DENVER (AP) â€" Kobe Bryant scored 22 points, Andrew Bynum added 19 and the Los Angeles Lakers' stars got plenty of help from their supporting cast in a 92-88 win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night for a 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series.
The Lakers can wrap it up Tuesday night when the series shifts back to Staples Center for Game 5.
Reserve Jordan Hill was big for L.A., posting a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Steve Blake scored 10 points, including a key 3-pointer in the final minute as the Lakers overcame a six-point halftime hole and a 71-70 deficit heading into the fourth quarter.
Ramon Sessions scored 12 points and also had a big 3 in the final minute for L.A.
Danilo Gallinari led the Nuggets with 20 points, and Andre Miller had 15.
Knicks 89, Heat 87
NEW YORK â€" Carmelo Anthony scored 41 points, Amare Stoudemire had 20 points and 10 rebounds in his return from a cut hand, and New York snapped an NBA-record, 13-game postseason losing streak by beating Miami in Game 4 of their first-round series.
Anthony made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 54.5 seconds left as the Knicks overcame another serious injury, this one to Baron Davis, to win a playoff game for the first time since April 29, 2001.
Davis dislocated his right patella in the third quarter, just as the Knicks were making the run that got them back into the game after a dismal first half.
LeBron James scored 27 for the Heat, who will try to close it out in Game 5 at home on Wednesday.
76ers 89, Bulls 82
PHILADELPHIA â€" Spencer Hawes scored 22 points and Jrue Holiday had 20 to help Philadelphia beat Chicago and take a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference playoff series.
Andre Iguodala had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Sixers, who have won the last three games after losing Game 1.
Holiday stretched the lead with consecutive 3-pointers late in the game to put the Sixers one win away from joining the list.
Game 5 is Tuesday in Chicago.Â
The top-seeded Bulls played without Derrick Rose (torn ACL) and Joakim Noah (sprained ankle). Rose is out for the season and Noah is day to day for the rest of the series.Â
Celtics 101, Hawks 79
BOSTON â€" Paul Pierce scored 24 points in 18 minutes and Boston opened a 37-point third-quarter lead before coasting to a victory over Atlanta to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
The Celtics can finish off the Hawks in Atlanta on Tuesday. Game 6 would be in Boston on Thursday, if necessary.
Two nights after his triple-double helped turn back the Hawks in overtime in Game 3, Rajon Rondo had 20 points and 16 assists as the Celtics got some much-needed rest for their aging and injured roster.
Josh Smith returned after missing Friday’s game and had 15 points and 13 rebounds for Atlanta. Al Horford, who played for the first time in almost four months, scored 12 points.
No comments:
Post a Comment