National Basketball Association Playoff Game Capsules

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

Final Score: Chicago 100, Washington 97

Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) – Mike Dunleavy set a Bulls playoff- franchise record with eight 3-pointers en route to 35 points and Chicago picked up a crucial 100-97 road win over the Washington Wizards to pull to within 2-1 in this Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. After the Wizards took the first two on the road, Dunleavy and the Bulls avoided the dreaded 3-0 hole by knocking off the team with the worst home record among playoff teams during the regular season. The Wizards had a 22-19 mark at Verizon Center this season. No team has ever come back to win a series after trailing 3-0. The Bulls took a timeout with 43 seconds left and the score tied at 91-91. With the shot clock winding down on their possession, Joakim Noah dribbled towards Jimmy Butler on the right wing, handed it off and set a screen that left Butler wide open. The third-year pro did the rest, potting his second 3- pointer of the game and series to give the visitors a 94-91 lead with 24.2 seconds left to play. Trevor Ariza’s 3-point try at the other end was off the mark. Chicago advanced the ball to midcourt with a timeout, but Dunleavy’s inbounds pass sailed over Noah and into John Wall’s hands. Wall went right to the rim and drew a foul, making both free throws, but Butler countered with two at the other end for a 96-93 margin. Both teams made four free throws the rest of the way for the final tally. Dunleavy’s 35 points were one shy of a career-best but shattered his previous playoff career-high of 17. Butler finished with 15 points, Carlos Boozer had 14 and Taj Gibson and D.J. Augustin put in 13 points apiece off the bench. Game 4 is set for Sunday in Washington.

Final Score: Houston 121, Portland 116 (OT)

Portland, OR (SportsNetwork.com) – On a night where James Harden set the Houston postseason record with 35 field goal attempts and four NBA All-Stars were featured, it was seldom-used rookie Troy Daniels that was the hero. Harden finished with 37 points, Dwight Howard had 24 points with 14 rebounds and Daniels hit the game-winning 3-pointer in the closing seconds of overtime to lead the Rockets to a 121-116 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 3 of this Western Conference quarterfinal series. Daniels, who made a name for himself as a marksman this season while playing for Rio Grande Valley of the NBA’s developmental league, did not play in either of Houston’s losses in the first two games of this series but contributed nine points off the bench in this one. Harden knotted the score at 116 with a 21- footer with 1:51 left in the extra session. It stayed tied until Jeremy Lin corralled a loose ball and fed Daniels on the left wing for his third trey of the contest with just 11.9 seconds remaining. Nicolas Batum’s 3-point try from the top of the key missed long, and Daniels grabbed the game’s biggest rebound to secure the win for the Rockets, who still trail 2-1 in this best-of-seven series. Harden’s free throws with less than a second left resulted in the final margin. Harden broke Hakeem Olajuwon’s franchise-record of 34 shot attempts, set in 1995.

Categorized in: NBA