National Basketball Association Playoff Game Capsules
Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) – From nearly suspended to the Game 7 hero, Paul George did it all for the Indiana Pacers. George had 30 points and 11 rebounds and the Pacers routed the Atlanta Hawks, 92-80, on Saturday to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals for a third straight year. George was 11-of-23 from the floor for Indiana, which will face the fifth-seeded Washington Wizards in the next round. The Pacers were almost without their superstar forward after he took a few steps on to the court during a skirmish between teammate George Hill and the Hawks’ Mike Scott in Game 6. Traditionally, that has warranted a suspension, but a slight change in the language of the rule probably kept George away from missing this critical contest. It was the first time in the series that a team won back-to-back games.
Final Score: Oklahoma City 120, Memphis 109
Oklahoma City, OK (SportsNetwork.com) – The Grizzlies gave everything they had, but MVP front-runner Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Oklahoma City Thunder were just too much to handle for the under-manned visitors. Durant scored a game-high 33 points, Westbrook posted his third career playoff triple-double and the Thunder advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with a 120-109 win over Memphis in Saturday’s Game 7. Westbrook stuffed the stat sheet, contributing 27 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds to help the Thunder reach the conference semis for the fourth consecutive season. Durant, meanwhile, shot a perfect 5-for-5 from behind the arc and added eight boards in the triumph. The Thunder will host the Clippers in Game 1 of the semis on Monday.. Marc Gasol paced Memphis with 24 points and six assists and Mike Conley battled through an injured hamstring to tally 20 points with nine assists in defeat. Both players added four steals. Memphis led 3-2 in the series but missed its opportunity to advance at home in Game 6, losing more than just a game in the process. Star power forward Zach Randolph — who led Memphis in scoring with 18.9 points per game in the series — was suspended for Game 7 after punching Thunder rookie center Steven Adams late in Thursday’s setback. The Grizzlies fell to 0-3 all-time in Game 7s.
Final Score: LA Clippers 126, Golden State 121
Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – The outside distractions didn’t matter to Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and the Clippers on Saturday, as Lob City was fully engaged down the stretch. Griffin finished with 24 points, Jordan added 15 points with 18 rebounds and the duo provided a bevy of highlight reel plays in the waning moments to propel Los Angeles to a 126-121 win in the decisive Game 7 of this Western Conference quarterfinal series. Chris Paul went for 22 points and 14 assists for Los Angeles, which was at the center of controversy all series after racially charged comments by owner Donald Sterling were released to the public. Sterling has since been banned from the NBA by commissioner Adam Silver and will be forced to sell the team. Head coach Doc Rivers rallied the troops after dropping Game 6, and no one was more animated as the clock ticked down. He settled down after the game and had one simple message for his team. “Let’s get our rest. We start tomorrow.” The Clippers also got 22 points from Jamal Crawford and 20 from J.J. Redick. They will visit Oklahoma City on Monday in Game 1 of the semifinals. Steph Curry totaled 33 points and nine assists, and Draymond Green netted 24 points as Golden State’s season came to a disappointing end.
Categorized in: NBA