NBA Playoffs Results

vs(From the Associated Press) - Andrew Bynum(notes) leaned over, his hands on his knees, his chest heaving from his first minutes of game action in nearly a month.

Other than being out of breath, Bynum displayed little rust in teaming with Pau Gasol(notes) to dominate the middle in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 87-79 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder in their playoff series opener Sunday.

Bynum ignited the Staples Center crowd with a monster one-handed dunk over a defenseless Nenad Krstic(notes) in the second quarter that pushed the Lakers’ lead to 17.

“It kind of got me going,” Bynum said. “It hyped the team up. That’s the kind of player I can be—exciting.”

Gasol scored 19 points, Bynum added 13 and Kobe Bryant(notes) had 21 points on 6-of-19 shooting after missing four of the final five regular season games to rest his swollen right knee and broken right index finger.

“I just have less margin for error with the finger,” he said. “You just got to make adjustments, change your stroke up a little bit.”

Kevin Durant(notes) led the Thunder with 24 points on 7-of-24 shooting in his playoff debut—under the 30.1 average of the NBA’s youngest-ever scoring champion. Former UCLA star Russell Westbrook(notes) added 23.

“I was frustrated,” said Durant, who tossed up some airballs and went 9 of 11 from the line. “I was missing shots I normally make. They felt good leaving my hand. If I made 4-5 more shots, maybe it’s a different game.”

Bynum made a difference for the Lakers.

He returned from a 13-game absence because of a strained right Achilles’ tendon, teaming with fellow 7-footer Gasol to pull down a combined 25 rebounds and deny the Thunder key second-chance baskets. Bynum tied his career playoff high with four blocks.

“I had a couple little twinges, but nothing serious,” he said. “Conditioning in the first quarter was tough. The more I keep playing with this aggressive nature, I’ll get better.”

Game 2 in the best-of-7 series is Tuesday at Staples Center.

“We could’ve definitely played a lot better, but at this stage you just got to win games,” Bryant said. “It doesn’t really matter how.”

History is on the Lakers’ side against the NBA’s youngest team, with an average age of 25 years and 42 days. When coach Phil Jackson wins Game 1 of any series, his teams are 45-0.

“We eked the game out,” Jackson said. “In the second half, we played not up to what we want to play. The energy wasn’t what it could be.”

That wasn’t a problem in the beginning.

The Lakers came out blazing against the overwhelmed Thunder, pounding the ball inside to Bynum and Gasol while shooting 54 percent and taking a 27-13 lead in the first quarter.

“They really play off each other, take their time and shoot a high field-goal percentage,” Lamar Odom(notes) said. “They make the game easy for us as a team.”

In the playoffs for the first time since moving from Seattle two years ago, the Thunder shot 26 percent, leading to their fewest points in an opening period all season.

“Our effort was really good,” coach Scott Brooks said. “We just didn’t have anything going (offensively). We were holding the ball and standing around too much.”

Oklahoma City settled down the rest of the way, but never got closer than six points against the defending champions, who are seeking a third straight trip to the NBA finals.

“When you have Bynum, Gasol and Lamar Odom all in at the same time, I mean it’s a lot of reaching, a lot of hands and that’s a lot of length,” Westbrook said. “It’s tough for us, but I think we’re going to continue to play, continue to compete and we’ll have a chance.”

With Bryant, Gasol, Derek Fisher(notes) and Ron Artest(notes) on the bench to start the fourth, Jordan Farmar(notes) scored the Lakers’ first five points despite a strained left hamstring to stretch a six-point lead to 11.

Bryant and Odom hit consecutive 3-pointers, extending the lead the Lakers held the entire game to 77-66.

A pair of free throws by Durant got the Thunder to 79-73 with 3 1/2 minutes remaining. They never got any closer. Fisher hit a 3-pointer that pushed the Lakers’ lead to 84-74 before Bryant picked up his fifth foul.

“We could’ve came here and got a `W,”’ Durant said. “We just couldn’t get over the hump.”

Westbrook carried the Thunder early in the third, and Durant scored their final five points to leave them trailing 64-56 going into the final 12 minutes. Fisher, Artest and Odom were in foul trouble and Bryant scored a single point on a free throw as they played to a draw in the third.

The Thunder outscored the Lakers 26-20 in the second quarter, when Los Angeles got away from the inside game of Bynum and Gasol and settled for jump shots instead. Their 17-point lead dwindled to 47-39 at the break.

