The Raptors outscored the Bucks 28-22 in the paint, negating Milwaukee's strength. ... The franchise hasn't won a playoff series since advancing to the Eastern Conference finals in 2001.
BREATHLESS BUCKS
The furious effort appeared to sap the energy of the young Bucks. Even Antetokounmpo, a gym rat, looked tired with his hands on hips as he caught his breath during fourth-quarter breaks. He played 47 minutes.
Antetokounmpo finished 13 of 23 from the field and 2 of 6 in the fourth.
A frenetic, towel-waving crowd helped fuel the Bucks.
"You know you're going to be tired, it's the playoffs. I just was thinking in my mind `Do whatever it takes,'" the All-Star said. "I told my teammates to just fight through it. It was not just me. Everybody was tired."
LOSING FOCUS
Nearly everything was going Toronto's way from late in the first quarter to midway through the third quarter.
Then the Raptors lost focus. They looked like the team that had the embarrassing 27-point loss in Game 3.
"I think we gave up the lead by not passing the ball, not moving the ball as much," guard Kyle Lowry said. "But you live and you learn. ... On to the next one and we're prepared for the next one."
Lowry finished with 13 points.
UP NEXT
The Raptors will face Cleveland a year after losing to the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals in six games.
"Winning in Cleveland is difficult. We know what we're facing," Casey said. "Hopefully we've got a couple days now to review what they're doing."
---
More AP NBA: apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball
AP Sports Writer
MILWAUKEE (AP) – The crowd on the road was rowdy. The 25-point lead was gone. The Toronto Raptors were frazzled, in danger of losing a Game 6 in the playoffs again.
This time, Toronto found a way to win.
DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points, Cory Joseph had five points in a 9-0 run in the final 2 minutes to answer a furious rally by the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Raptors held on for a 92-89 victory Thursday night to take their first-round playoff series in six games.
The Raptors move on to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, a series that starts Monday.
"We lost our composure a little bit," coach Dwane Casey said. "Again, we found a way to (hold on). That's what good teams do."
Toronto snapped a five-game losing streak in Game 6s, earning a couple extra days off to rest for the Cavaliers. The Raptors also need to work on finishing off opponents in the second half.
Joseph's 3 with 1:27 left put Toronto up for good, 85-82. Two foul shots from Joseph with 33.9 seconds extended the lead to seven.
The Raptors could finally breathe easy after DeRozan went 2 of 2 from the foul line with 3.1 seconds to play for a three-point lead. Tony Snell's inbounds pass on the ensuing possession was intercepted by DeRozan.
"We stayed calm. We knew they weren't going to give up," DeRozan said.
Jason Terry's 3 with 3:06 left had given the Bucks an 80-78 lead, completing an unlikely comeback from the 25-point deficit with 5:16 left in the third quarter. The Raptors looked as if they were on cruise control after DeMarre Carroll's 3 gave them the 71-46 advantage.
Giannis Antetokounmpo spearheaded the second-half rally for Milwaukee. He had 34 points.
But the Bucks finished one comeback short.
A 9-of-18 showing from the foul line in the fourth quarter hurt, too.
"We always talk about the little things, and when we look at this it comes down to just free throws," coach Jason Kidd said. "We don't need to overanalyze it. We got to the stripe and we just couldn't capitalize on that."
Khris Middleton added 19 points for the Bucks after missing practice time this week because of illness.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Toronto last won a Game 6 in 2001 after defeating Philadelphia in a second-round series. ... Entering Thursday, Toronto was 0-4 all-time in Game 6s on the road, and 0-3 in Casey's six-year tenure with the team. That stretch started in 2014, when the Raptors lost a first-round series to the Brooklyn Nets, who were then coached by Kidd. ... DeRozan was 7 of 13 for a game-high 16 points in the first half. ... The Raptors lost three of four games to Cleveland in the regular season.
Bucks: Middleton made the only 3 of the first half for Milwaukee, which missed its eight other shots from behind the arc. The Raptors outscored the Bucks 28-22 in the paint, negating Milwaukee's strength. ... The franchise hasn't won a playoff series since advancing to the Eastern Conference finals in 2001.
