NBA Playoffs Results
Western Conference
Los Angeles Lakers 1 – Denver Nuggets 0
New Orleans Hornets 1 – Dallas Mavericks 0
San Antonio Spurs 1 – Phoenix Suns 0
Utah Jazz 1 – Houston Rockets 0
Eastern Conference
Boston Celtics 1 – Atlanta Hawks 0
Detroit Pistons 0 – Philadelphia 76ers 1
Orlando Magic 1 – Toronto Raptors 0
Cleveland Cavaliers 1 – Washington Wizards 0
Toronto Raptors 100 – Orlando Magic 114
Dwight Howard scored 25 points, grabbed 22 rebounds, blocked 5 shots and went 9-11 from the line, as the Magic defeated the Raptors 114-100 in the opener of their first-round of their best-of-seven series. Jameer Nelson added 24 points for the Magic. Howard scored 6 straight points in a 10-0 fourth-quarter run that sealed the Magic’s first playoff win since 2003.
Anthony Parker had 24 points and 8 rebounds for the Raptors, Chris Bosh scored 21 and Rasho Nesterovic had 16 points and 8 rebounds. Jason Kapono scored 18 off the bench.
The Raptors trailed by 20 points after the first quarter, then drew within 5 points with 10:24 still to play in the fourth quarter on two quick 3-points shot by Kapono and a Parker jumper. But the Raptors went scoreless for the next 3:16 as the Magic pulled away.
Denver Nuggets 114 – Los Angeles Lakers 128
Pau Gasol established career playoff highs, scoring 36 points and dishing out 8 assists, grabbing 16 rebounds and blocking 3 shots as the Lakers took command in the third quarter to beat the Nuggets 128-114.
Kobe Bryant, who said that he made himself a decoy through most of the game, made 18 of his 32 points in the final 8 minutes keeping the Lakers safely ahead. Lamar Odom had 17 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists and Luke Walton added 16 points for the Lakers, who entered having won 8 of their last 9 regular-season games to earn the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
Carmelo Anthony scored 30 points and took 12 rebounds for the eighth-seeded Nuggets. Allen Iverson also had 30 points before picking up two technical fouls with 2:10 remaining, calling for immediate ejection. Linas Kleiza scored a career playoff high 23 points and J.R. Smith added 15 before fouling out with 3:14 left.
The Lakers led 97-78 at the start of the fourth quarter, but Nuggets mad a 11-2 run making it 101-91 with 8:17 remaining. The Nuggets came within 9 points, twice, down the stretch, but Bryant wouldn’t allow them to get any closer.
Philadelphia 76ers 90 – Detroit Pistons 86
Andre Miller scored 20 points and Willie Green had a career playoff-high 17 points, helping the 76ers stun the Pistons 90-86 in the Game 1 of their first-round best-of-seven series.
Rasheed Wallace took the blame for the loss as he missed a crucial shot that could’ve made it 88-88 in the dying minutes, despite scoring 24 points, grabbing 9 rebounds and matching a franchise playoff record of 7 blocked shots. The Eastern Conference’s second-seeded team was expected to beat the seventh-seeded Sixers by double digits and did lead by 15 midway through the third quarter. But the 76ers refused to follow the script, the Sixers trailed 62-47, Green made two baskets during a 10-0 run that sparked a comeback.
Andre Iguodala finished with a career playoff-high, scoring 16 points after a slow start, Reggie Evans also had a career playoff-high, scoring 11 points and grabbing 14 rebounds and Thaddeus Young scored 10 for the Sixers in his postseason debut.
Chauncey Billups scored 14 points, Richard Hamilton scored 13 points on a 5-of-17 shooting, Jason Maxiell scored 12 points and a career playoff-high of 11 rebounds and Tayshaun Prince added 12 points.
Atlanta Hawks 81 – Boston Celtics 104
Kevin Garnett scored 16 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and Ray Allen scored 18 points as the two newcomers who led the Celtics to the NBA’s best record did what was expected against a team that had 29 fewer wins. When Garnett left the court for the last time with 3:26 left, Celtics fans chanted, "MVP, MVP," an award he won once in his previous 12 seasons, all with Minnesota Timberwolves.
Joe Johnson, who scored 19 points for the Hawks but missed 15 of his 22 shots, didn’t think it would be this bad. Eighth-seeded Atlanta, which ended the NBA’s longest playoff drought with its first appearance in nine years, was led by rookie Al Horford, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
The Celtics pulled away in the third quarter behind their starting backcourt. Leading 57-44 with 8 minutes left in the period, before Allen’s shooting spree preceded six straight Celtics points by Rajon Rondo, who landed on the floor after his final basket that made it 73-55 with one quarter left. Rondo finished with 15 points.
Source: ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/