Westbrook scored the Thunder’s final eight points of the half and their first two of the third, drawing them within six.

vs(From the Associated Press) - Dwight Howard(notes) was slapped, scraped, pushed and punished. His frustration built, simmering so much that he was sidelined in foul trouble.

Superman was grounded.

Luckily for the Orlando Magic, they had Mighty Mouse back.

Jameer Nelson(notes) scored 24 of his 32 points in the first half, and the Magic nearly blew a 22-point lead with Howard out before beating the Charlotte Bobcats 98-89 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Sunday.

After missing the first three rounds of the playoffs last year recovering from right shoulder surgery, Nelson is healthy again and ready to redeem his NBA finals flop.

“In the finals, I wasn’t myself,” Nelson said. “Not making any excuses, I was out there, so I should have helped my team out a little better. But it feels great being able to help these guys, and not be out there in a suit cheering them on as much as I did last year.”

Nelson was sorely needed in this one.

Vince Carter(notes) was 4 for 19, finished with 12 points and fouled out late. Howard had nine blocks but was limited offensively. He said he was so overanxious and hyped up that he couldn’t sleep the night before, text messaging teammate Carter.

“He was like, ‘I’m trying to sleep.’ I was like ‘I’m sorry. I’m just hyped,”’ Howard said. “I get hyper. My teammates, they do a good job of calming me down. I just have to not get so frustrated.”

Gerald Wallace(notes) had 25 points, and Stephen Jackson(notes) played through a hyperextended left knee to finish with 18 points in the Bobcats’ first playoff game in franchise history.

And they looked like it early.

“We were a little nervous starting off the game, and they knew it,” Wallace said. “They took advantage of it. They came out and punched us in the mouth, they made shots and we didn’t. They built themselves a lead at home, and left us trying to find our way back.”

They almost did.

Charlotte swarmed and slapped Howard on every opportunity near the rim. The Hack-a-Howard approach left the All-Star with five points and seven rebounds, and he was 1 for 6 on free throws.

The Magic sputtered in his absence.

“Their big guys are going to hit him every chance they get. And if he gets one foul retaliating, they’ve done their job,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “He can’t get any of those. He’s just going to have to understand no matter how many times they hit him, he can’t hit back. We need him on the floor.”

Wallace’s free throws trimmed Orlando’s lead to 85-80 late in the fourth, and they had the Bobcats on the brink of a stunning upset.

Howard then returned with a put-back dunk, Mickael Pietrus(notes) had a 3-pointer and the Magic eventually went ahead 92-84 to put the game out of reach.

Even with a dreadful game offensively, Bobcats coach Larry Brown said Howard’s presence on the other end was too much to overcome.

“If I read the stats correctly, he got five points and he was the most valuable player,” Brown said.

Charlotte’s gritty comeback attempt at least provided them with some hope that this best-of-seven series might not be so lopsided when it resumes Wednesday in Orlando. That also gives Jackson, who will have an MRI on Monday, an extra day’s rest. But will he miss Game 2?

“No way,” he said.

Charlotte just needs to find a way to contain Nelson, too.

The speedy point guard left Raymond Felton(notes) and D.J. Augustin(notes) in the dust, much to the dismay of new Bobcats majority owner Michael Jordan sitting on the baseline. But Orlando imploded with Howard sidelined as Charlotte twice battled back from big deficits and overcame what could have been a catastrophic blow.

Wallace dived for a loose ball and collided with Jackson late in the second quarter, injuring his teammate’s knee. Jackson laid on the floor in pain, and Nelson pushed the ball down court to hit a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer.

Jackson returned to score 10 points in the second half, but he sat out the final minutes of the fourth because of the injury, pleading with Brown to get back in the game.

“He’s mad at me,” Brown said. “I just didn’t feel comfortable putting him back on the floor.”

The Bobcats went down 65-43 on a 3-pointer by Lewis early in the third quarter. Howard would pick up his fourth foul, and the frustration began to set in for the Magic.

They just never slipped up enough to lose.

Nelson wouldn’t let them.

“I was just happy to have my little crib midget back,” Howard said, laughing. “He means a lot to our team. It just feels good seeing him out there.”



vs(From the Associated Press) - Dirk Nowitzki(notes) was amazed. Even after hitting nearly every shot he took, the San Antonio Spurs still weren’t sending more defenders at him.

So he kept shooting. And scoring.