BREATHLESS BUCKS
The furious effort appeared to sap the energy of the young Bucks. Even Antetokounmpo, a gym rat, looked tired with his hands on hips as he caught his breath during fourth-quarter breaks. He played 47 minutes.
Antetokounmpo finished 13 of 23 from the field and 2 of 6 in the fourth.
A frenetic, towel-waving crowd helped fuel the Bucks.
"You know you're going to be tired, it's the playoffs. I just was thinking in my mind `Do whatever it takes,'" the All-Star said. "I told my teammates to just fight through it. It was not just me. Everybody was tired."
LOSING FOCUS
Nearly everything was going Toronto's way from late in the first quarter to midway through the third quarter.
Then the Raptors lost focus. They looked like the team that had the embarrassing 27-point loss in Game 3.
"I think we gave up the lead by not passing the ball, not moving the ball as much," guard Kyle Lowry said. "But you live and you learn. ... On to the next one and we're prepared for the next one."
Lowry finished with 13 points.
UP NEXT
The Raptors will face Cleveland a year after losing to the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals in six games.
"Winning in Cleveland is difficult. We know what we're facing," Casey said. "Hopefully we've got a couple days now to review what they're doing."
---
More AP NBA: apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball
NBA Playoff Capsules (April 28, 2017)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points, and the San Antonio Spurs advanced to the Western Conference semifinals by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 103-96 Thursday night to take the series 4-2.
The Spurs now have beaten Memphis four of the five playoff series between these teams, and this was San Antonio’s second straight win over the Grizzlies in the first round.
Tony Parker added 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting, while LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and 12 rebounds. Patty Mills had 10 points off the bench for the Spurs. San Antonio outrebounded Memphis 46-28, with 16 of those offensive boards. That led to 17 second-chance points.
Their semifinal with Houston will start Monday night in San Antonio.
Mike Conley scored 26 points, leading the five Memphis starters in double digits. Marc Gasol added 18.
RAPTORS 92, BUCKS 89
MILWAUKEE (AP) – DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points and Toronto squandered a 25-point lead late in the third quarter before holding on to beat Milwaukee and win the first-round playoff series in six games.
Cory Joseph had five points in a 9-0 run in the final 2 minutes, including a 3-pointer with 1:27 left, to help stave off the pesky Bucks.
The Raptors move on to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals in a series that starts Monday. They’ll need to work on finishing off opponents in the second half.
Jason Terry’s 3 with 3:06 left gave the Bucks an 80-78 lead, completing an unlikely comeback from the 25-point deficit with 5:16 left in the third quarter. The Raptors looked as if they were on cruise control after DeMarre Carroll’s 3 gave them the 71-46 advantage.
Giannis Antetokounmpo spearheaded the second-half rally for Milwaukee. He had 34 points.
The Spurs now have beaten Memphis four of the five playoff series between these teams, and this was San Antonio’s second straight win over the Grizzlies in the first round.
Tony Parker added 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting, while LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and 12 rebounds. Patty Mills had 10 points off the bench for the Spurs. San Antonio outrebounded Memphis 46-28, with 16 of those offensive boards. That led to 17 second-chance points.
Their semifinal with Houston will start Monday night in San Antonio.
Mike Conley scored 26 points, leading the five Memphis starters in double digits. Marc Gasol added 18.
RAPTORS 92, BUCKS 89
MILWAUKEE (AP) – DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points and Toronto squandered a 25-point lead late in the third quarter before holding on to beat Milwaukee and win the first-round playoff series in six games.
Cory Joseph had five points in a 9-0 run in the final 2 minutes, including a 3-pointer with 1:27 left, to help stave off the pesky Bucks.
The Raptors move on to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals in a series that starts Monday. They’ll need to work on finishing off opponents in the second half.
