The 2012-13 Basketball Season Is Here

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Celts top Knicks 97-90 in OT, avoid playoff sweep



BOSTON (AP) Jason Terry's nose still hurt. He wasn't about to let his pride suffer as well.

Two days after being smacked by J.R. Smith's elbow, the guard the Boston Celtics count on for his shooting scored their last nine points and kept their season going.

The Celtics beat the Knicks 97-90 in overtime on Sunday to avoid a first-round sweep and force a fifth game in New York on Wednesday night. Avoiding elimination provided all the motivation Terry needed.

"It wasn't really the elbow,'' he said. "It was more (like) this is it. I mean, the season's over. You can leave it all out here tonight and go home for a long summer or you can live to play another day.''

But, he conceded, his nose "still hurts right now. As long as I feel that, I guess I'll be thinking about it.''

The NBA suspended Smith for the game, and the Knicks could have used his shooting. Carmelo Anthony scored 36 points and Raymond Felton picked up the slack with 27, but New York made just 28.9 percent of its shots in the first half as Boston took a 54-35 lead.

"J.R. is a big piece of what we do, but he wasn't here,'' Knicks coach Mike Woodson said, "so I'm not using that as an excuse.''

New York had tied the game 84-84 after trailing by 20 points early in the third quarter. It was 88-all before the Celtics regained control and took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Terry. Anthony hit a short jumper, but Terry connected on a 15-footer with 50 seconds remaining for a 93-90 lead.

After Anthony, who shot 10 for 35 for the game, missed a 3-pointer with 21 seconds to go, Terry was fouled by Steve Novak and made both free throws. He added a layup to close out the game.

But the Celtics still have a huge deficit in trying to become the first team to win after trailing a series 3-0 in the NBA playoffs. The Knicks are trying to win their first playoff series in 13 years.

"We have to be confident going back home,'' Anthony said. "We were confident here today.''

Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 29 points, Jeff Green added 26 and Terry finished with 18.

With leaders such as Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the Celtics have "tremendous'' pride, Terry said. "Getting swept is something that no man that's been in this league that long wants to do. It's disheartening.

"Now we have to go into a hostile environment and they're going to be trying to get it over with. They don't want to come back here, but we do.''

The Celtics showed renewed energy early after being held below 80 points in each of the first three games. They led 59-39 three minutes into the third quarter before their recent second-half woes returned.

In previous first halves, they scored just 25 points in Game 1 and 23 in Game 2. On Sunday, they were outscored 30-14 in the third quarter and led just 68-65 heading into the fourth.

"Good teams are going to make those runs,'' said Garnett, who had 13 points, 17 rebounds and six assists for Boston. "It's deflating, but we kept fighting. We found a way to get over the hump.''

Boston held a 65-51 lead when Anthony went to the bench with 3:35 remaining. The Knicks outscored the Celtics 14-3 the rest of the way behind 11 points from Felton and a 3-pointer from Iman Shumpert. Felton finished with 16 points in the quarter.

"He was huge in this game for us,'' Kenyon Martin said. "Especially missing J.R., we needed someone else to make shots for us and he did that.''

The Knicks played the first half as if they had taken shooting lessons from the Celtics. New York hit just 11 of 38 shots in the half after Boston made only 39.5 percent of its total attempts in the first three games.

The Celtics found their range from the start and connected on 51.3 percent (20 for 39) in the half.

"We established our defense and we made shots,'' Pierce said. "I thought it really gave us confidence when we got out to the fast start because our offense has really been struggling.''

But the Knicks still have a big advantage with three possible chances to get the one win they need to advance to the second round. They were swept in the opening round by the Celtics in 2011 then lost to the Miami Heat in five games in 2012 after dropping the first three games.

This year, the Knicks won the first two games at home then took Game 3 in Boston 90-76 on Friday night.

"We did our job when we came here. We got us a win,'' Felton said. "That was our goal.''

And now the Knicks get Smith back.

"We know how dangerous he is,'' Terry said. "He's going to come out, obviously, tough, aggressive, looking to be a spark for them but we're just resilient.''

The Celtics need to be as they try to get to a sixth game in Boston on Friday night.

"This is the first time that we really came out with fire in our eyes,'' Terry said. "Every game from here on out is Game 7 for us.''


Notes: Boston had just three offensive rebounds while the Knicks grabbed 16. ... The Celtics have been swept six times in the 112 playoff series in their history. ... The Knicks were 19-2 in their previous 21 games. The Celtics were 5-14 in their previous 19. ... For the Celtics, Garnett, Green and Brandon Bass each had four fouls five minutes into the third quarter. Bass committed his fifth with 5:10 left in the period and fouled out with 4:27 to go in the game. ... Anthony committed his fourth with 4:08 remaining in the third.

 

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Spurs finish 4-game sweep, routing Lakers 103-82



LOS ANGELES (AP) For four straight games, the San Antonio Spurs showed off all the teamwork and tenacity that the Los Angeles Lakers lacked all season long.

And when the Lakers' tumultuous season finally collapsed Sunday night, the smooth Spurs rolled right past them to the second round.

Tony Parker scored 23 points, and San Antonio completed its first-round sweep of the injury-plagued Lakers with a 103-82 victory in Game 4.

Tim Duncan had 11 points and six rebounds for the second-seeded Spurs, who will face the winner of Denver's series with Golden State in the second round. They'll get plenty of rest after flattening the Lakers, who staggered through back-to-back blowout losses at home without three regular starters in their first opening-round exit since 2007.

"Obviously, it wasn't a fair fight,'' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "When you're a competitor, you want to compete on an even basis, and the Lakers weren't able to do that. ... Even though it wasn't a fair fight, we still want to win the series, and I'm glad we did. Our focus was great.''

San Antonio never trailed in the clincher, leading by 25 points in one more businesslike effort against the seventh-seeded Lakers, who provided their usual drama right down to their last gasp.

In his final game before unrestricted free agency, Dwight Howard scored seven points before getting ejected early in the third quarter for arguing. Pau Gasol had 16 points for the Lakers, who were swept from the postseason for the second time in three years despite a late courtside appearance by Kobe Bryant on crutches.

"It was just a weird feeling,'' Parker said. "Obviously, I am happy we won, but it was just weird. They were missing a lot of guys, so we're just happy to go to the next round.''

Howard said the season was "like a nightmare. It's like a bad dream, and we just couldn't wake up from it. That's what it felt like.''

The Los Angeles Lakers gave away thousands of white towels to their fans Sunday, and they acquired an unfortunate symbolism: In the final game of a season that began with championship aspirations, the Lakers couldn't keep up without injured starters Bryant, Steve Nash and Metta World Peace. They had just nine available players in uniform for the final minutes.

"I'm proud of them, because they fought,'' Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said. "It was kind of a year that was all upside-down, but I appreciate the effort to get us into the playoffs. We just didn't have it.''

After Duncan led the Spurs' blowout in Game 3, Parker took the lead in the clincher, scoring 15 points in the first half while exploiting the Lakers' hastily assembled backcourt. Los Angeles' top four guards are out with injuries, including backups Steve Blake and Jodie Meeks, and Parker was merciless against third-stringers.

"What I was pleased about our team was that we kept our focus every night,'' Popovich said. "We played hard, followed the game plan and were very active and energetic every night, and sometimes that's hard to do when your opponent is wounded.''

Kawhi Leonard and DeJuan Blair added 13 points apiece in the Spurs' balanced scoring effort. San Antonio trailed for fewer than five combined minutes in the four-game series, grinding out points and defensive stops with the steady professionalism of Popovich's best teams.

"This is a good start for us,'' Duncan said. "We like the pace we're at right now. We like the rhythm we're at right now, and how healthy we are right now. Hopefully it can stay that way.''

After an unimpressive game featuring just two field goal attempts in 20 minutes, Howard was tossed with 9:51 left in the third quarter for his second technical foul. The All-Star center, furious with the Spurs' unpunished physical play, yelled a few parting words at the court after walking past general manager Mitch Kupchak in the tunnel to the locker room.

"I hate it for him,'' D'Antoni said, lamenting the lack of foul calls against players guarding Howard. "He gets banged up so much in there that I'm sure he didn't mean to (get ejected), but he takes a pounding, and after a while, I guess his nerves were shot.''

Moments later, Bryant got the solemn Staples Center crowd on its feet when he hobbled out of the tunnel to a seat behind the Lakers' bench, making his first appearance at courtside since tearing his Achilles tendon 16 days ago. Bryant, who might not be healthy by the start of next season, repeatedly yelled instructions and encouragement at the Lakers' young backcourt, Andrew Goudelock and Darius Morris, and fill-in starter Earl Clark.

The 16-time NBA champion Lakers had high hopes for this season after landing Howard and Nash to play alongside Bryant and Gasol, but their hopes disappeared in an avalanche of injuries, losing streaks and turmoil.

There's almost no turbulence around the Spurs, who seamlessly replaced injured starting center Tiago Splitter in Game 4 with Australian rookie Aron Baynes, who had six points and played decent defense in his first NBA start.

The Spurs had control of this series from the start: They posted two methodical victories at home before sending the Lakers to their biggest home playoff defeat in their long franchise history in Game 3, 120-89. The clincher was more of the same, with the Lakers unable to mount enough teamwork to challenge the smooth Spurs.

The Spurs have swept three of their last four playoff series, winning every game in the first two rounds last season before losing in six games to Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals. San Antonio is in the second round of the postseason for the fourth time in six seasons since their last championship in 2007.


NOTES: Gasol got a standing ovation when he left the game with 3:08 to play. The two-time NBA champion has one year left on his contract with the Lakers, but could be a trade chip in the Lakers' rebuild. ... Splitter has a sprained ankle and is out indefinitely, although his teammates think he can return during the second round. F Boris Diaw practiced with contact this weekend in his comeback from a back injury. ... The Lakers faced an 0-3 series deficit for the eighth time in franchise history - and for the eighth time, they were swept. ... Jack Nicholson and Lil Wayne watched at courtside, but both left early in the fourth quarter.

 

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Nets win 110-91, cut Bulls' lead to 3-2



NEW YORK (AP) Flourishing instead of fading in the fourth quarter, the Nets extended their first season in Brooklyn.

They need one more victory to set up the biggest game here yet.

Brook Lopez had 28 points and 10 rebounds, Deron Williams added 23 points and 10 assists, and the Nets beat Chicago 110-91 on Monday night, cutting the Bulls' lead to 3-2 in their first-round playoff series.

Recovering from a collapse two days earlier that sent them home on the brink of elimination instead of tied, the Nets battered the Bulls on the boards and forced Chicago into being the team that wilted down the stretch.

"We came out very aggressive, as we have the past few games. I think the difference was just we sustained it for essentially a full 48 minutes tonight,'' Lopez said.

Andray Blatche scored 10 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter and Gerald Wallace had consecutive baskets in the finishing surge as the Nets finally pulled away in a game they led most of the way, but never by too much.

Two days after rallying for a 142-134 triple-overtime victory, the Bulls were outscored 15-1 at the finish and failed to set up a second-round series with Miami. Instead they will host Game 6 on Thursday.

"It was just a lot of mental mistakes. A lot of mental mistakes,'' Bulls center Joakim Noah said. "I feel like we had our chances. We beat ourselves. They played well. You've got to give credit when credit is due and now it's on us to come back and be ready for Game 6.''

If the Nets win that one, they would host Game 7 on Saturday.

Nate Robinson had 20 points and eight assists starting in place of point guard Kirk Hinrich, who bruised his left calf in Saturday's game.

"For us, I knew it was going to be tough; it was going to be a challenge,'' Robinson said. "At the same time, we've been here before playing with a guy short. It's something we've got to do. We've just got to muster something and bring that energy and continue to play like we've been playing.''

Only eight NBA teams have overcome a 3-1 deficit, but the Nets remained confident after Saturday's collapse, feeling they had outplayed the Bulls for long stretches during the series. They have led by double digits in four of the five games.

"I believed that we would respond,'' Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo said. "We've bounced back all year too well, and as disheartening a loss as that was on Saturday, there's still been enough good minutes in this series. Neither of us are getting away from each other.''

But they need two more wins against a Bulls franchise that is 12-0 all-time when holding a 3-1 lead.

"We feel like we're the better team,'' Wallace said. "We've just got to play a 48-minute game completely and stay in attack mode.''

Robinson scored 29 of his 34 points after the third quarter Saturday in a game the Nets led by 14 late in regulation. Coming off his big game and agitating to opposing fans even when he's struggling, Robinson was loudly booed during introductions, and each time he touched the ball early on.

