Chicago Bulls 100, Washington Wizards 97: Wizards lead series 2-1

Dunleavy with Career game gets Bulls back into Series, down 2-1 vs. Wizards with Game 4 on Docket

+USA Today Sports Media Group (USATSI) - Photo Courtesy/Rights

• We had a little scuffle in this game that cost the Wizards having Nene in down the stretch. He and Jimmy Butler got into it during the fourth quarter. With 8:27 left, Nene ended up putting his forehead against Butler's, before grabbing him around the back of his head and needing to be separated.

• Butler stayed in the game and hit a huge 3-pointer to put the Bulls up 94-91 with 24 seconds left. He finished with 15 points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. 11 of his points came in the fourth.

• Mike Dunleavy had the scoring explosion the Bulls were desperate for in this series. He had 35 points on 12-of-19 from the field and 8-of-10 from 3-point range. He had 16 points at halftime and then came out and scored 13 more in the third quarter. He gave the Wizards' defense someone they had to focus on the rest of the game and it helped space the floor a bit for the rest of the offense. They've been desperate for a guy like that.

• Bradley Beal once again hit some big shots for the Wizards. It's like he craves the big shot when it comes to carrying this team in the fourth. He ran off seven straight points in one minute and seven seconds. He finished with 25 points with 13 of them coming in the fourth quarter.

• John Wall was great as well with 23 points, seven assists, and four steals. He also only had one turnover in the game. But it feels like he needs to create a few more opportunities for his teammates right now. Perhaps that needs to come in transition and Washington couldn't get a ton of stops to create fast break chances.

• It wasn't just the ejection in this game: Nene struggled to score the ball. He was 5-of-15 from the field, but his presence late in the game could have provided some much-needed presence inside. It didn't look like the Wizards had a drop-off option to score inside on late drives or dribble penetration, and Nene is that guy for them.

• Wall's body control is absurd. This was part of an 11-point first quarter that set the tone early for Washington but they eventually lost some offensive steam.

• Joakim Noah had four assists, pushing the Bulls to 34-20 this season when he gets at least four assists in a game.

Raptors Nearly Claw Back, Nets Hold off for 2-1 Series Lead

Nets hold off Raptors, grab 2-1 series lead

Published April 25, 2014

Sports Network

+SPORTS CR3W +NBA 

Brooklyn, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - The +Brooklyn Nets nearly wasted a 15-point lead with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but held off the +Toronto Raptors, 102-98, in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.

Joe Johnson had 29 points and Deron Williams added 22 with eight assists for Brooklyn. The Nets, who also received 18 points from Paul Pierce, bounced back from a 100-95 loss on Tuesday to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

DeMar DeRozan scored 30 for the Raptors. Patrick Patterson, who had 17 points, had a chance to tie the game with 19 seconds remaining, but missed two free throws. The second attempt kicked off the heel of the rim and Toronto's Landry Fields touched the ball as he tried to save it in bounds.

Pierce drained two from the charity stripe with 14.6 seconds to go, but Amir Johnson's putback off a DeRozan miss made it a 100-98 game with 3.7 seconds left.

Joe Johnson made two more from the free-throw line less than a second later to seal the outcome and send the Raptors to their 13th straight road playoff loss. Toronto's last playoff road win came May 6, 2001 at Philadelphia.

"We got a little lackadaisical," admitted Joe Johnson. "It was very uncharacteristic of us to blow a lead like that."

Paul Pierce Drop in 2 pts vs Toronto in 1st Round of 2014 Easter Conference Playoffs - +NBA 

Game 4 of this best-of-seven set is Sunday night, again at  Barclays Center.

Jonas Valanciunas tallied 10 points and 10 rebounds and Kyle Lowry scored 15 before fouling out for Toronto.

A 3-pointer from Joe Johnson raised Brooklyn's lead to 93-78 with 5:02 remaining, but Toronto scored the next eight and the Nets nearly gave the game away.