Jason Terry’s 3 with 3:06 left gave the Bucks an 80-78 lead, completing an unlikely comeback from the 25-point deficit with 5:16 left in the third quarter. The Raptors looked as if they were on cruise control after DeMarre Carroll’s 3 gave them the 71-46 advantage.
Giannis Antetokounmpo spearheaded the second-half rally for Milwaukee. He had 34 points.
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Rockets recall Isaiah Taylor, assign Troy William
HOUSTON, TX -- Today, the Houston Rockets recalled guard Isaiah Taylor from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA D-League and assign Troy William.
In 6 playoff games in the D-League this season, Taylor has averaged 19.2 points-per-game, 5.0 rebounds-per-game, and 7.8 assists-per-game.
William has recorded 2.0 rebounds-per-game in one playoff game for Houston this season.
Grizzlies face must-win situation, host Spurs
Stats, LLC
If the season is a guide, the San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies will have a Game 7.
The home team is undefeated in nine overall meetings this season as Memphis hosts San Antonio on Thursday for Game 6 of a Western Conference first-round playoff series at FedExForum.
"We're treating every game like it's a Game 7," Memphis point guard Mike Conley said. "We're treating every game like it's the last game. We expect to come back (to San Antonio) -- that's our mindset."
Conley is averaging 27.3 points and 7.5 assists over the past four games.
The Spurs, who lead the series 3-2, used a late 12-0 run to put away the Grizzlies 116-103 on Tuesday.
To force a seventh game, Memphis must find an answer to its most pressing problem: slowing down San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard.
"If anyone has any suggestions, send them my way," Grizzlies coach David Fizdale said when asked about containing Leonard. "I'm listening. I'm open to ideas."
While the Grizzlies have been slightly better at containing the Spurs star at FedExForum, Leonard has still averaged 30.5 points in the two games there.
"We were sharper with our defensive execution at home," Fizdale said Wednesday. "It was night and day."
Leonard is shooting 48.8 percent from the field in Memphis but nearly 60 percent at home. He has missed only one of his 48 free-throw attempts in the series.
"(Leonard has) gone through the ceiling, improving every year, with all parts of his game." San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "He understands that he's a facilitator as well as a scorer."
Spurs guard Manu Ginobili came off the bench Tuesday to provide a spark.
"He brought that grandpa juice is what I call it, and we all followed," San Antonio guard Patty Mills said after the game. "We shouldn't wait for him to do that before we get into gear, but it really is inspiring when you see him dive on the ball putting his body on the line. Hard drives, hard cuts, it gets us all going."
Prior to Game 5, Ginobili, who had 10 points on Tuesday, hadn't made a shot, but Popovich hadn't lost faith in his 15-year veteran.
"I'm going to use him like a bar of soap until there's nothing left," Popovich told the San Antonio Express-News.
The 39-year-old Argentinian, possibly playing in his final season, was 0-for-15, including 0-for-10 from 3-point range, in the series' first four games.
"You know it's not going to continue," San Antonio forward Danny Green told the San Antonio Express-News. "The numbers are with (Ginobili), so you tell him to keep shooting it. We have ultimate confidence in him."
To advance, the Grizzlies must hold serve at home and then knock off the Spurs in San Antonio on Saturday for the first time since December 2014.
"We're not going to back away from this," Fizdale said. "The good part is that I've got a locker room full of guys that want to get back and play Game 7. Well, Game 6 (first) is obviously our Game 7."
Visiting Raptors look to close out Bucks
Stats, LLC
MILWAUKEE -- In their 22 seasons, postseason success hasn't exactly been a hallmark of the Toronto Raptors.
Now, with a chance to clinch a first-round series for the second straight season and just the third time in franchise history, the Raptors will try to ignore their past when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 of a first-round, Eastern Conference playoff series Thursday at the Bradley Center.
The Raptors have never won three playoff games in a row, but are in a position to do just that as well as wrap up a physical series a little early, providing some extra time to rest before a potential second-round matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"Hopefully we've learned a lesson," forward DeMarre Carroll said. "We don't want to come back home and try to take care of this athletic, long Milwaukee team. We want to take care of them on the road."