He made a jumper with 4:17 remaining to cut Brooklyn's lead to 95-90, but there would be no charge this time. Lopez converted a three-point play, and after a free throw by Jimmy Butler, Wallace nailed a 3-pointer, then came up with a steal and dunk to give the Nets a 103-91 advantage with 2 minutes to go.

The Nets finished it off with ease, prolonging their first season since moving from New Jersey.

Butler scored 18 points for the Bulls, who were outrebounded 44-33 and gave up 24 second-chance points.

"That's the difference in the game, the rebounding,'' Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "If you defend fairly well and then you give a team a second and a third crack at it, it's hard to win like that.''

The Nets ran off seven straight points late in the first quarter, five from Lopez, to turn a 17-17 tie into a 24-17 lead.

Brooklyn got eight second-quarter points from Kris Humphries, then opened its biggest lead when Johnson and Wallace made consecutive 3-pointers before Lopez made two free throws to make it 50-40. The Nets led 52-44 at the break.

The Nets had the lead into double digits a few times in the third quarter but never built on it. The Bulls were back within four by the end of the period after making 11 of 16 shots (69 percent).

Butler made a 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter and make it a one-point game, but Chicago never could grab the lead in the final period.

Wallace scored 12 points and Reggie Evans grabbed 12 rebounds as the Nets improved to 6-0 all-time in Game 5s at home. They have never lost a series when holding home-court advantage.

Joe Johnson and C.J. Watson each scored 11 points.


Notes: Carlesimo said it wasn't hard to ignore thoughts about his own future because the games come too quickly to worry about anything else. Though the Nets gave general manager Billy King a contract extension last week, it is unknown if Carlesimo will be back after leading the Nets to a 35-19 mark after replacing the fired Avery Johnson in late December. ... A number of New York Islanders were in the crowd at the franchise's future home. The NHL team plans to move from Long Island to Barclays Center in 2015.

 

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Rockets survive with 105-103 win over OKC



HOUSTON (AP) The Houston Rockets finally found a way to close out a game in their playoff series with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

And it allowed them to escape playoff elimination with a 105-103 win over the Thunder on Monday night.

Chandler Parsons scored 27 points and Patrick Beverley added 16 points with point guard Jeremy Lin out with a bruised chest muscle. Houston avoided a four-game sweep in the best-of-seven series.

The Rockets led in the fourth quarter of each of the last two games only to end up losing.

"We felt the pain and frustration from the last two losses ... and we didn't want that to happen for the third straight time,'' Parsons said.

It almost did.

Kevin Durant scored five quick points to cut the Rockets' lead to two. James Harden missed two shots for Houston after that and the Thunder had a last chance.

Reggie Jackson missed a jump shot and Serge Ibaka grabbed the rebound, but missed a layup at the buzzer.

A stunned Ibaka fell to the court after the miss and covered his face with his hands.

Durant scored 38 points in Oklahoma City's second game without injured All-Star guard Russell Westbrook.

The victory kept Houston from being swept in the playoffs for the first time since 1996. Game 5 is Wednesday in Oklahoma City.

"Getting this first win gives us confidence going back to Oklahoma City, and anything can happen,'' Harden said.

Rockets coach Kevin McHale was proud of his young team's work in getting its first playoff victory.

"That was a gutsy win,'' McHale said. "We're not going to lie down. The one constant has been their willingness to scrap and fight. We kept on fighting.''

Durant hit the go-ahead 3-pointer in the Thunder's Game 3 win. He wanted to get another one off on Monday, but Francisco Garcia forced him to give up the ball.

"I was. I was going to try to win it,'' Durant said. "But he played good defense.''

Durant is looking forward to the series returning to Oklahoma City.

"We'll be all right,'' he said. "We're up 3-1 with a good opportunity to close it out at home. We couldn't ask for a better situation, so hopefully we'll get the job done.''

Harden scored 15 points, but also had 10 turnovers. He had two chances to extend Houston's lead with less than a minute left, but missed both of them, including shooting an air ball.

Getting the win allowed Harden to take his tough night in stride.

"I did have a double-double,'' he deadpanned referring to his points and turnovers.

He picked up his fifth foul with about seven minutes remaining, sending him to the bench. A dunk by Jackson seconds later cut Houston's lead to 98-94.

Jackson got the Thunder within 100-98 with a 3-pointer a couple of minutes later. His 3-point attempt on the next trip down the floor rattled in and out of the basket.

Houston scored four quick points to extend the lead to 104-98 before Harden returned to the game with about three minutes left.

He said he struggled to get going after sitting out in the fourth quarter.

"The foul trouble kind of set me back,'' he said. "Coming in trying to make big shots, I was cold.''

Derek Fisher made a 3-pointer to cut Houston's lead to 104-101 with less than three minutes remaining. It was reviewed a few seconds later and the points were taken away because replays showed the shot clock had expired.

Jackson finished with 18 points in his second start in place of Westbrook, and Kevin Martin added 16.

Houston got 17 points from Omer Asik and 13 from Carlos Delfino.

Oklahoma City's DeAndre Liggins received a technical foul with :07 left in the third quarter for arguing the call on a jump ball. Delfino made the free throw, but Durant hit a jump shot at the buzzer to get the Thunder within 91-84 entering the fourth quarter.

The Rockets led by two points in the third quarter before a 3-point play by Harden. He took Jackson off the dribble for a jump shot and drew the foul - Jackson's fourth - to send him to the bench and the crowd into a frenzy.

Durant was shaken up a few seconds later when he crashed into the scorer's table chasing a loose ball. He remained on his back for a couple of minutes holding his right wrist before being helped to his feet. But he didn't leave the game and seemed to be OK.

Harden's three-point play was the start of a 12-2 Houston run capped by another three-point play - this one by Delfino - to extend the lead to 85-75 with about three minutes left in the third quarter.

Delfino dunked after stealing the ball from Martin, and Durant fouled him on the play.

Houston scored the first 10 points of the second half to erase a halftime deficit and take a 63-60 lead. Parsons had six points in that span.

The Rockets did a much better job of keeping the crowd involved in this one than they did in Game 3, when they trailed early by as many as 26 points. Houston rallied to take a lead in the fourth quarter of that game before losing 104-101.

Near the end of the first half Durant sailed into the crowd Superman-style to save the ball on a bad pass from Harden. He was able to get to his feet and stood in the crowd watching as Martin swished a 3 on the other end. He couldn't figure out how to get out of the crowd for a few seconds before finally climbing out and back onto the court. But before he got back to the game Durant asked a woman in the first row who he crashed into if she was OK.

Houston led by five at the end of the first quarter and was up by three points early in the second before Oklahoma City scored 12 straight points, fueled by seven from Durant. The Rockets took a 43-34 lead about 6 1/2 minutes before halftime.

The Rockets led 29-24 after one quarter thanks to 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point range on Monday after trailing by 20 points after one in Game 3.


NOTES: Houston's Greg Smith returned Monday after missing Game 3 with a stomach ailment. ... Durant has scored 20 or more points in 30 straight playoff games. ... Former Rockets star Steve Francis watched the game from a courtside seat. ... The Seattle Supersonics were the last team to sweep Houston in the playoffs, getting a 4-0 series win in the Western Conference semifinals in 1996.

 

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Smith scores 29 to lead Hawks past Pacers 102-91



ATLANTA (AP) Heading to his locker to get dressed, Josh Smith griped a bit when told he would have to go to the podium for the second game in a row.

Then he smiled.

No way the Atlanta Hawks forward was getting out of those duties. Not after the way he played Monday night.

Smith scored a career playoff-best 29 points as the Hawks built a 17-point lead at halftime, then withstood an Indiana comeback to even the series with a 102-91 victory in Game 4.

"You da one, Smoove,'' teammate Dahntay Jones said as he walked by Smith's locker. "You da one.''

The one, indeed. After struggling much of the second half, the enigmatic Smith made every big play down the stretch. He swished a rare 3-pointer, came up with an offensive rebound to set up a 3 by Kyle Korver, and finished off a fast break with a right-handed dunk. Plus, he did another stout defensive job on Indiana star Paul George, who had to work for every one of his 21 points.

"When he plays like that,'' Hawks guard Devin Harris said of Smith, "we're a very good team.''

With George scoring 18 in the second half, many on very difficult shots, the Pacers made a game of it. But they couldn't come all the way back from a 57-40 deficit at the break. Indiana got as close as four in the third quarter, and was within five numerous times in the final 10 minutes. But the Pacers expended so much energy getting back in the game they just didn't have enough to complete the comeback.

Tied at two wins apiece, the teams return to Indianapolis for Game 5 on Wednesday night.

"This is going to be one heck of a series right now,'' Pacers center Roy Hibbert said. "I thought we'd be able to at least split down here.''

Korver added 19 points off the bench, most of them coming on his specialty: the 3-pointer. He knocked down five from outside the arc, including the biggest one with 2:33 remaining after Al Horford threw up a wild shot that missed. Smith snatched one of his 11 rebounds and spotted Korver lurking all alone on the outside.

"Energy and effort,'' Smith said. "If we play with those two words and play together - I take that back, make it three words - we're a pretty good basketball team.''

Horford chipped in with 18 points, and Anthony Tolliver made all three of his shots from beyond the 3-point line, providing a big boost every time the Hawks needed one.

But it was Smith who made sure the Hawks got the game they absolutely had to have before going back on the road.

"Just his energy,'' Horford said. "When he plays with that level of energy, it makes such a difference. I'm not saying he doesn't do it all the time, but when he's so engaged and doing the little things, it makes a big difference to us.''

Indiana was better offensively than Game 3 but still struggled to make shots, finishing at 38 percent on a 32-of-84 performance. George came alive after halftime, connecting three times from beyond the stripe, while every other starter was in double figures.

It wasn't enough.

The Hawks beat Indiana for the 13th straight time at Philips Arena, a streak that dates to 2006. But the Pacers can take solace with not having to win in Atlanta, as long as they take care of business on their home court.

"That's a great Atlanta team over there,'' George Hill said. "We knew it wasn't going to be an easy series. We knew they weren't going to lay down. It's always tough for us to play here. It's good we have two more games on our home court if necessary.''

Then again, Indiana must be wondering how the series got to this point after the Pacers dominated the first two games in their building, averaging 110 points and a 16-point margin of victory.

The Hawks turned the momentum with a 90-69 blowout in Game 3. They did enough good things in the first half and the closing minutes to get the series back where it started as they head back to the heartland.

"We contested pretty much every shot they took,'' Smith said. "That's what it's going to take (to win at Indiana). "

The Pacers played with much more effort than they did Saturday, but it didn't matter in the second quarter. Not with the Hawks gunning away from the outside - they went 7 of 8 from 3-point range in the period - and running the court with so much abandon that coach Larry Drew had to call a 20-second timeout late in the first half just to allow his players to catch their breath.

Atlanta appeared on the way to a second straight blowout. Not so fast.

Indiana turned up the defensive pressure, while the Hawks began walking the ball up and the court and getting sloppy. The Pacers ripped off a 15-1 spurt that nearly wiped out an 18-point deficit, holding Atlanta without a field goal for a good chunk of the third quarter. After Horford's dunk with 10:05 left in the period, the Hawks didn't make another basket until Devin Harris' nifty dash from one end of the court to the other for a layup with 1:34 remaining.

"That was a real gutsy performance by our team,'' Drew said.

Atlanta was able to stick with its big lineup after 7-foot center Johan Petro dashed back from Miami on a private jet sent by the team owners after witnessing the birth of his first child. Jacob Petro was born about 2 p.m. and his father hustled off to the airport, making it to Phillips Arena about two hours before tipoff.

If the birth had taken longer, Petro was planning to stay in south Florida. Instead, he played 22 minutes with hardly any sleep the past two days, contributing four points and eight rebounds.

Atlanta dealt with an old bugaboo in the second half: free throw shooting. At one point, the Hawks had made just 8 of 18 before Horford knocked down five of six to make the percentage look a little more respectable. Still, they finished 25 of 38 at the line, squandering a chance to put the Pacers away earlier.


Notes: Smith appeared to be standing even farther behind the line than usual on free throws. It didn't help his percentage, as he made 9 of 16. ... Harris was late coming back out for the third quarter. Apparently suffering from dehydration, he took an IV in the locker room as a precaution before returning to the game midway through the period. ... The Hawks' bench outscored the Indiana reserves 30-19.

 

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Pacers rebound with 106-83 rout of Hawks in Game 5



INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Frank Vogel made a few simple lineup adjustments and a strong pregame pitch. It was just what the Pacers needed Wednesday night.

