National Basketball Association Playoff Game Capsules
Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) – Marcin Gortat and John Wall were sensational Tuesday in leading the Washington Wizards to a 102-79 annihilation of the Indiana Pacers in a must-win Game 5 in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Gortat recorded a double-double by halftime and finished with 31 points and 16 rebounds, and Wall scored 17 of his 27 points in a third quarter that saw the Wizards build a commanding 24-point lead. The Wizards improved to 5-1 on the road in the postseason thanks to an incredible 62-23 advantage on the glass. They nearly had more offensive boards (18) than Indiana’s rebounding total. Indiana shot just 39.0 percent from the floor, with Paul George following up his 39-point Game 4 performance with a 15-point dud on 5- of-15 shooting. Roy Hibbert regressed to the tune of four points and two rebounds, while David West led the club with 17 points in an otherwise forgettable showing by the East’s No. 1 seed. Indiana’s three consecutive wins that put the Wizards’ backs against the wall are suddenly an afterthought as this Eastern Conference semifinal series shifts back to Washington for Game 6 on Thursday.
Final Score: Oklahoma City 105, LA Clippers 104
Oklahoma City, OK (SportsNetwork.com) – After a replay review went Oklahoma City’s way, Russell Westbrook scored the last of his 38 points on three foul shots with 6.4 seconds remaining to lift the Thunder to a 105-104 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday. Down 13 with four minutes remaining, the Thunder outscored the Clippers 8-0 in the last 49 seconds to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Kevin Durant added 27 points in the win despite struggling to find his shot for most of the game. The league MVP scored five in a row during a frantic series near the end that was punctuated by a controversial out-of- bounds call. After Durant made a 3-pointer, then a layup in transition, Westbrook poked the ball loose from Clippers point guard Chris Paul near the sideline and Thunder guard Reggie Jackson ended up with it. He dribbled into the paint and ran into Matt Barnes, losing the ball out of bounds. Officials awarded the ball to the Thunder, Paul fouled Westbrook on a 3-point attempt on the high left side, and Westbrook made all three shots for the Thunder’s first lead since midway through the second quarter. Paul tried to split Jackson and Serge Ibaka with a dribble at the other end and lost the ball in the paint on the final possession of the game. Clippers coach Doc Rivers said his team was “robbed” by the out-of-bounds call and Thunder coach Scott Brooks said he couldn’t tell who touched the ball last. Game 6 is Thursday in Los Angeles. Blake Griffin had 24 points and 17 rebounds to lead Los Angeles and Paul added 17 points and 14 assists.
Categorized in: NBA