Milwaukee is certain to make adjustments after dropping two straight in a series they led 2-1 after a 27-point home rout in Game 3, but Raptors head coach Dwane Casey thinks his team is prepared for whatever the Bucks throw their way.
"We think about that after every game -- win, lose or draw," Casey said. "We try to anticipate what they're going to do. That's part of the chess match."
History isn't on the Bucks' side, either.
Milwaukee lost its last seven playoffs series, including six in a row in the first round. The last two both ended in Game 6, and both ended painfully.
In 2010, the Bucks shocked the Atlanta Hawks by taking a 3-2 lead in the series but shot just 32.9 percent from the field while Brandon Jennings and John Salmons combined to hit just 6 of 28 shots, with Salmons going 2-for-13.
Atlanta evened the series with an 83-69 victory in Milwaukee then clinched the series two nights later in Atlanta.
Five years later, the Bucks forced a Game 6 after digging out of a 3-0 hole with two straight victories against the Chicago Bulls only to be embarrassed, 120-66, in a home arena full of visiting fans.
Now, though, with head coach Jason Kidd steering Milwaukee's ship, the Bucks are hoping to take another step in their development while staving off elimination.
"We're lacking the experience of what's coming," Kidd said. "We can talk about it, but we have to go through that process, we have to walk through that door. For a lot of these guys, they've never seen this. This team has been to the Eastern Conference finals, they've been there. Their coach has seen this before."
The Bucks should have shooting guard Khris Middleton available Thursday night. He sat out practice Wednesday because of an illness, but Kidd said the absence was more precautionary.
Middleton scored eight points on 3-for-8 shooting with a 3-pointer in Game 5. For the series, he's averaging 13.6 points on 38.5 percent shooting with 4.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists.
Should Milwaukee win, Game 7 would be played Saturday in Toronto.
Celtics beat Bulls 108-97, take 3-2 lead in series
Associated Press
BOSTON -- The Celtics and Bulls found another thing to argue about after Game 5 of their spirited first-round playoff series:
Was Avery Bradley more impressive on offense, or on defense?
"Everyone knows he's a good defender. Tonight, he got his offensive game going," Chicago's Dwyane Wade said after Bradley scored 24 points to lead Boston to a 108-97 victory and a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
"You expect him to do what he does defensively, but we gave up 24 points to him tonight. He hurt us offensively tonight more than anything."
Isaiah Thomas also scored 24 for the Celtics, the top seed in the East. After the road team won each of the first four games, the Celtics won at home in Game 5 to earn a chance to eliminate the Bulls on Friday night in Chicago. A Bulls victory would force the series back to Boston for a decisive Game 7 on Sunday.
Al Horford had 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for the Celtics. Bradley's 24 points were a career playoff high, but after watching him hold Bulls star Jimmy Butler to 14 points -- and just one foul shot -- Celtics coach Brad Stevens praised Bradley's defense.
"Jimmy Butler's a hard guy to guard. Dwyane Wade's a hard guy to guard. You're not going to stop those guys, but you just try to make it as hard as possible," Stevens said. "Avery ... has done a really good job."
Butler, who shot 23 free throws in Game 4 and made 19, was 0 for 1 on Wednesday.
"I was trying to eliminate letting Jimmy Butler get to the free throw line. That was my goal this game, and I feel like I did it," Bradley said.
Wade had 26 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. But Wade and Robin Lopez were called for technical fouls 32 seconds apart with just under five minutes left, helping the Celtics to a 20-5 run that turned an 84-84 game into a 15-point Boston lead.
The Bulls cut it to nine before Horford got loose for a dunk, Wade missed a 3-pointer and then Horford fed Jae Crowder for a layup that made it 108-95 with 99 seconds to play.
Despite the technical fouls, there was little of the tension that characterized Game 4, when Butler and Marcus Smart got in each other's face on the court and continued the criticism in their postgame comments.