Indiana played more physical and more focused basketball than Atlanta, and for the first time in this best-of-seven series played defense the way Vogel has been coaching it all season. Against all that, Atlanta never had a chance.

Veteran David West broke out of a series-long funk to score 24 points, Paul George finished with another double-double and Indiana pulled away for a 106-83 victory to take a 3-2 lead over the Hawks.

"We needed to re-establish our confidence,'' said Vogel, the Pacers coach. "We're still a young team. We needed to re-establish our ability to slow them down.''

Indiana did that and a whole lot more on a night in which it was virtually flawless.

West looked like his old self backing down defenders, then spinning away to hit his trademark step-back shots. George went making 7 of 8 shots from the field, finishing with 10 rebounds and five assists - another strong showing in a series he's dominated in Indiana's three wins.

Vogel changed the rotations, keeping some starters with the second unit to add scoring punch. And after posting the best defensive field goal percentage in the NBA this season, the Pacers finally managed to hold Atlanta under 50 percent shooting.

The blowout, Indiana's third straight at home in the playoffs, even allowed the starters to get a few extra minutes of rest.

If the Pacers end a 13-game losing streak at Atlanta on Friday, they would win this best-of-seven series and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second straight year. Thanks to Boston, they might not even go into the next series at a substantial disadvantage after the Celtics closed to 3-2 with a stunning 92-86 win at New York.

A few days ago, Indiana didn't dare contemplate such a possibility with so much at stake against the Hawks. Now, suddenly, everything seems OK, though the home team has won every game.

"It's the playoffs. It's good that both teams know how important it is to get home victories,'' George said. "In the playoffs, it's all about what team is going to be dominant on the road. Neither team has really done that yet.''

The Hawks were the latest victim of the home-court curse on another ugly night at Indiana.

They made only four baskets during a 57-minute decisive third quarter.

Josh Smith picked up his fifth foul with 7:35 left in the third quarter and was non-factor the rest of the way. He finished with 14 points and five rebounds. Al Horford added 14 points and Devin Harris had 13.

Three players - Smith, Jeff Teague and Ivan Johnson - drew technical fouls, all on dead balls. Atlanta was called for two more technicals because of defensive 3-second calls, got outrebounded 51-28 and still had to hear Indiana fans complain that the Pacers weren't doing enough on the glass, and were outscored 36-28 in the paint.

The worst part: After losing the lead on a layup by West with 6:36 to play in the second quarter, the Hawks never mounted another serious charge. They headed home again looking for answers.

"We have to pound the ball in there to Al and Smooth (Smith) and when we get the opportunity to get in the lane try to make plays,'' Teague said when asked what the Hawks must do better. "We just have to shoot the ball better, me personally.''

That much was obvious after Wednesday's 25-of-75 performance.

But the Hawks also must figure out a way to contend with the physical Pacers, too.

"This is the first time that I felt like we've played true defense in this series,'' West said. "I thought everyone came in and stayed with the game plan in terms of being aggressive, and our hands were active and we just made plays on the defensive end.''

West scored the last six points in an 8-0 run that turned a 31-28 deficit into a 36-31 Pacers early in the second quarter lead. Indiana followed that with a 9-4 spurt to take a 45-37 lead and never trailed again.

Then the rout was on.

Indiana then opened the second half on a 12-3 run and extended the lead to 68-48 when George knocked down a 3 and George Hill followed that by hitting the free throw for Smith's technical and 19-footer on the ensuing possession. Atlanta cut the lead to 81-67 at the end of three, but the Pacers put it away with a 12-4 fourth-quarter run to that left Atlanta in a 21-point deficit. The Hawks never challenged again.

"I was just dialed in and focused; I really wanted this one tonight,'' George said. "I'm going to have the same focus on the road.''


Notes: Atlanta scored 24 points in the third quarter despite shooting just 4 of 14. ... Colts linebacker Robert Mathis, former Indiana basketball players Jeff Oliphant and Brian Evans, and former Pacers center Rik Smits all attended the game. ... Game 6 will be played in Atlanta, where the Pacers have lost 13 straight. ... The two teams have met three other times in the playoffs. Indiana has only won one of those series.

 

[fastbreak]

Harden powers past illness, lifts Rockets 107-100



OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) James Harden lacked the energy to get through a morning shoot-around. Then he found the strength to fill the Houston Rockets with life in a playoff series that had started to look hopeless.

Harden scored 31 points and sank seven 3-pointers while fighting flu-like symptoms, and the Rockets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 107-100 Wednesday night to pull within 3-2 in their first-round playoff series.

Harden made the first seven 3s he tried and Houston led by as many as 16 to win its second straight, getting halfway to becoming the first team in NBA history to overcome an 0-3 series deficit.

"I just tried to go out there and give it all I had,'' said Harden, adding that he slept all day. "It was a win or go home, so I got some shots to fall and I just tried to not think about it.''

The Rockets played without starting point guard Jeremy Lin for the second straight game because of a bruised chest muscle. Key reserve Carlos Delfino didn't play in the second half because of a sore left foot.

They still had plenty of offense, getting 21 points and 11 rebounds from Omer Asik and 18 points and five 3-pointers from Francisco Garcia. Patrick Beverley scored 14 and Aaron Brooks and Chandler Parsons chipped in 10 apiece.

"We just came out here and played pressure-free. Go out there and just hoop, that was our mindset going into the game,'' Harden said. "The same thing back at home: just go out there and hoop. We're an eighth seed. Nobody's expecting us to win. So just give it what we've got. Simple.''

Oklahoma City eliminated half of Houston's big lead before managing to stymie its own comeback.

Apparently doubting they could overcome an eight-point lead on their home court without All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook, the Thunder resorted to intentionally fouling Asik - a 54 percent career foul shooter - with 5:33 to play. Asik went 8 for 12 from the line, extending Houston's lead to 101-92 with 3:53 remaining before Oklahoma City gave up the tactic.

Kevin Durant scored 36 points for Oklahoma City, which must now travel to Houston for Game 6 on Friday night. Durant was scoreless in the fourth quarter, missing all five of his shots, and picked up a technical foul with 22.5 seconds left for complaining to referee Bill Spooner.

"We was on our way back and then also the Hack-a-whatever-his-name-is,'' Durant said, forgetting Asik's name, "it kind of slowed the rhythm down a little bit.''

Coach Scott Brooks said he was about to stop ordering the fouls against Asik if his team had made a shot on one particular possession. It didn't happen and the 7-footer from Turkey made him pay.

"Give him credit. He stepped up and made shots and made his free throws,'' Brooks said. "That's a strategy we don't use often.''

Asik missed three of his first six free throws, and the Thunder continued fouling him intentionally even after getting within 98-92 with 4:12 remaining. Asik hit three of his next four and then blocked a shot by Thabo Sefolosha as Houston started extending its lead again.

Reggie Jackson contributed 20 points for the Thunder, who leaned heavily on Durant for a third straight game with Westbrook out for the playoffs with a right knee injury. Kevin Martin, Oklahoma City's sixth man who was acquired in a preseason trade for Harden, missed his first nine shots before making a jumper in the fourth quarter to finish with three points.

"They miss him everywhere. How would you not? He's one of the top players in the league,'' Houston coach Kevin McHale said. "They probably miss him in the locker room, miss him in shoot-around, miss him on the bus, miss him on the plane, miss him on offense, miss him on defense. Did I miss anything?''

The Rockets made a series-high 14 3-pointers on 35 attempts, making up for getting outscored in the paint, in second-chance points and on the fast break. Oklahoma City made just 8 of 33 from 3-point range, missing 14 of its first 15 attempts.

Beverley, who made a lunging attempt at a steal in Game 2 that resulted in the knee injury that knocked out Westbrook, received a hearty boo during pregame introductions, then got booed again each time he touched the ball.

Undeterred, he drove against Jackson for the first basket of the game and the Rockets got out to a strong start. Beverley was called for a technical foul for thrusting his left forearm into Jackson after the Thunder guard made a steal attempt similar to the one that ended up with Westbrook getting hurt.

"My teammates told me to come out here and stay aggressive. This is a family unit with this team,'' Beverley said. "I tried to not hear the boos and tried to go out and stay focused on the game plan today.''

Durant hit the free throw after Beverley's technical to complete a string of eight straight Oklahoma City points and put the Thunder up 17-16 but Houston responded with its own 8-0 run and wouldn't trail again.


NOTES: Westbrook watched the game from a suite. He was unable to be on the bench because his leg needed to be extended. ... With the clock running down at the end of the game, McHale told Harden to "go ahead and shoot it if you like,'' but Harden opted to take the shot-clock violation. Derek Fisher popped in a 3-pointer for Oklahoma City at the final buzzer.

 

[fastbreak]

Celtics stay alive, beat Knicks to force Game 6



NEW YORK (AP) Back in the series, now back to Boston.

The Celtics are two victories from NBA history, and from extending the Knicks' postseason futility in a most improbable manner.

Kevin Garnett had 16 points and 18 rebounds and the Celtics stayed alive in the playoffs, cutting New York's lead to 3-2 with a 92-86 victory Wednesday night.

The Celtics will host Game 6 on Friday night, needing two victories to become the first NBA team to overcome a 3-0 deficit to win a series.

"We're still down. Our mentality has to be all-out,'' Garnett said. "It can't be anything (else).''

Brandon Bass added 17 points, steadying Boston as it shook off an 11-0 deficit and pulled away in the second half to stop the Knicks again from achieving their first playoff series victory since 2000.

"We didn't panic and that's something we've done, but we didn't,'' coach Doc Rivers said. "I thought once the game got back to that five, six area, our guys were good again.''

J.R. Smith, back from his one-game suspension for elbowing Jason Terry with the Knicks way ahead late in Game 3, missed his first 10 shots and finished 3 of 14 for 14 points.

Terry also scored 17 off the bench.

Jeff Green scored 18 points and Paul Pierce had 16 as he and Garnett, the two franchise stalwarts, extended this season - and perhaps their Celtics careers - at least one more game.

"Obviously being down 2-0 or 3-0 or whatever it was, we could have folded shop. Nobody in here is going to quit,'' Terry said.

Carmelo Anthony scored 22 points but was just 8 of 24 in another dismal shooting night for the Knicks, who blew a big lead in this game and now the series. They face an unwanted trip back to Boston instead of the rest this aging roster could surely use before the second round.

If they get there.

"I think we're fine,'' Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "Sure we would've loved to close it out and move on, but nobody said it would be easy.''

The Knicks would host Game 7 on Sunday.

"I told you from Game 1 that this wasn't going to be a breeze, it wasn't going to be a walk in the park, them guys were going to fight and they're showing some fight right now,'' Anthony said. "They threw a couple punches at us now and it's time for us to do the same.''

The Celtics were the first of the eight NBA teams that have come from 3-1 down, beating Philadelphia in 1968, and put themselves on the short list of teams that have erased a 2-0 deficit the next year in the NBA Finals.

So perhaps it would be fitting if they were the first to overcome 3-0.

"I think so. I mean, I think that would be wonderful, and someone's going to do it and I want it to be us, obviously, since that's the situation we're in,'' Rivers said before the game. "Someone will do it, and I really want to be a part of that.''

He's still got a chance.

The Knicks limited the Celtics to 75 points per game while winning the first three, and nearly came back to win Game 4 on Sunday even without Smith. So they felt good even after missing their first chance to wrap it up, when Anthony was 10 of 35 in an overtime loss.

Point guard Raymond Felton said the Knicks still feel in control of the series "for sure.''

"I mean, this is what playoff basketball is about. Yes, we wish we could have swept them, yes we wish we could have won that game tonight. Sometimes things don't happen that way,'' he added. "Things aren't always pretty, things aren't always the way you want them to be. We've just got to grind it out and go get a win.''

Though few of these players were here for the streak, the Knicks were perhaps a bit overconfident leading into the game for a franchise that lost an NBA-record 13 straight postseason games from 2001-12.

Smith said Tuesday he'd have been playing golf instead of practicing had he played in Game 4, and players wore black to the game Wednesday as if they were heading to the Celtics' "funeral.''

The Celtics didn't like it, with reserve Jordan Crawford exchanging words with Anthony and Raymond Felton after the final buzzer.

Forget the funeral. The Celtics are still very much alive.

"Well, we was going to a funeral, but it looks like we got buried,'' Smith said. "Basketball is a very humbling game.''

Smith finally made a 3-pointer to end his drought, and then another cut what had been a 15-point Boston lead to 88-83 with 1:05 remaining. But Garnett made a jumper, then knocked down two free throws to clinch it.