Williams missed two foul shots with 40.7 seconds remaining, failing to extend a 97-93 lead. DeRozan drained a layup at the other end and was hit by Kevin Garnett, who fouled out. DeRozan made the foul shot with 34.3 seconds on the clock, but Shaun Livingston countered by making 1-of-2 from the charity stripe 14 seconds later.

The Raptors used a big surge in the latter stages of the opening quarter to grab a 23-19 edge after 12 minutes.

The Nets went 10-of-17 from the field in the second and grabbed a 49-45 edge at the half. Included in the period was a 12-1 Brooklyn run.

Brooklyn scored eight straight, all from Joe Johnson, during one juncture in the third to expand their lead to 63-52. The hosts led 77-66 moving to the fourth.

"We have to be aggressive for the whole game," DeRozan said. "Once they had the big lead we tried to fight back. We can't put ourselves in that situation."

Game Notes:
Recording artist +Rihanna sat courtside ... +DeMar DeRozan is the first Raptor to have consecutive playoff games of at least 30 points ... Both teams were 29-of-37 at the foul line ... Andray Blatche had 12 points for the Nets.

Grizzlies Outlast Thunder to Tie Series up 1-1: 2014 NBA Playoffs

Grizzlies beat Thunder 111-105 in OT to tie series

Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen (9) jumps up to grab a pass intended for Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, rear,
in the first quarter of Game 2 of an opening-round NBA basketball playoff series in Oklahoma City,
Monday, April 21, 2014. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Zach Randolph scored 25 points to help the +Memphis Grizzlies defeat the +Oklahoma City Thunder 111-105 in overtime on Monday night and tie their first-round Western Conference +NBA playoff series at one game apiece.

Mike Conley added 19 points and 12 assists for the Grizzlies.

Kevin Durant had 36 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder. Russell Westbrook scored 29 points for Oklahoma City, but he made just 11 of 28 shots.

Randolph's layup with 26 seconds left in overtime put the Grizzlies up by two. Oklahoma City's Serge Ibaka traveled, giving the ball back to the Grizzlies. Courtney Lee made two free throws for Memphis to make it a four-point game. Durant missed a 3-pointer and Randolph made two free throws with nine seconds left to put the game out of reach.

Game 3 is Thursday night in Memphis.

The Thunder trailed by nine early in the fourth quarter, but they finally took the lead when Thabo Sefolosha stole the ball from Randolph, leading to a dunk by Durant with 1:14 remaining.

Mike Miller came back with a 3-pointer to put Memphis up 95-93 with 53.7 seconds left.

Westbrook missed a 3-pointer and Memphis rebounded. Conley missed the first free throw and made the second to make it a three-point game.

Tony Allen stole the ball from Durant, and Conley made two free throws with 18.1 seconds left to push the Grizzlies' lead to five.

Durant answered with a miraculous four-point play with 13.8 seconds remaining. He hit a 3-pointer from the corner as he was being pushed out of bounds by Marc Gasol. Durant then converted the free throw to make it a one-point game.

Conley made one of two free throws with 12 seconds left to make it 99-97. Westbrook missed a wild 3-pointer in the closing seconds, but Kendrick Perkins, who hadn't made a field goal all game, scored on a putback as time expired to force overtime.

NOTES: Memphis F Tayshaun Prince, who played just 4:27 in the opener because of a stomach ailment, started, but played just 14 minutes. ... Ibaka, who led the league in total blocks this season and was second in blocks per game, finished fourth in the Defensive Player of the Year balloting. He finished third in 2013 and second in 2012. Chicago's Joakim Noah won the award this year. ... Ibaka won the NBA's Community Assist Award for April in recognition of his charitable efforts in his home country, the Republic of the Congo. ... The Thunder shot 26.3 percent in the first quarter and fell behind 24-16. ... Memphis' Beno Udrih, a third-string point guard whose minutes have increased because backup Nick Calathes is serving a drug suspension, scored eight of his 14 points in the fourth quarter.

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