|
Houston trailed by 13 in the first half before storming back behind
Harden, an MVP candidate shooting guard who scored 16 points in
third quarter and knocked down a jumper with 13 seconds left that
helped nail down the win. Center Dwight Howard had a playoff
career-best 26 rebounds and scored 13 points.
The Mavericks had their chances in the final minute. Power forward
Dirk Nowitzki (34 points) drilled three free throws with 34 seconds
remaining to pull Dallas within 127-126. Harden followed with his
final basket before Mavs shooting guard Monta Ellis banked in a
driving layup to make it a one-point game again.
Rockets guard Corey Brewer (15 points) made one of two free throws,
giving Dallas one last shot. Ellis, however, couldn't add to the
highest-scoring game of his playoff career as he missed a jumper
from the top of the key as time expired. Ellis finished with 34
points.
Wizards 106, Raptors 99
WASHINGTON -- Center Marcin Gortat scored 24 points and guard John
Wall had 19 points and 15 assists as Washington opened a 3-0 lead in
the best-of-seven playoff series.
Six Wizards scored in double figures, including forward Paul Pierce
with 18 points on four 3-pointers. Pierce and Otto Porter fueled a
decisive 10-2 run late in the fourth quarter and both forwards sank
two 3-point shots inside the final 4:23. Pierce's final bomb with
16.9 seconds left came after the Raptors pulled to 102-99.
Toronto's DeMar DeRozan started 8 of 10 from the field and scored 20
of his 32 points in the first quarter. However, the shooting woes
that plagued him and backcourt partner Kyle Lowry in Toronto
returned. The Raptors shot 37.4 percent from the field.
Spurs 100, Clippers 73
SAN ANTONIO -- Kawhi Leonard was handed the NBA defensive player of
the year award and then showed his versatility at both ends of the
court, scoring a career-best 32 points and adding three steals as
San Antonio took a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series.
Leonard, MVP of the 2014 NBA Finals after the Spurs' fifth title,
had 13 points in the third quarter, outscoring the Clippers by two.
He converted 13 of 18 shots from field, including three 3-pointers.
The Clippers shot just 34.1 percent from the floor while suffering
their worst-ever playoff defeat. Forward Blake Griffin and guard
Chris Paul scored 14 and 10 points, respectively.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