The Knicks were just 5 of 22 from 3-point range, which looked worse until Smith hit three late ones.

The Sixth Man of the Year received a loud ovation when he went to check in during the first quarter, but heard a few boos by the third. They will likely be deafening on Friday, the kind usually reserved in Boston for a Lakers player.

By the time Anthony drove right into the middle of the lane for a dunk that made it 11-0, the Celtics already had three turnovers. But Bass made a pair of free throws and then a dunk to settle them down. He added five more points in the period as Boston climbed within 22-20 even though Pierce missed all six shots in a scoreless 12 minutes.

He made a 3-pointer shortly after returning from a break in the second, and another gave the Celtics their first lead at 34-33 with 5:46 remaining in the half. Then Garnett had two baskets in an 8-0 run that gave Boston a 42-37 advantage, and the Celtics walked off at halftime to mostly stunned silence within Madison Square Garden with a 45-39 lead.

The second halves had belonged to the Knicks in the series, but the Celtics remained steady in the third quarter, opening a 69-60 lead on Terry's 3-pointer with 41 seconds left, and pushed it to 75-60 early in the fourth.


Notes: Woodson said the team will try to get Amare Stoudemire some contact in practice to see if he will be ready to play in the next round. Woodson said Stoudemire, who is recovering from right knee surgery, is "looking pretty good right now.'' ... Jason Kidd was honored before the game after winning the NBA's Sportsmanship Award on Tuesday. He is the first player to win it in back-to-back years and joins Grant Hill as the only player to win it multiple times.

 

[fastbreak]

Thunder beat Rockets 103-94 to advance



HOUSTON (AP) Kevin Durant texted Kevin Martin after his terrible performance in Game 5 to send words of encouragement, and tell him he knew Martin would bounce back on Friday night.

Durant couldn't have been more right, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are advancing in the NBA playoffs.

Durant scored 27 points and Martin added 25 to lead the Thunder to a 103-94 victory over the Houston Rockets, sending them to the second round for the third straight season.

The Thunder will host Memphis on Sunday afternoon.

Martin, who joined the Thunder in the trade for James Harden, rebounded from a tough Game 5. He missed his first nine shots Wednesday and finished with three points. Things were much difference in Game 6, when he had 21 points by halftime.

"I had faith that he was going to come out and be aggressive and have a really good game,'' Durant said of Martin. "He's a big-time scorer. He carried us in that first half when I was struggling.''

The Rockets were looking to become just the fourth team in NBA history to force a Game 7 after trailing 3-0.

But the Thunder opened the fourth quarter with a big run to take the lead and cruise to the victory.

Martin finally gave the Thunder someone to take scoring pressure off Durant for the first time since All-Star guard Russell Westbrook had season-ending knee surgery. He had 21 points by halftime and Westbrook's replacement, Reggie Jackson, helped out by scoring 17.

"It was just coming in there, trying to set a tone,'' Martin said. "The last 48 hours after Game 5, I couldn't even look my teammates in the eye because I felt so bad. It was going in there and playing like I have been in my career and jump-starting us to a victory.''

Jackson also had seven rebounds, eight assists and just two turnovers.

"That was one of our best Thunder team wins that we've had all season,'' Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. "The guys really laid everything on the line, and that's what playoff basketball is all about. That's what team basketball is all about, and I liked the guys' commitment to helping each other out.''

Durant, who also had eight rebounds and six assists, likes the way the team has grown in the four games since Westbrook was injured.

"It's making us stronger,'' he said of dealing with adversity. "We definitely had to come together. We struggled at times, but that's all part of the journey.''

Harden, who the Rockets said had strep throat on Thursday, led Houston with 26 points.

Oklahoma City used a 14-4 run at the beginning of the fourth quarter to take a 92-81 lead. Derek Fisher and Durant both hit 3-pointers in that stretch. Houston missed six shots, including two layups, and had two turnovers as the Thunder built the lead.

Harden made a 3-pointer after that, but Fisher stole the ball from him on the next possession and Durant finished with an exclamation-point dunk, and Houston didn't threaten after that.

"We were just stagnant and from there on out we couldn't get any movement and really couldn't get any shots off,'' Harden said.

Brooks said the importance of Fisher to his team couldn't be overstated.

"He has made our team better,'' Brooks said. "His spirit of doing it every day is something all teams should strive for. What I saw tonight was some of the most inspired play I've ever seen as a player and as a coach.''

Fisher finished with 11 points, four rebounds and two steals.

The Rockets' plan of double- and triple-teaming Durant and daring someone else to beat them worked in the previous two games as they cut the deficit to 3-2. On Friday, Martin knocked down shot after shot and had outscored Durant by 12 points by halftime.

Houston got 25 points from Chandler Parsons, while Omer Asik had 13 points and 13 rebounds.

"I'm at a loss for words right now,'' Houston's Patrick Beverley said. "My mind is set to play Game 7. It's frustrating right now.''

Houston opened the third quarter with a barrage of 3-pointers. Francisco Garcia sank one to start the period and Parsons hit three more to help the Rockets build a 68-62 lead with about 7 1/2 minutes left in the quarter.

The Rockets pushed the lead to 10 points a couple of minutes later before Jackson scored five quick points to get Oklahoma City within 72-67.

That was the beginning of a 10-2 spurt for the Thunder that helped them tie it at 74 on a putback by Durant with about three minutes remaining in the quarter. Oklahoma City led 78-77 entering the fourth quarter.

Oklahoma City limited Houston to 23 points in the third period Friday after allowing the Rockets to score 38 and 37 points, respectively, in the third quarters of the last two games.

Houston was playing without key reserve Carlos Delfino, who has a bone fracture in his right foot that will require surgery.

Jeremy Lin didn't start, but played for the first time since Game 3. He entered with about 2 1/2 minutes left in the first quarter. He had missed the last two games with a bruised chest muscle.

He had just three points.

Houston led by five points late in the first quarter before Oklahoma City used a 12-2 run to take a 36-31 lead about nine minutes before halftime. Fisher and Martin made consecutive 3s to cap that run.

Martin made a pair of free throws to finish his big first half before Harden swished a 3-pointer to cut Oklahoma City's lead to 58-54 at halftime.

Things got testy early, with Garcia and Kendrick Perkins pushing each other after a foul by Garcia and each getting technical fouls in the first quarter. Garcia simmered down pretty quickly, but Perkins had to be pulled away by teammates.

After things settled down, Perkins inexplicably dropped to the court and did several push-ups.

Another scuffle just before halftime resulted in technicals on both Asik and Durant.


NOTES: The game drew a sold-out crowd of 18,357. ... Parsons scored more than 25 points for his second straight game. ... Martin came one point shy of his career high for points in the playoffs of 26. ... The Thunder went 16 for 16 from the free throw line.

 

[fastbreak]

Knicks hold on to beat Celtics 88-80 and advance



BOSTON (AP) Twelve years without advancing in the playoffs. Two failed attempts to close out the Boston Celtics. Nineteen consecutive missed 3-pointers.

Carmelo Anthony brought all the slumps to a stop.

Anthony made a pullup jumper and then sank his first 3-pointer in 20 tries to help the New York Knicks turn back Boston's comeback attempt on Friday night, beating the Celtics 88-80 in Game 6 to win a playoff series for the first time since 2000.

"You should never play with any doubt out there on the basketball court,'' Anthony said. "I can't step onto the court thinking of failure. When you start second-guessing everything, when you start playing with doubt ... I can't afford to play under those circumstances.''

Anthony scored 21 points and the Knicks held on after blowing most of a 26-point lead to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Indiana Pacers.

Game 1 is Sunday in New York.

Iman Shumpert scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, when the Celtics scored 20 straight points and cut a 75-49 deficit to four points. But Anthony made a 13-footer to give New York an 81-75 lead and followed with a 3-pointer - his first since Game 3.

J.R. Smith converted a three-point play to restore the double-digit lead the Knicks had nursed most of the game.

"There's definitely a moment in that run that I was thinking, "What are we doing, fellas?''' said Knicks center Tyson Chandler, who had nine points and 12rebounds.

"It's such a great learning experience when you get a win. It's tough when you get a loss. We've got to grow from it. I'm glad it happened. I'm glad it happened in the first round.''

Jeff Green scored 21 points for the Celtics, who had rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the series and had a chance, at home, to force a decisive seventh game.

No NBA team has advanced in the playoffs after losing the first three games.

Paul Pierce scored 14 points on 4-for-18 shooting, making one of nine 3-point attempts. Anthony also struggled from in- and outside the arc, going 7 for 23 from the floor and missing his first four 3-point attempts - that was 19 in a row in the series - before sinking the key basket with 1:43 to go.

"For him to miss all the 3s that he missed - he hit the biggest one of the series and that's what counts,'' Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "That's what I look at. When there are close games, I like to see who's going to step up and make plays, and he made the biggest play of the night.''

The Knicks had not won a playoff series since Patrick Ewing and Latrell Sprewell (and current backup center Marcus Camby) helped them reach the 2000 Eastern Conference finals.

"It's a major step for this organization, for our fans in New York who've been with us for many, many years,'' Woodson said. "I'm looking at the big picture and I'm only in this for one thing and that's to try to win an NBA title. We made a major step today, but we've got a long way to go.''

Kevin Garnett had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who now face another offseason of talk whether to break up the aging core that won the franchise's record 17th NBA title in 2008 and returned to the finals two years later. Reserve Jason Terry scored 14 points - the only points the Celtics got from their bench.

Rivers said he hasn't thought about his future, or the future of his aging stars, calling Garnett "as tough a competitor as I've ever been around'' and Pierce "one of the greatest Celtics to ever play.''

"He's done so much for this franchise,'' Rivers said. "We live in a day and time where guys change teams like socks. Paul has chosen to stay here throughout his career when he could have by all rights chosen to leave.

"He wanted to get it done here. I hope he's remembered for that. I hope he comes back.''

A win on Friday would have made the Celtics the fourth NBA team to tie a series after losing the first three games. And it would have given them a chance to be the first in league history to win a series after trailing 3-0.

The Celtics called upon local history to rally them, playing highlights on the scoreboard from the Red Sox comeback against the New York Yankees after a 3-0 deficit in the 2004 AL championship series.

But Boston quickly fell behind 21-5 and trailed by double digits most of the way. The Knicks made it 75-49 with just under 10 minutes left before the Celtics scored the next 20 points, holding New York scoreless for 4:43 before Pierce threw the ball away and Shumpert took it in for an easy layup that made it 77-69 with 5 minutes left.

Avery Bradley made a layup, then Green hit a pair of free throws to make it a four-point game. It was 79-75 when Anthony made a 13-footer and then followed Pierce's missed 3-pointer with a 3 from the top of the key. He then stripped Pierce going to the basket, and Smith converted a three-point play at the other end - Green fouled out on the play - to make it 87-75.


Notes: Lines of fans were still waiting to get through the increased security at 7:20, about 10 minutes after the game started. ... Garnett's six points in the first quarter were twice as much as the rest of Boston's players combined as the Knicks took a 24-10 lead into the second quarter. ... The Celtics were 4 for 16 from the floor in the first and missed all six of their 3-point attempts. The Knicks also outrebounded Boston 13-7 in the period. ... Boston shot 23.5 percent in the first half. ... The Knicks made 5 of 6 3-pointers in the third quarter.

 

[fastbreak]

Grizzlies advance with 118-105 win over Clippers



MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) The Grizzlies refused to be pushed around, especially on their home court, and now they're headed back to the Western Conference semifinals for the second time in three seasons.

Mike Conley and Zach Randolph scored 23 points each, and the Grizzlies beat the Los Angeles Clippers 118-105 on Friday night to take the first-round series 4-2.

The Grizzlies had never won four straight postseason games before this series. They became only the 10th team in NBA history to win four straight after trailing 0-2 - the first to win the next four all by double digits.

They will open the second round at Oklahoma City on Sunday in a rematch of the franchise's only other Western semifinal that the Thunder won in seven games in 2011.

"Now this series is over,'' Grizzlies center Marc Gasol said. "It's time to enjoy tonight and be ready tomorrow. It's a quick turnaround, so we can enjoy tonight.''

Memphis finished with seven players in double figures. Tony Allen had a postseason-best 19 points, and Jerryd Bayless had 16.

Reserve Matt Barnes scored a career playoff-best 30 points for Los Angeles. Chris Paul had 28 points before being ejected with 2:29 left for crashing into Gasol off a missed free throw, though he shook hands with several Grizzlies before going to the locker room.

Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro, whose contract is up after this season, said he didn't understand how Paul could be thrown out of the game. Paul had never been ejected from the playoffs before, and he thanked an unnamed friend for reminding him to watch what he said to reporters.

"I got kids to feed,'' Paul said.

Blake Griffin didn't start because of his sprained right ankle, and he scored nine points in 13:56. Del Negro said Griffin's ankle was as big as a grapefruit limiting him to a few minutes at a stretch. Paul also is a free agent July 1, leaving plenty of decisions to be made about where the Clippers go from here.

"This is not how we wanted it to end,'' Griffin said.

NBA Commissioner David Stern was on hand along with Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones. Conley had old Ohio State teammate Greg Oden in the arena as well.

Having the commissioner on hand didn't slow anyone down in a game featuring lots of headlocks and knockdowns with the only thing missing a steel cage as they combined for seven technicals.

Even Grant Hill had three fouls in 3 minutes in the first half, and Chauncey Billups got a flagrant-1.

"They came out threw and everything at us,'' Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said of the Clippers. "They played small. They played smaller. They pressed. They zoned. They gave hard fouls. They really competed. We held our poise. Held up mentally tough-wise and were able to get the win.''

Randolph was ejected, too, with 1:57 remaining. He tossed his headband toward the stands and celebrated as he walked to the locker room.

"I was just talking to the bench and exchanging words and (official) Joey (Crawford) he don't play so he tossed me,'' Randolph said with a slight smile.

The Clippers set a franchise record going 56-32 in the regular season, earning the No. 4 seed. They won the first two in Los Angeles but came into Game 6 trying to avoid being eliminated by the team they beat in seven in the first round a year ago.

They had hoped to force Game 7 back in Los Angeles on Sunday only to lose four consecutive games for only the third time all season.

"We took too long to come to the fight,'' Paul said. "We waited to Gam 6 to start to play aggressively and match their intensity. I don't even know how many free throws they shot tonight. Maybe more than the field goal attempts that we got.''

It only seemed that way as the Grizzlies went 38 of 47 at the line while the Clippers shot 41 of 78 from the floor. Billups credited the Grizzlies for never letting them get into a rhythm or their Lob City run and gun approach.

"Because of that, we lose the series,'' Billups said.

Los Angeles led only once - at 45-44 on Barnes' fourth 3-pointer with 5:08 left in the second quarter. The teams had four more ties before Quincy Pondexter hit a 3 with 2:02 left putting the Grizzlies ahead to stay at 54-51.

The Clippers had one last run, a 10-1 spurt capped by Butler's 20-foot jumper with 5:16 left pulling them within 103-97. Conley hit a 3 followed by a 3 from Bayless, and Randolph's scored inside with 3:06 remaining to push the lead back to double digits at 111-99.

It was so physical that Hollins sprinted onto the court in the second quarter after Butler went over Gasol's back for a rebound, leaving the Grizzlies center on the court pushing Butler's leg away as he got up.

Billups had as many fouls (four) as points (four). He got a flagrant-1 in the third when he put his body into Conley trying to stop a fast-break layup attempt and putting his right arm around Conley's neck as they went to the floor.

Conley hit the free throws, then hit a 3-pointer from the left corner giving the Grizzlies a 74-61 lead with 7:11 left.

After the bucket, Randolph and Griffin wrestled themselves to the court in a tangle of bodies. That earned the duo their fourth double-foul in this series with Randolph getting a technical.

Paul picked up his own technical from Crawford for his disgust when Randolph scored and picked up the foul.

Griffin said the tape will speak for what happened on that play but he felt a hand on his neck. Randolph said Griffin was pulling him down so he tried to brace for the fall.

And Griffin was called for a technical in the fourth when he knocked down Allen on a drive to the basket after the Grizzlies guard already had been fouled by Barnes. Bayless hit the free throw for the technical, and Allen added his two pushing the lead back to 97-87.


Notes: Hollins played for one of the nine teams that rallied from a 0-2 deficit. He was with Portland in 1977 when the Trail Blazers rallied to beat Philadelphia for the NBA championship. ... The Clippers did manage to snap a streak by the Grizzlies. Memphis had held opponents to 25 points or fewer in the third quarter in 52 straight games since Jan. 14, a streak 25 games longer than any other in the shot clock era. But the Clippers scored 26 in the third. ... Memphis went 23-1 in the regular season when scoring at least 100 points and is 3-0 in the postseason.

 

[fastbreak]

Pacers finish off Hawks, win Game 6 81-73



ATLANTA (AP) The Indiana Pacers packed for an extended trip.

Good call.

George Hill and David West each scored 21 points and the Pacers withstood a furious Atlanta comeback in the fourth quarter, beating the Hawks 81-73 on Friday night to close out the opening-round playoff series four games to two.

After snapping a 13-game losing streak in Atlanta dating to December 2006, Indiana headed off to New York to take on the Knicks in the first two games of the conference semifinals. The opener is Sunday at Madison Square Garden, an itinerary the Pacers prepared for by packing for a possible six days on the road.

"Quick turnaround,'' said Indiana's Roy Hibbert, who led a dominating Pacers performance on the boards. "Enjoy tonight on the plane ride, get to New York, get something good in our bellies if stuff is still open.''

New York finished off the Celtics 88-80 shortly after the horn sounded at Philips Arena. The Pacers were certainly glad they didn't have to return to Indianapolis for a decisive game against the Hawks.

"It's nice to be able to get it done here,'' Hibbert said. "We showed a lot of resolve when the other team made their run.''

The home team had won every game until the Hawks returned to Atlanta and set a franchise playoff record with just nine points in the second quarter on 1-of-15 shooting. The defense broke down in the third, allowing Hill and West to combine for 22 points, and the Pacers built a 65-50 lead going to the fourth.

To their credit, the Hawks showed plenty of heart, slicing Indiana's lead to 76-73 on Al Horford's dunk with 2:13 remaining.

But the comeback fizzled. Atlanta didn't score again, setting up what figures to be a tumultuous offseason.

The Hawks have only three players who are definitely under contract for next season - Horford is the lone starter in the group - and it seems likely this will be a much different team next season. Plus, they very well could have a new coach. Larry Drew was in the final year of his contract, and general manager Danny Ferry figures to want his own man in the post as he heads to his second season.

Longtime stalwart Josh Smith, an Atlanta native who has played for the team ever since he was drafted out of high school eight seasons ago, is among those heading into free agency.

"There's plenty of time to think about what the future presents,'' Smith said. "I'm not really concerned about that right now.''

If that's it for Smith in Atlanta, he missed his final shot.

How fitting on a night when the Hawks made only 26 of 78 (33 percent). Horford led with 15 points, while Smith and Devin Harris finished with 14.

Indiana bullied the Hawks much of the game, overcoming their own poor shooting (32 of 76) by bullying Atlanta in the lane. The Pacers finished with a staggering 53-35 lead on the boards.

Hibbert added 17 points and 11 rebounds. Lance Stephenson also had 11 rebounds.

Over the final two games of the series, the Pacers absolutely manhandled the Hawks on the glass, piling up a 104-63 rebounding edge.

"I'm very proud of our guys to come in here, a tough place to win,'' coach Frank Vogel said. "A particularly tough place for us to win. It's good to end that streak. But more importantly, it's good to advance and show the type of toughness you need to make a deep playoff run. To win with defense and rebounding, that's been our identity all year, and that was the key to the last two victories.''

The Hawks went through an absolutely brutal stretch from early in the second quarter to nearly midway through the third, in which they did not actually put the ball in the hoop.

In the equivalent of more than a quarter - 15:43 to be exact - Atlanta went 1 of 21 from the field, the only basket awarded to Harris on a goaltending call against Hibbert.

At a time when the Hawks needed one of their best performances of the season, they produced one of their worst.

"I wouldn't have believed it,'' Smith said. "We just couldn't get it going offensively.''

The Hawks couldn't play much worse than they did in the second quarter. They showed little energy. They put up some truly awful shots. They missed even when they got a decent look.

Kyle Korver made the Hawks' only basket of the period on a jumper with 10:35 left. After that, they missed their last 13 shots before heading to the locker room to a round of boos from the home crowd.

If not for Indiana having their own offensive issues - the Pacers made only 36.6 percent (15 of 41) - the game would've been a blowout. As it was, the Hawks trailed just 37-29.

Perhaps the most telling sequence for both teams came late in the second. Jeff Teague fumbled away the ball out near the top of the key without being challenged. Indiana's D.J. Augustin took off the other way on an apparent layup, but only to throw up a wild shot that struck the bottom of the backboard. The Hawks followed up with such a pathetic offensive set that 7-footer Johan Petro wound up shooting a 3-pointer just ahead of the shot clocked.

It missed.

So did just about everything else the Hawks put up in the first half.

Atlanta's offensive woes shifted to the defensive end in the third quarter. The Hawks continually got lost on switches, at one point leaving Hill totally alone on a 3-pointer. He knocked down the shot and Harris looked around, his arms in the air wondering what was happening to his team.

The Hawks showed some resilience in their final quarter of the season.

But they expended so much energy wiping out a deficit that had been as high as 19 points, there was nothing left at the end. Horford's rim-hanging dunk was their final basket.

While clearly seeming to sense his three-year run in Atlanta is over, Drew said he was proud of a team that many felt would have trouble making the playoffs after trading away All-Star Joe Johnson and bringing in a bunch of guys in the final year of their contracts.

Even the coach knew he was a lame duck, having the option on his contact picked up last summer but not getting an extension.

"I'm really, really proud of my group,'' said Drew, who has led the Hawks to three straight playoff appearances but was eliminated in the first round the last two years. "When you've got 11 or 12 guys on one-year deals, and the coach is in his last year, it could've gone either way. But we hung in there and stuck with it.''


Notes: Atlanta G Teague has an awful finish to the series, going 3 of 16 in Game 5, and 3 of 12 in the deciding contest. ... Hibbert had his first double-double of the series. ... The Hawks finally shot well from the free-throw line (18 of 20) after struggling much of the series. Unfortunately, they couldn't score consistently from anywhere else. ... Hawks F Ivan Johnson was whistled for a technical for the second game in a row. Indiana's Jeff Pendergraph also picked up a T.

 

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Bulls beat Nets 99-93 in Game 7



NEW YORK (AP) Joakim Noah climbed over the baseline seats, his foot that hurt so much two weeks ago that he feared he couldn't play looking pain-free as he embraced his mother.

The first Game 7 in Brooklyn belonged not to the Nets, but to the guy who played here in high school.

"I'll remember this for the rest of my life,'' Noah said.

Injured, ill and just as determined as ever, the Chicago Bulls beat the Nets 99-93 on Saturday night to win the first-round series.

Noah had 24 points and 14 rebounds, and Marco Belinelli also scored 24 points to help the Bulls advance to a second-round series against defending champion Miami that starts Monday night.

Carlos Boozer added 17 points as the Bulls shook off injuries to two starters and every run the Nets tried to make in the second half to win a Game 7 on the road for the first time in franchise history.

"I'm just so proud of this team. We've been fighting through so much all year and to be in this situation, play on the biggest stage in the world and to be able to win and now play against the Heat, all these experiences, I (don't) take those for granted,'' Noah said.

The Bulls opened a 17-point halftime lead with a rare offensive outburst, and found a way to get big baskets every time the Nets pulled close to win the NBA's only do-or-die game of the first round.

"I thought our guys, we took a big punch in Game 1 and we kept fighting back and that's been the story of the season,'' Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said.

Deron Williams had 24 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Nets. They were trying to become the ninth NBA team to win a series after trailing 3-1.

But they had a horrendous first-half defensive performance and Joe Johnson was bad all game on offense, finishing with six points on 2-of-14 shooting, including 1 of 9 from 3-point range.

With Luol Deng (illness) and Kirk Hinrich (bruised left calf) out again and Derrick Rose still not ready to return from last year's torn ACL, the Bulls leaned on Noah, who could barely play when the Bulls were blown out here two weeks ago in Game 1 because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot. He logged 41 minutes and shot 12 of 17 while also blocking six shots.

"It's disappointing. We won Game 6, we felt like this was our series, but they came out and played a great game,'' Williams said. "Noah, like I said, he's a warrior. He battled through his injuries and just had a monster game. We really had no answers for him down low tonight.''

Noah helped the Bulls spoil the Nets' first home Game 7 in their NBA history at the end of their first season in Brooklyn. They had played only one Game 7 in all their years while they were based in New Jersey, falling at Detroit in 2004.

Chicago improved to 1-6 in road Game 7s.

Deng, tested for meningitis earlier in the week, was back in the hospital Friday night and unable to travel. Hinrich warmed up in hopes of playing before he was ruled out.