The Celtics started slowly on their home court, making just one of their first nine shots to fall behind 12-4. Boston missed its first eight 3-point attempts before making three in a row at the end of the first quarter.
TIP-INS
Bulls: Before winning the first two games of the series, Chicago had only won one playoff game in Boston ever -- Game 1 of the 2009 first round. ... Butler brought the ball down with 6.2 seconds left in the third quarter and hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Bulls an 81-79 lead. ... The Bulls had 16 turnovers that led to 23 Boston points. The Celtics only had six turnovers, leading to four Bulls points.
Celtics: There were at least nine members of the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the crowd, and a handful of players from the Boston Bruins as well. ... Thomas missed his first four shots and didn't make a basket until a second-chance 3-pointer with 42 seconds left in the first half. ... Gerald Green made his third start, but he played less than 13 minutes and finished with two points after scoring 18 with seven rebounds in Game 4.
RONDO
Rajon Rondo, who was the point guard on the 2008 Celtics team that won the franchise's record 17th NBA title, did not play for the third straight game because of the broken thumb and strained ligament in his right wrist. He was on the court handling a basketball with his left hand before the game, then sat on the Bulls bench in a suit -- this one with sleeves -- and cheered on his teammates.
The Bulls fell to 0-3 without him in the series, with Wade largely taking over as point guard in Game 5.
CARRY ON
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg made waves after Game 4 when he questioned whether Thomas was getting away with carrying the ball when he dribbled.
Thomas took exception with the suggestion, saying it was the way he'd dribbled his entire career and was no different than the style of other All-Stars such as LeBron James and Rondo.
The final question to Hoiberg Wednesday was whether he'd had spotted any illegal dribbles from Thomas in the Game 5 loss.
"No," he said, before walking out.
BOSTON -- The Celtics and Bulls found another thing to argue about after Game 5 of their spirited first-round playoff series:
Was Avery Bradley more impressive on offense, or on defense?
"Everyone knows he's a good defender. Tonight, he got his offensive game going," Chicago's Dwyane Wade said after Bradley scored 24 points to lead Boston to a 108-97 victory and a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
"You expect him to do what he does defensively, but we gave up 24 points to him tonight. He hurt us offensively tonight more than anything."
Isaiah Thomas also scored 24 for the Celtics, the top seed in the East. After the road team won each of the first four games, the Celtics won at home in Game 5 to earn a chance to eliminate the Bulls on Friday night in Chicago. A Bulls victory would force the series back to Boston for a decisive Game 7 on Sunday.
Al Horford had 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for the Celtics. Bradley's 24 points were a career playoff high, but after watching him hold Bulls star Jimmy Butler to 14 points -- and just one foul shot -- Celtics coach Brad Stevens praised Bradley's defense.
"Jimmy Butler's a hard guy to guard. Dwyane Wade's a hard guy to guard. You're not going to stop those guys, but you just try to make it as hard as possible," Stevens said. "Avery ... has done a really good job."
Butler, who shot 23 free throws in Game 4 and made 19, was 0 for 1 on Wednesday.
"I was trying to eliminate letting Jimmy Butler get to the free throw line. That was my goal this game, and I feel like I did it," Bradley said.
Wade had 26 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. But Wade and Robin Lopez were called for technical fouls 32 seconds apart with just under five minutes left, helping the Celtics to a 20-5 run that turned an 84-84 game into a 15-point Boston lead.
The Bulls cut it to nine before Horford got loose for a dunk, Wade missed a 3-pointer and then Horford fed Jae Crowder for a layup that made it 108-95 with 99 seconds to play.
Despite the technical fouls, there was little of the tension that characterized Game 4, when Butler and Marcus Smart got in each other's face on the court and continued the criticism in their postgame comments.
The Celtics started slowly on their home court, making just one of their first nine shots to fall behind 12-4. Boston missed its first eight 3-point attempts before making three in a row at the end of the first quarter.
