|
 Clippers 102, Spurs 96
Forward Blake Griffin scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds,
helping the Los Angeles Clippers defeat the San Antonio Spurs 102-96
to even their NBA Western Conference first-round playoff series at
3-3.
Game Seven is Saturday in Los Angeles, though home court may not be
much of an advantage for the Clippers. Both teams are 1-2 at home in
the series.
Before losing Thursday, the Spurs had finished off seven straight
playoff opponents at home since losing a Game Seven to the Dallas
Mavericks in 2006.
Guards J.J. Redick and Chris Paul scored 19 apiece for the Clippers.
Paul, who added 15 assists, scored 15 in the second half, including
a basket that gave the Clippers a 98-93 lead with 21 seconds
remaining. Los Angeles center DeAndre Jordan contributed 15 points
and 14 rebounds.
Reserve guard Marco Belinelli led the Spurs with 23 points.
Belinelli was lethal from long range. He made seven three-point
baskets, one of them that left the Spurs trailing by two with 14.5
seconds left.
Backup guard Jamal Crawford secured the win for the Clippers by
making two free throws with 10 seconds remaining.
San Antonio reserve forward Boris Diaw supplemented Belinelli with
17 points, but the Spurs' starters struggled.
Forwards Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard scored 12 points each, but
Leonard hit just three of 15 shots from the field. Guard Tony Parker
wasn't much better, making four of 12 shots and scoring eight point.
Guard Danny Green went 3-for-9 in a seven-point effort.
- - -
[to top of second column] |
Bulls 120, Bucks 66
The Chicago Bulls posted the largest victory margin in an NBA
playoff-series clincher when they crushed the Milwaukee Bucks 120-66
to win the first-round playoff series in six games.
The Bulls won the series 4-2 to advance to an Eastern Conference
semi-final showdown against Cleveland.
It was Milwaukee's heaviest ever defeat.
Chicago led by as many as 18 in the first quarter, 32 at halftime
and 40 early in the third quarter.
Mike Dunleavy led the Bulls with 20 and Pau Gasol added 19.
Zaza Pachulia scored eight points to lead Milwaukee, who had some
momentum after a surprising road victory in Game Five.
The Bucks, who had Giannis Antetokounmpo ejected late in the first
half for shoving Dunleavy, hit 39 percent from the field in the
first quarter and had only 33 points at halftime. (Compiled by
Andrew Both; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Amlan Chakraborty)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