It didn't matter to the Bulls, who backed up Thibodeau's vow that they would have no excuses and play well.

Coming out ready to work, the Bulls got their first two baskets on offensive rebounds by Boozer and Noah, and they led most of the first quarter before bringing a 29-25 lead to the second on Taj Gibson's jumper with 0.8 seconds left.

It was 40-36 before the Bulls took control with solid offensive execution and poor Nets defense. Noah had consecutive baskets before seldom-used Daequan Cook made a 3-pointer to cap an 11-2 run, and after a basket by Andray Blatche, Boozer, Nate Robinson and Noah ran off the next six points to give Chicago a 57-40 lead as the crowd began to boo.

"I think we weren't as aggressive as they were, especially on the boards and the defensive end in the first half,'' Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo said.

The Bulls capped it with a stunningly easy dunk by Boozer with 1.2 seconds left off an inbounds pass, sending the Bulls to the locker room with a 61-44 advantage.

Brooklyn burst out of the locker room with a 10-4 run, and back-to-back 3-pointers later in the third period by Gerald Wallace kicked off an 11-2 surge that got the Nets within 69-65 on Williams' free throw with 5:29 left.

Jimmy Butler hit a 3-pointer and Robinson scored to steady the Bulls and push the lead back to nine, and they led 82-75 after three.

The Nets opened the fourth with just one point in the first five minutes as consecutive baskets by Boozer pushed the lead back into double digits. The Nets kept trying to get back in it, getting it all the way down to four on a 3-pointer by Williams with 26 seconds left, but Belinelli hit four free throws from there.

Brook Lopez had 21 points and nine rebounds, and Wallace finished with 19 points for the Nets, who finished a successful first season in Brooklyn in a disappointing way, getting booed late in the first half while allowing Chicago to make eight of its final 12 shots.

Robinson finished with 12 points in his second straight start in place of Hinrich.

Notes: Rihanna, whose concert that was scheduled here for Saturday was postponed to Tuesday night after the Nets forced Game 7, sat in the courtside seats belonging to fellow music star Jay-Z. ... New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia was in the crowd - wearing a Brooklyn Dodgers hat.

 

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Durant, Thunder edge Grizzlies 93-91 in Game 1



OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Derek Fisher turned a tough situation for the Oklahoma City Thunder into the worst-case scenario for the Grizzlies.

With the Thunder down by one in the final minute, Fisher poked the ball away from Memphis' Mike Conley, springing three-time NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant into the open court with a chance to put Oklahoma City on top.

Durant pulled up and connected on a jumper with 11.1 seconds left for the last of his 35 points, lifting the Thunder to a 93-91 victory over the Grizzlies on Sunday in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

"I just wanted to get up the floor as quick as possible and find a shot,'' said Durant, who finished second in league MVP voting announced Sunday. "That was the only shot I could find and, by the grace of God, it went in.''

Game 2 is Tuesday night in Oklahoma City.

Thabo Sefolosha kept the Grizzlies from going back ahead, deflecting a pass that Conley was able to corral - but only after diving out of bounds. Reggie Jackson then hit a pair of free throws for a three-point lead, and Quincy Pondexter couldn't force overtime after getting fouled while attempting a 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left.

Pondexter, a 72 percent career free-throw shooter, missed the first free throw. He made his second attempt before intentionally missing the third, but Durant swatted the rebound away and Marc Gasol's attempt at a buzzer-beater was late.

"We couldn't get stops. That's why we lost,'' said Gasol, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds. "We didn't lose because of free throws.''

Kevin Martin scored 25 for Oklahoma City, which trailed for much of the game but was able to avoid repeating its Game 1 loss from when these two teams met in the West semifinals two years ago. The Thunder were able to rally and win that series in seven.

Fisher, a five-time NBA champion who only joined the Thunder after asking to be released by Dallas for family reasons earlier in the season, turned this game around with his defense.

Conley had gotten past him on a drive to the basket when Fisher reached in from behind and knocked the ball free. It was just the stop Oklahoma City needed.

"He makes plays, whether it's tipping the ball out and getting a steal or hitting the big shot to start the fourth,'' Durant said. "Or just his leadership in the huddles and the locker room is big for us. We need that.''

Zach Randolph chipped in 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies, and Pondexter and Conley scored 13 apiece. As a team, Memphis went 14 for 24 on free throws. Oklahoma City, which was the league's top foul shooting team with the third-best mark in NBA history, was 22 of 25.

"Obviously, we have to make free throws, especially myself,'' said Pondexter, who was slapped on his right arm by Jackson on his attempt at the tying 3-pointer. "We've just got to take this as a learning experience and move on.''

The series opener was a competitive new chapter in an increasingly fierce rivalry, but there weren't any scuffles this time. They had combined for nine technical fouls in three meetings during the regular season, including one confrontation that got Randolph and Kendrick Perkins ejected.

After letting a seven-point lead slip away in the first half, Memphis surged back ahead with a 15-4 run early in the third quarter that featured two driving layups and a jumper by Conley. The lead stretched to 70-58 when Conley hit a free throw following 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions by Pondexter and Tayshaun Prince.

The Thunder started to rally before Pondexter's buzzer-beater from the half-court logo to finish the third quarter bumped the lead up to 73-64. That didn't stop Oklahoma City's comeback, though.

Fisher opened the final period with a 3-pointer and Martin converted a three-point play and a 3-pointer as the Thunder went on a 9-2 run, prompting Memphis coach Lionel Hollins to call a timeout with the lead down to 75-73 with 10:08 left.

"That shot at the buzzer, that's a great shot on his part. That's one of those things that it could have really took us back a little,'' Thunder coach Scott Brooks said, "but we still fought through that shot and kept competing when we were down.''

After the timeout, the Grizzlies got their lead back up to seven before Durant sandwiched a pair of driving buckets around Fisher's 3-pointer in a 7-0 burst that tied it at 84 with 3:47 to play.

The Grizzlies went back up 90-87 when Serge Ibaka missed one of two free throws and Gasol followed with a hook shot with 1:08 to go.

"If you're up 3 and you've got a minute and a half, you've got to get a stop,'' Gasol said. "We couldn't get a stop.''

Notes: Durant also finished second in the MVP race last season and in 2009. He got 93 of the 121 second-place votes in the balloting announced Sunday. ... The Thunder made their first nine shots in their only win of the season against Memphis, the best start to a game by an NBA team this season. They missed their first 10 in this one. ... Nick Collison was called for a flagrant foul after leveling Prince on a baseline drive in the second quarter. ... In the three regular-season games, the Grizzlies attempted 52 more shots largely because they had 24 more offensive rebounds. Memphis had just one more offensive rebound in this one and two more shots.

 

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Pacers beat Knicks 102-95 in Game 1



NEW YORK (AP) Bigger, badder, and so far better.

Physical beat finesse Sunday, as the Indiana Pacers outworked and outmuscled the New York Knicks in a 102-95 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

David West scored 20 points and Paul George added 19 for the Pacers, who outrebounded the Knicks 44-30, showing the smaller team that in the rugged East, size does matter.

"I thought guys did a good job just putting them on their heels,'' West said. "We were attacking, we were aggressive.''

D.J. Augustin had 16 points for the Pacers, who built a 16-point lead while Carmelo Anthony was on the bench in foul trouble in the third quarter, and easily held on to spoil the Knicks' first second-round game since 2000.

Anthony finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds, but was frustrated by the Pacers' tough defense and by the referees. He shot 10 of 28 from the field and was perhaps thrown out of sync having to defend West, a natural power forward, inside.

"Right now they're just being really physical with him, they're trying to bang him, they're trying to frustrate him,'' Knicks point guard Raymond Felton said. "But we're going to be fine, he's going to be fine.''

Game 2 is here Tuesday night, and then the series takes a lengthy break before Game 3 on Saturday in Indiana.

The Pacers, who allowed the second-fewest points per game and the lowest field goal percentage in the league during the regular season, mixed in solid offense as well. They outscored New York 59-38 across the middle two quarters and were comfortably ahead throughout the fourth.

"Just a strong defensive effort and then offensively guys played with great poise,'' Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "Just a complete team effort, very proud of them.''

Roy Hibbert scored 14 points in thoroughly outplaying counterpart Tyson Chandler, and George Hill also had 14 for the Pacers, adding seven rebounds and six assists.

Lance Stephenson added 11 points and 13 rebounds playing in his hometown.

J.R. Smith scored 17 points but was 4 of 15. Felton had 18 and Kenyon Martin added 12 for the Knicks, who hope to have reserves Amare Stoudemire (right knee surgery) and Steve Novak (back spasms) back for Game 3 and certainly looked as if they could use the help.

Both teams wrapped up their first-round series Friday night, the Knicks' victory in Game 6 in Boston giving them their first series victory in 13 years and sending them on to face a familiar postseason foe in Indiana, which ousted Atlanta.

The teams met three straight years from 1993-95, then again from 1998-00, splitting their six series, and this was the type of slugfest so many of those matchups were.

Indiana led 60-54 when Anthony committed his fourth foul and came out of the game with 7:48 remaining in the third quarter. The Pacers then outscored the Knicks 21-11 the remainder of the period, opening an 81-65 bulge on Augustin's 3-pointer with 31.5 seconds left in the quarter.

"They did all the little things,'' Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "We didn't start playing until we actually got down and it was desperation and we've got to play like that from the start.''

Anthony came back on to start the fourth and scored the first six points to get the Knicks back within 10. He picked up a fifth on a questionable offensive foul call with 10 minutes left and appeared to wave off a substitution when Chandler checked in, though Woodson said Chandler was going in for Martin, who was the one who exited.

But there was no final flurry, and Chandler eventually fouled out with four points and three rebounds.

Anthony wore a sleeve under his jersey covering a strap to keep his sore left shoulder in place. It was first hurt against the Pacers in April, then aggravated when Kevin Garnett pulled on his arm while setting a screen during the first-round series.

That may have contributed to his poor shooting but certainly the Pacers had plenty to do with it, as did having to bang inside with the bigger West - though Anthony downplayed the toughness factor.

"The physicality of this game didn't do nothing to me, to us,'' he said.

"It's like Coach Woodson said and I agree with him, they beat us on the glass, they beat us to the loose basketballs out there, the hustle plays, and they outworked us. I don't think that had anything do with being more physical.''

The Knicks closed the first quarter with a 9-0 spurt, taking a 27-22 lead after 3-pointers by Smith and Felton to end the period. But the Pacers tightened up the defense in the second, holding the Knicks to two baskets in the final 5 minutes.

Indiana outscored New York 13-4 during that stretch, taking a 52-46 lead to halftime after George hit a 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left.

The Pacers, who also were the league's best team at defending the 3-pointer, limited the Knicks to 19 attempts and actually made more (8-7). Augustin was 4 of 5 off the bench.

Notes: Anthony averaged 29.1 points in the first round, equaling the second-highest ever by a Knicks player. Patrick Ewing had 31.6 per game in a 1990 series. ... Anthony received the one first-place vote that kept LeBron James from being the NBA's first unanimous selection as MVP. "That's the furthest thing on my mind at this point in time,'' said Anthony, who was third in the voting behind Kevin Durant. "I'll take that vote.'' ... Indiana won both matchups in the conference semifinals, a 4-3 victory in 1995 and a 4-1 win in 1998. ... Indiana's Jeff Pendergraph was fined $5,000 by the NBA, the first player punished for violating the league's anti-flopping rules in the playoffs. ... Novak said he hurt his back while warming up at halftime of Game 5 against Boston but has been feeling better each day since.

 

[fastbreak]

Spurs outlast Warriors in double OT 129-127



SAN ANTONIO (AP) Manu Ginobili's play in the final 50 seconds was almost too much for Gregg Popovich to handle. Then again, the Spurs' coach is used to his veteran guard's free-wheeling style.

Ginobili's 3-pointer from the wing with 1.2 seconds left in double overtime lifted the San Antonio Spurs to a thrilling 129-127 victory Monday night over the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry, who had 44 points in the opener of the Western Conference semifinals.

The game-winning shot came 43.7 seconds after Ginobili took an ill-advised 3 that appeared to cost the Spurs the game.

"I went from wanting to trade him on the spot to wanting to cook breakfast for him tomorrow morning,'' Popovich said. "That's the truth. When I talk to him and say, "Manu,' he goes, "This is what I do.' That's what he's going to tell me. I stopped coaching him a long time ago.''

Ginobili's 3 capped an improbable comeback for the Spurs, who trailed by 16 points with 4 minutes left in regulation before going on an 18-2 run to close the fourth quarter and force overtime.