TIP-INS
Bulls: Before winning the first two games of the series, Chicago had only won one playoff game in Boston ever -- Game 1 of the 2009 first round. ... Butler brought the ball down with 6.2 seconds left in the third quarter and hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Bulls an 81-79 lead. ... The Bulls had 16 turnovers that led to 23 Boston points. The Celtics only had six turnovers, leading to four Bulls points.
Celtics: There were at least nine members of the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the crowd, and a handful of players from the Boston Bruins as well. ... Thomas missed his first four shots and didn't make a basket until a second-chance 3-pointer with 42 seconds left in the first half. ... Gerald Green made his third start, but he played less than 13 minutes and finished with two points after scoring 18 with seven rebounds in Game 4.
RONDO
Rajon Rondo, who was the point guard on the 2008 Celtics team that won the franchise's record 17th NBA title, did not play for the third straight game because of the broken thumb and strained ligament in his right wrist. He was on the court handling a basketball with his left hand before the game, then sat on the Bulls bench in a suit -- this one with sleeves -- and cheered on his teammates.
The Bulls fell to 0-3 without him in the series, with Wade largely taking over as point guard in Game 5.
CARRY ON
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg made waves after Game 4 when he questioned whether Thomas was getting away with carrying the ball when he dribbled.
Thomas took exception with the suggestion, saying it was the way he'd dribbled his entire career and was no different than the style of other All-Stars such as LeBron James and Rondo.
The final question to Hoiberg Wednesday was whether he'd had spotted any illegal dribbles from Thomas in the Game 5 loss.
"No," he said, before walking out.
Home, sweet home: Beal, Wall lead Wizards past Hawks, 103-99
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- John Wall figured the credit went to the down-the-stretch defense displayed by his Washington Wizards.
Neither Dennis Schroder nor coach Mike Budenholzer found any flaws with the way their Atlanta Hawks handled things late.
Either way, the odd manner in which Atlanta seemed to allow the final half-minute or so to slip away while trailing -- not fouling Washington to try to extend things; passing around the ball, instead of shooting it, as the clock headed toward zero -- left the Wizards on the verge of closing out the teams' Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
Back at home, and back in charge, Bradley Beal scored 27 points, and Wall added 20 points and 14 assists, leading Washington to a 103-99 victory in Game 5 on Wednesday night for a 3-2 series lead.
"I thought they were going to play the foul game -- or at least try to trap. But they let us run the clock down," Wall said, noting that he felt as if he and his teammates finished "with the best scrambling defense we had."
Schroder led the Hawks with 29 points, making a career high-tying five 3s, and 11 assists. But after his basket from beyond the arc pulled Atlanta within 101-99 with 70 seconds left, Wall responded with a 21-foot pull-up jumper. Neither team would score the rest of the way.
"It was right there," Schroder said. "We've just got to be better in crunch time."
A miss followed from Paul Millsap, who had 21 points and 11 rebounds, but after Wall's jumper was off the mark, the Hawks never managed to put the ball in the basket -- including sort of fiddling around as if they didn't realize they were trailing by four.
"We tried to get a clean look," Tim Hardaway Jr. said, "but they just did a good job of ... making it tough on us."
Budenholzer's take?
"I'm not, off the top of my head, frustrated with what we got offensively," he said.
The host has won every game in this series so far.
Washington can reach the conference semifinals by winning Game 6 at Atlanta on Friday night.
"It's got to be us," Budenholzer said, "that's the aggressor."
As it is, the series has been filled with physical play, referee whistles and smack talk, including a "Crybaby" accusation and a comparison to MMA fighting.
Dwight Howard -- who finally came to the fore in Game 4 with 16 points and 15 rebounds -- didn't play much in the second half, picking up his fourth foul with 2 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter and his fifth off the ball with 8 1/2 minutes to go.
Washington's Markieff Morris picked up No. 4 after 2 1/2 minutes of the third quarter and didn't return until there were less than 6 minutes remaining in the fourth. About 2 1/2 minutes after going back in, Morris drew his fifth foul -- plus a technical for arguing, eliciting derisive chants about the officiating from spectators.
"It's been the hardest it's ever been," Morris said, "for me to stay out of foul trouble."