Golden State trailed by five with 1 minute left in the second overtime before the Warriors scored six straight points to take a one-point lead on Kent Bazemore's reverse layup that gave the Warriors a 127-126 advantage with 3.9 seconds left.

Bazemore's layup was set up by Ginobili's errant 27-foot 3-pointer with 44.9 seconds left.

"I took a really bad shot,'' Ginobili said. "I was on the top of the key. I had no chance whatsoever to make it to the basket. I couldn't penetrate; I was very tired. Jack gave me a couple of feet and I thought I could make it.''

Trailing 127-126 with 3.9 seconds left in the second overtime, Ginobili launched a high 3-pointer off a cross-court inbounds pass from Kawhi Leonard.

"On the last play, it wasn't for me; they just left me open,'' Ginobili said. "I set a screen for TP (Tony Parker) and they both went with him and left me open on the weak side. When I caught it I just saw Brazemore flying. I just gave it a lot of air and it went in.

"I wasn't even an option. They told me just go screen and stay far from the play. The play was for Tony or Boris. And they got confused.''

Golden State had one final chance but Jarrett Jack's 3-pointer from the top of the key was off.

"We had a heartbreaker in Game 1 of the last series (against Denver),'' Curry said. "A last-second layup by Andre Miller. So we've been here before. But we know how to come back. We've been a resilient team all year. To have an opportunity to go 1-1, we still have a chance to do that.''

Tony Parker scored 28 points to lead San Antonio while Danny Green added 22 points, Leonard had 18 and Ginobili 16.

Tim Duncan finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds in 35 minutes. Duncan, who is battling a stomach bug, left the game with 3 minutes left in regulation and only played the final seconds of each overtime.

"He's had the flu,'' Popovich said. "He's been sick and he gave it a shot. It became pretty apparent there that he wasn't going to tell me the truth anymore, so I had to pull the plug myself.''

Curry had 11 assists and was 18 for 35 from the field and 6 for 14 on 3-pointers for Golden State, which has lost 30 straight in San Antonio dating back to Feb. 14, 1997.

Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes each added 19 points, Jarrett Jack had 15 and Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds.

The Warriors missed eight of their final nine shots in regulation, including a desperation heave by Curry at the buzzer against several defenders.

"You should (win),'' Golden State coach Mark Jackson said. "We're not the first team to lose a game like this and we will not be the last. That doesn't mean we're going to accept it. We're going to get better. Even down the stretch in the process of losing the lead, we did some things that were good. At the end of the day, they made plays and we didn't make enough.''

The Spurs slowed Curry early in the fourth quarter by putting the 6-foot-7 Leonard on in the fourth quarter. Curry scored only six points in the fourth quarter, helping fuel San Antonio's rally behind Parker and Leonard.

Curry had 22 points in the third quarter, including 14 straight late in the period. Curry's run gave Golden State a 90-72 lead with 37.5 seconds left in the third.

"We just wanted to keep playing and keep competing,'' Popovich said. "Try to make stops and try to make some adjustments both personnel wise and defensively to try and get more stops and then stay in attack mode on offense. It worked out. It was anybody's game for sure.''

Curry found his groove after a sluggish first half.

After averaging only 3.3 turnovers in Golden State's first-round upset of Denver, Curry had four in the first quarter alone while struggling to find his shot.

Curry missed his first two attempts while committing two turnovers and picking up a personal foul before hitting a 19-foot jumper with 6:31 left in the first. He finished 2 for 6 in the first quarter, scoring four points in 12 minutes while primarily being defended by Green.

Curry's first 3 came did not come until there was 7 minutes left in the first half.

The Warriors had plenty of offense without Curry, though.

Golden State raced to a 28-25 lead in the opening period by outscoring San Antonio 12-2 in the paint.

The Spurs started 1 for 9, with Green's 3-pointer their only basket in the opening 4 minutes. Parker's jumper with 7:17 left in the first broke the drought and pulled the Spurs within 11-5.

San Antonio shot 38 percent from the field in the first half, but kept the game close by going 13 for 14 on free throws compared to 5 for 10 by Golden State.

NOTES: Spurs F Tiago Splitter (ankle) missed his second-straight game of the playoffs. Splitter did not miss any games during the regular season due to injury, but sat out the finale to rest. ... San Antonio G Nando De Colo was inactive. . Warriors W Brandon Rush (knee) missed the game. ... Barnes was 5-years-old the last time Golden State won in San Antonio. ... The national anthem was sung by Haley Scarnato, a former American Idol finalist and San Antonio native.

 

[fastbreak]

Bulls steal Game 1, top Heat 93-86



MIAMI (AP) Nate Robinson was spitting blood in the first half, then delivered the deepest cuts of the night in the final moments. And the Chicago Bulls reminded the Miami Heat that no one in the NBA plays them any tougher.

Yes, the streakbusters struck again.

Robinson scored 27 points, Jimmy Butler added 21 points and a career-high-tying 14 rebounds, and the Bulls beat Miami 93-86 on Monday night in Game 1 of the teams' Eastern Conference semifinal series. The team that snapped Miami's 27-game winning streak in the regular season - the second-longest in NBA history - found a way to topple the champs again, this time ending a run of 12 straight Heat victories overall.

"I've played on some tough teams,'' Robinson said. "But this one, there's something a little different, something special about this group.''

A seven-point deficit midway through the fourth wasn't enough to doom the Bulls, who finished the game on a 10-0 run in the final 1:59. And to think, the Bulls weren't anywhere near full strength. Kirk Hinrich was out again with a calf injury. Luol Deng isn't even expected to rejoin the team until Tuesday, after dealing with an illness apparently so severe that a spinal tap - and other tests since - were needed to rule out things like meningitis.

"So proud of my team man, this bed might be good luck after all,'' Deng wrote on Twitter after the game, with a photo of him in a hospital bed.

Oh, and Derrick Rose remains sidelined, as he's been since April 2012.

No problem. The Heat are 41-3 in their last 44 games - with two of those losses to the Bulls, who are now 3-2 against Miami this season.

"I think when you're facing adversity, you have to be mentally tough,'' Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "But this is just one game. We have to play a lot better in our next one.''

LeBron James got his MVP trophy from Commissioner David Stern before the game, then struggled to a two-point first half before finishing with 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Miami. Dwyane Wade added 14 for the Heat, who had no one else in double figures, finished shooting 40 percent from the floor and were outrebounded 46-32.

"I'm not stunned,'' James said. "This is what the playoffs is all about. We're going against a really good team.''

Miami was outscored 35-24 in the fourth, something that drew the ire of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra afterward.

"There's no excuses,'' said Spoelstra, whose team had not played in more than a week. "We're not making any excuses for time off or anything else.''

If anyone could have made excuses, it was Robinson. He needed 10 stitches, five in his lip and five more inside his mouth, to close a nasty cut that came when he dove for a loose ball with James and struck his head on the court late in the first half.

And then not only did he play the whole second half, he scored 24 points in those 24 minutes, including the last seven points that finished the job for Chicago.

"He was born a scorer,'' Miami guard Mario Chalmers said.

Joakim Noah scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Bulls, who got 12 from Taj Gibson and 10 from Marco Belinelli. Game 2 is Wednesday night in Miami.

"We're not really a flashy team,'' Gibson said. "We like to go out and do our job.''

A pair of three-point plays by James - one of them coming when he just broke through a tackle attempt by Butler and muscled the ball to the rim anyway - gave Miami a 76-69 lead midway through the fourth quarter, the biggest deficit Chicago faced all night.

The Bulls were undeterred.

Coming off a Game 7 road win in Brooklyn two nights earlier just to get into a series with Miami, the Bulls just kept grinding. When Ray Allen made a 3-pointer to give Miami an 80-78 lead, Butler came back with one of his own to put the Bulls back on top. When the Heat went up by three after James made a free throw with 2:22 left, Belinelli connected for 3 - on a second-effort possession - to knot the game.

Then when Robinson connected on a 20-footer with 1:18 left, the Bulls had the lead and plenty of swagger.

Wade missed a 3-pointer on the next possession, Robinson drove the lane and scored with 45.5 seconds left, and suddenly the Bulls were up 90-86. James drove against Butler and tried a 12-footer that missed everything, the Bulls got the rebound, Robinson made a free throw to stretch the lead to five and the stunner was complete.

Game 1 to the Bulls.

"It's all about being tough,'' said Butler, who played all 48 minutes for the third straight game. "We're always going to be the underdogs and we take pride in that. Everybody can overlook us, but we feel like we're good enough to hang with a lot of these teams.''

It was a night that started with a celebration, James getting his MVP award from the commissioner.

"Thank you so much,'' James said. "And let's get ready to go.''

And with that, the game started.

Problem was, no one was ready to go.

The Heat missed their first seven shots - maybe rust really was a factor. It was 37-all at the half and James wore twice as many pairs of sneakers in the opening two quarters (two) as he had field goals (one). He had two points at the break, the lowest of his 120-game postseason career, on just 1 for 6 shooting.

He opened the second half with a 3-pointer, so the shoes were a quick fix.

But the Bulls were in for the long haul, and after James made the consecutive three-point plays to open a seven-point lead, Chicago answered with seven straight points, knotting the game at 76-all when Belinelli made a 3-pointer with just under 5 minutes left.

Momentum belonged to Chicago, and soon, so did the game.

"It's just one game,'' Belinelli said.

NOTES: James has played 885 regular-season and playoff games. He's scored less than two points in a first half only twice, being shut out by Dallas on Oct. 31, 2007 and Dec. 20, 2010. He scored exactly two points on five other occasions before Monday. ... Wade dove into the second row of seats to save an errant ball, and grimaced after appearing to hit his sore right knee. "I wish somebody would have grabbed me. That would have been kind of nice, especially at home,'' Wade said. ... The Bulls had 17 second-chance points on only nine offensive rebounds.

 

[fastbreak]

Grizzlies drop Thunder 99-93, even series at 1-1



OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The Memphis Grizzlies wouldn't let Kevin Durant come through in the clutch for the second straight time.

This was Mike Conley's time to shine.

Conley scored 26 points and fueled a late Memphis run as the Grizzlies beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 99-93 on Tuesday night to tie the series at one and gain home-court advantage in the Western Conference semifinals.

Conley hit a 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:58 left to put the Grizzlies ahead to stay and spark a string of 10 straight Memphis points.

The Grizzlies head home for the next two games, with Game 3 on Saturday in Memphis.

"Mike Conley is now one of the top five point guards in the league, whether anybody likes it or not,'' said Tony Allen, who had two of his five steals in the final minute.

"I know a lot of people have got their favorites on who they think it should be, but Mike Conley is in that conversation now, being able to do these types of things on the court night in and night out.''

In the first round, Conley outdueled All-Star Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers.

And now, he filled the late-game void the Grizzlies created when they traded away leading scorer Rudy Gay in the middle of the season.

After Conley's go-ahead 3, he added an 18-foot jumper to stretch the lead to 94-90, then hit one of two free throws with 29.4 seconds left. He finished with 10 rebounds and nine assists, one shy of a triple-double.

"He played like he had been playing all season, and we needed that,'' coach Lionel Hollins said. "We needed to have somebody on the perimeter do something. He started getting to the basket a little bit and scored some big jump shots late.''

After hitting the key baskets in Game 1, Durant couldn't provide an answer for the Thunder. He missed his last three shots, including a pair of 3-point attempts, and finished with 36 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.

The Thunder caught a break when Allen tipped the ball away and Conley saved it from going out of bounds, only for it to end up in Durant's hands in the corner.

But Durant was off-target on a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left, and Oklahoma City was forced to foul.

In all, the Thunder came up empty on five straight possessions after Conley's go-ahead 3.

"After they scored, there was such little time on the clock, we were just trying to get a quick basket,'' Durant said, "and it didn't go so well for us.''

In Game 1, Durant was able to hit back-to-back jumpers in the final minute to put Oklahoma City in front to stay.

With fellow All-Star Russell Westbrook out for the rest of the playoffs following knee surgery, the load once again fell squarely on his shoulders.

"I can carry as much as coach needs me to carry,'' Durant said. "I made those shots last game. I missed them this game. I'm just going to continue to keep taking them.''

Zach Randolph added two free throws with 13.7 seconds left, and Allen then stepped in front of Durant to steal a pass and provide the finishing touches with a dunk. Derek Fisher hit a 3-pointer at the final buzzer for Oklahoma City.

"The last game, we didn't execute down the stretch, didn't get the stops when we needed them and tonight we did vice-versa,'' Conley said. "We got the stops, got the rebounds, made big shots and free throws.''

Neither team led by more than seven in the game.

Durant put the Thunder ahead 88-86 with a three-point play off a leaner along the lane, only for Gasol to answer right back with a three-point play.

Kendrick Perkins provided Oklahoma City its last lead with two free throws with 2:41 to play, and Conley connected two possessions later after receiving a pass from a double-teamed Gasol in the lane.

"He's a steady point guard that deserves more credit than he gets,'' Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "I understand the value he has to that team. He plays for his team every night, and I appreciate the way he plays.''

The Grizzlies, who had gotten 52 more shots and 24 more offensive rebounds than Oklahoma City in three regular-season meetings, were back to their usual formula after getting neutralized in those areas in the opener.

Memphis piled up a 48-30 scoring advantage in the paint and also outscored Oklahoma City 23-6 in second-chance points and 18-7 on the fast break.

The Grizzlies also scored 29 points off 21 turnovers by the Thunder, who had just 10 in Game 1.

"Too many offensive rebounds, too many turnovers for us to overcome,'' Brooks said.

Randolph ended up with 15 points and eight rebounds and Allen had 12 points and five steals.

Fisher had 19 points for the Thunder, making four of five 3-point attempts. Kevin Martin, coming off back-to-back 25-point games, scored six on 2-for-11 shooting.

Durant began the fourth quarter on the bench as Memphis put all five of its starters on the floor, then quickly overcame a 74-69 lead with a 9-2 burst finished off by Conley's transition layup following an Allen steal.

Durant returned and scored 10 of Oklahoma City's next 12 points, but he couldn't finish it out.


Notes: Brooks said Westbrook will not be able to travel with the team to Memphis for Games 3 and 4 because of the surgery on his right knee that has sidelined him for the rest of the playoffs. Westbrook has been watching home games from a suite at the arena. "He has a competitive fire that not too many people have,'' Brooks said. "There's no question that that's what makes him a special player, and he brings it every single night. Not being able to do it obviously is challenging for him, but he's handling it well.'' ... Tony Wroten made his first appearance of the series late in the first quarter and immediately stole the ball from Fisher in the backcourt for a layup. ... Tulsa Shock first-round draft pick Skylar Diggins watched the game from a courtside seat along the baseline.

 

[fastbreak]

Knicks use huge run to even series with Pacers



NEW YORK (AP) Carmelo Anthony hung from the rim, the helpless defender who tried to stop his dunk lying on the court below after falling down.

Pretty soon, Anthony's jumper was falling, too.

Once that happened, the New York Knicks blew away the Indiana Pacers with a performance that resembled something from earlier this season, not this series.

Anthony scored 32 points, 16 during a 30-2 New York onslaught in the second half, and the Knicks beat the Pacers 105-79 on Tuesday night to even the Eastern Conference semifinals at one game.

"I think for the most part from the start of the game and throughout the whole game, I think we played with a sense of urgency today,'' Anthony said. "We played the way we've been playing as far as competing at the highest level.''

Iman Shumpert added 15 points, including a sensational follow dunk in the first half, and Raymond Felton scored 14 as the Knicks turned a close game into a blowout over the final 15 minutes.

Paul George scored 20 points for the Pacers, who had a two-point lead and momentum when coach Frank Vogel called timeout with a little more than 3 minutes left in the third quarter.

By the time the Pacers got on the board in the final period, the Knicks had opened a 26-point advantage.

"The fourth quarter we just defensively, we picked up,'' Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "We kept getting stop after stop and then we would rebound the ball and get it up and our offense began to flow like old times. It was kind of nice to see.''

Game 3 is Saturday at Indianapolis.

It was the first time the Knicks scored 100 points in a playoff game since June 9, 1999, when they beat the Pacers 101-94. It was New York's largest margin of victory in the postseason since a 109-75 rout of Detroit on April 24, 1992, according to information provided by ESPN Stats and Info to the Knicks.

David West scored 13 points for the Pacers, who committed 21 turnovers that led to 32 points, negating their height advantage that loomed so large in their Game 1 victory.

Indiana had trailed most of the night before taking a 64-62 lead on George Hill's 3-pointer with 3:28 left in the third quarter that capped a 10-4 run, the Pacers seeming to have all the momentum.

Vogel then called timeout with a little more than 3 minutes left and subbed out center Roy Hibbert.

Seeing the middle open, Anthony came back attacking, first with a drive and then a dunk while drawing a foul that knocked over Hibbert's replacement, Jeff Pendergraph, and the game was never the same.

"It was our timeout,'' Vogel said. "I usually use that situation to put something in while we have the ball.''

New York closed the period on a 10-2 run, Pablo Prigioni opened the fourth with a 3-pointer and a jumper in the lane, drawing chants of "Pablo! Pablo!'' and then Anthony put it away.

He hit a jumper and a 3-pointer, and after Tyson Chandler's follow dunk, the NBA's scoring leader converted a three-point play and drilled another 3-pointer before another basket by Chandler made it 92-66, extending the run to 30-2.

"Melo just caught fire,'' George said.

Tyler Hansbrough got the Pacers on the board with two free throws with 4:48 left, and the Pacers finally made a field goal when reserve Orlando Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 3:07 to go after Vogel had started emptying his bench.

Prigioni and Kenyon Martin finished with 10 points apiece as the Knicks endured another dreadful game from Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith, who was 3 of 15 for eight points.

Anthony had shot 35 for 110 over his previous four games but broke out of his slump Tuesday, going 13 of 26 and adding nine rebounds as the Knicks, pummeled on the boards in Indiana's 102-95 victory in Game 1, finished with a 37-35 advantage.

Indiana had a 44-30 advantage on the boards Saturday. The Game 1 winner won all of the six series these teams played between 1993-00, but the Knicks refused to panic, with Woodson not considering a change to a bigger lineup to match the Pacers' size.

It wasn't needed.

"I think we just made a point to team rebound,'' Chandler said.

The Knicks scored seven straight points midway through the first quarter and led 29-20 at the end of the period. But unlike in Game 1, they extended the lead for much of the second.

They got the lead to 11 a couple of times early in the period, once emphatically when Shumpert darted into the lane when Chris Copeland shot a 3-pointer from the other side of the floor, went unchecked toward the rim and grabbed the rebound with one hand and threw it down powerfully, a play that had the Madison Square Garden crowd still buzzing a few minutes later.

"I think I was trying to make a statement,'' said Shumpert, who didn't even play until midseason after tearing his ACL in last year's playoff opener. "I just wanted to win this game real bad. We needed this game.''

Shumpert's jumper late in the quarter capped an 8-0 run and extended the Knicks' lead to 47-34 with 3:46 remaining, but West made a basket before George scored the final six points, his 3-pointer cutting it to 47-42 with 1:16 left, and neither team scored the rest of the way.

Indiana committed 12 turnovers that led to 20 points in the half.


Notes: The Pacers' only previous Game 1 win in New York had been exactly 18 years earlier, when Reggie Miller scored eight points in the closing seconds to stun the Knicks in a 107-105 victory. Miller worked this game as an analyst for TNT, talking to Knicks fan Spike Lee before the game. ... Woodson said Amare Stoudemire had no setbacks Tuesday after playing in 3-on-3 scrimmages Monday, and the hope is still for him to return from right knee surgery on Saturday. ... Indiana has a 19-18 lead in total games won in the playoff rivalry.

 

[fastbreak]

Warriors end skid at 30 in San Antonio, tie series



SAN ANTONIO (AP) Golden State coach Mark Jackson insisted the Warriors' historic collapse in the opener of the Western Conference semifinals would only help his team's growth.

The young Warriors took a big step in their development Wednesday night, withstanding another furious rally by the San Antonio Spurs for a 100-91 victory to even their series at one game apiece and snap a 30-game skid in the Alamo City.

Klay Thompson had a career-high 34 points and 14 rebounds, and Stephen Curry added 22 points for Golden State, which had not won in San Antonio since Feb. 14, 1997. None of the losses was as painful as the one Monday.

"I truly believe the trials and tribulations are transportation for where you're going,'' Jackson said. "Game 1 made us better. We didn't panic. We made plays. That's a heck of a basketball team that's extremely well-coached and has no quit in them. We don't have any quit in us, either. The bottom line is we made the plays we needed to make.''

Tim Duncan scored 23 points and Tony Parker added 20 for San Antonio, which had won five straight in the postseason. Manu Ginobili had 12 points and Kawhi Leonard had 11 points and 12 rebounds.

The Warriors blew a 16-point lead with 4 minutes left in regulation in the series opener and lost 129-127 in double overtime. No NBA team had blown such a big lead with such little time left in a playoff game.

It appeared Golden State was headed for a similar collapse Wednesday night, but the heartbreaking loss actually helped settle the players' nerves.

"Coach told us to have amnesia at halftime,'' Curry said. "We're a young team so that might help that we can forget about it and just keep playing and having fun, not worry about that 19-point lead getting cut to six. That's going to happen; you're on the road against a great veteran basketball team, so you can't get too rattled.''

Golden State led by 20 points with 8:38 left in the third quarter, but San Antonio pulled within 97-89 on Ginobli's 3-pointer with 4:23 left in the game.

But it was the closest the Spurs would come, as they missed six straight shots before Cory Joseph sank a 16-footer with 18.9 seconds remaining.

"What happened in Game 1 wasn't about their inexperience,'' Ginobili said. "It's one of those things that happens very rarely. We shouldn't have won that game. They came out hungrier and with more determination. They just did a much better job than us.''

Thompson, who scored 29 points in the first half, finished 8 for 9 on 3-pointers and 13 for 26 overall.

"Klay was unbelievable,'' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "A lot of those shots were tough. Some of them were wide open because of mistakes, but other ones were difficult shots, either contested or off-balance, but he knocked them down. That's what the playoffs are about; players have to make shots.''

The Warriors did so as a group.

Harrison Barnes had 13 points, Carl Landry added 10 and Andrew Bogut had six points and 11 rebounds.

After scoring 44 points in the opener, Curry's total was cut in half as he shot 7 for 20 from the field.

"I thought it was polite of (Curry and Thompson) to at least take turns and not both be on fire on the same night,'' Popovich said. "Maybe the next iteration (of that) will be neither one of them will be hot in Game 3, that's what I'm hoping.''

The Warriors host Game 3 on Friday night and Game 4 Sunday.

"It changed the whole dynamic of the series and we honestly have the best home court in the NBA,'' Thompson said. "They're the greatest crowd I ever played in front of. To go back 1 and 1 and give them a show on Thursday or Friday, I'm getting jitters already thinking about it. To go back with a split and potentially go up 3-1 is everything for us.''

The double-overtime victory game appeared to leave San Antonio drained in the first half, while the Warriors were energized.

After missing his first two attempts in the series opener, Curry opened Game 2 with a pair of 3 pointers, one over a charging Duncan. He finished with 11points in the quarter, going 3 for 4 from the field and 2 for 3 on 3s. He was limited to 9 minutes after picking up two fouls.

Curry's second 3 sparked a 14-6 run that gave Golden State a 17-12 lead. He had eight points in the run and Thompson added five.

San Antonio went on an 8-2 run to pull within 46-39, forcing a 3-second call on Golden State's defense and a pair of missed shots.

The Spurs focused their defense on Curry in the first half to varying success.

Curry did not score in the final 10 minutes of the first half, but his drives drew the defense and freed his teammates for open jumpers. He was credited with only two assists in the quarter, but his presence helped Golden State outscore San Antonio 30-24.

Thompson hit consecutive 3s sandwiched around three missed 3s by Danny Green to give the Warriors a 52-39 lead.

Thompson went 7 for 8 on 3s in the first half and was 11 for 18 overall, while being defended by Green and Leonard.

"It was amazing,'' Curry said. "The shots he was hitting, to go 8 for 9 in a game from the 3-point line in the playoffs is just unheard of. He was just aggressive. He was confident in every shot he took. He was just feeling it. You ride a guy that's feeling that hot, especially when he's in rhythm.''

The Spurs went on a 16-4 run to pull within 79-72 with 1 minute left in the third quarter.

Bogut, a 50 percent free-throw shooter during the regular season, was 2 for 4 at the line after being intentionally fouled.

NOTES: Spurs F Aron Baynes and G Nando De Colo were both inactive. . Duncan is the career playoff leader in defensive rebounds with 1,708. . Rookies started 122 games for Golden State this season. No other playoff team has had its rookies start even 20 games. . Curry was averaging a league-high 12.3 points in the third quarter entering Wednesday. He was held to 3 points in Game 2.