TIP-INS
Hawks: Howard scored five points. ... Schroder started 4 for 4 on 3-pointers.
Wizards: C Marcin Gortat attempted his first free throws of the entire series with 6:09 left in the fourth quarter. He made the first, rolled his head back as if to say, "Finally!" and then made the second, too.
VEEP
Former Vice President Joe Biden received the loudest ovation of the first half, with plenty in the sellout crowd of 20,356 rising to cheer him when the videoboard showed him sitting courtside.
INJURY NEWS
Wizards front-court reserve Jason Smith left with a bruised left calf and did not return. Coach Scott Brooks said his status is day-to-day. Washington has been without backup C Ian Mahinmi (strained left calf) all series.
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Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich
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More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball
WASHINGTON -- John Wall figured the credit went to the down-the-stretch defense displayed by his Washington Wizards.
Neither Dennis Schroder nor coach Mike Budenholzer found any flaws with the way their Atlanta Hawks handled things late.
Either way, the odd manner in which Atlanta seemed to allow the final half-minute or so to slip away while trailing -- not fouling Washington to try to extend things; passing around the ball, instead of shooting it, as the clock headed toward zero -- left the Wizards on the verge of closing out the teams' Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
Back at home, and back in charge, Bradley Beal scored 27 points, and Wall added 20 points and 14 assists, leading Washington to a 103-99 victory in Game 5 on Wednesday night for a 3-2 series lead.
"I thought they were going to play the foul game -- or at least try to trap. But they let us run the clock down," Wall said, noting that he felt as if he and his teammates finished "with the best scrambling defense we had."
Schroder led the Hawks with 29 points, making a career high-tying five 3s, and 11 assists. But after his basket from beyond the arc pulled Atlanta within 101-99 with 70 seconds left, Wall responded with a 21-foot pull-up jumper. Neither team would score the rest of the way.
"It was right there," Schroder said. "We've just got to be better in crunch time."
A miss followed from Paul Millsap, who had 21 points and 11 rebounds, but after Wall's jumper was off the mark, the Hawks never managed to put the ball in the basket -- including sort of fiddling around as if they didn't realize they were trailing by four.
"We tried to get a clean look," Tim Hardaway Jr. said, "but they just did a good job of ... making it tough on us."
Budenholzer's take?
"I'm not, off the top of my head, frustrated with what we got offensively," he said.
The host has won every game in this series so far.
Washington can reach the conference semifinals by winning Game 6 at Atlanta on Friday night.
"It's got to be us," Budenholzer said, "that's the aggressor."
As it is, the series has been filled with physical play, referee whistles and smack talk, including a "Crybaby" accusation and a comparison to MMA fighting.
Dwight Howard -- who finally came to the fore in Game 4 with 16 points and 15 rebounds -- didn't play much in the second half, picking up his fourth foul with 2 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter and his fifth off the ball with 8 1/2 minutes to go.
Washington's Markieff Morris picked up No. 4 after 2 1/2 minutes of the third quarter and didn't return until there were less than 6 minutes remaining in the fourth. About 2 1/2 minutes after going back in, Morris drew his fifth foul -- plus a technical for arguing, eliciting derisive chants about the officiating from spectators.
"It's been the hardest it's ever been," Morris said, "for me to stay out of foul trouble."
TIP-INS
Hawks: Howard scored five points. ... Schroder started 4 for 4 on 3-pointers.
Wizards: C Marcin Gortat attempted his first free throws of the entire series with 6:09 left in the fourth quarter. He made the first, rolled his head back as if to say, "Finally!" and then made the second, too.
VEEP
Former Vice President Joe Biden received the loudest ovation of the first half, with plenty in the sellout crowd of 20,356 rising to cheer him when the videoboard showed him sitting courtside.
INJURY NEWS
Wizards front-court reserve Jason Smith left with a bruised left calf and did not return. Coach Scott Brooks said his status is day-to-day. Washington has been without backup C Ian Mahinmi (strained left calf) all series.
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