Nowitzki made 12 of 14 shots and all 12 of his free throws, coming up with 36 points to carry the Dallas Mavericks to a 100-94 victory over the rival Spurs on Sunday night in Game 1 of their first-round series.

“Sometimes,” Nowitzki said, “you have one of those nights where the basket is big.”

The Spurs slowed Nowitzki in the first round last year by swarming him with two and sometimes three defenders. He was expecting it again this series and practically begged them to bring it on with the way he attacked whoever was covering him.

Nowitzki drove on Antonio McDyess(notes) and shot over Matt Bonner(notes). There was a heave over McDyess and Richard Jefferson(notes) that was flung at the basket in hopes of getting a foul called; there was no whistle, but there was a basket. Nowitzki made a conventional jumper over Jefferson in the fourth quarter as if his defender wasn’t even there. One time when Keith Bogans(notes) found himself matched up with Nowitzki, all he could do was foul him.

“He was impressive,” San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili(notes) said. “We know he can score 36, but missing only two shots is what makes it really hard. He made some shots with the defense all over him. You can’t control those kind of shots.”

Caron Butler(notes) scored 22 points and Brendan Haywood(notes) added 10 in their playoff debuts for Dallas. Both were part of a major trade in February that turned a good Mavericks team into a much better one. They rolled into the playoffs having won eight of 10 and five straight.

Jason Kidd(notes) added 13 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds for the Mavericks, and Erick Dampier(notes) had five points, 12 rebounds and lots of bruises from bumping against Tim Duncan(notes).

“I thought we did a great job of executing our offense and getting the ball where we needed to,” Butler said. “We shared the ball and did a lot of good things.”

San Antonio got plenty from its stars Duncan, Ginobili and Tony Parker(notes). But that was about it.

While Duncan had 27 points and eight rebounds, Ginobili scored 26 and Parker had 18 points and four assists, the rest of the club made only 10 of 26 shots.

Antonio McDyess was the only other player to crack double digits, scoring 10.

George Hill(notes) started at point guard, despite having aggravated an ankle injury Wednesday, and was scoreless with two turnovers in 18 minutes. He played just 2:31 in the second half. Richard Jefferson had four points in 32 minutes and Bogans was scoreless in 16 minutes.

The poor distribution of points was only part of the Spurs’ problem.

“We didn’t play focused enough,” Duncan said. “We just weren’t there all night.”

They were outrebounded by eight and gave up 13 offensive rebounds. They had 17 turnovers, leading to 20 Dallas points. They also took just 14 free throws; Nowitzki and Dampier each took 12.

“We lost by six points and made all those mistakes,” Ginobili said. “That’s the good side of the story, that we really can improve.”

The Spurs took a short flight home to sleep in their own beds and get to work on a new game plan at their headquarters. They have some time to figure things out as Game 2 isn’t until Wednesday night in Dallas.

“We don’t care what they throw at us,” Mavs guard Jason Terry(notes) said. “For us, it’s all about our mental and physical approach to the game. Mentally when we’re right, we’re hard to beat.”

The game was tight the first 2 1/2 quarters, with Dallas leading most of the time. Then San Antonio edged ahead and the lead swapped hands a few times.

Nowitzki helped the Mavs start to pull away with a 7-0 run all on his own. San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich countered by having Roger Mason(notes) foul Dampier on the next three possessions.

“We hoped he would miss free throws rather than Dirk killing us the way he was,” Popovich said.

Dampier went 1 of 2 on his first two trips. Fans figured out the Hack-a-Damp routine and booed it the third time, then cheered when Dampier made them both. Popovich scrapped it then, too.

The Spurs tightened their defense on Nowitzki after that, but he simply turned into a distributor, moving the ball into areas vacated by the extra guys who came after him. Jason Terry and Kidd each cashed in 3-pointers that helped Dallas eventually go ahead by 12 late in the fourth quarter.

“You pick your poison and whatever you do, you try to do it well,” Popovich said. “Dirk got the best of whatever we tried to do with him tonight. We tried a lot of different things, but he beat them all.”

vs(From the Associated Press) - Brandon Roy(notes) or no Brandon Roy, the Portland Trail Blazers give the Phoenix Suns fits.

Game 1 of their first-round playoff series was no exception, and the homecourt advantage the Suns worked so hard to get is history after Portland pulled away over the final 4 1/2 minutes to beat them 105-100 on Sunday night.

Andre Miller(notes) scored 15 points in the fourth quarter and tied his career playoff high with 31 points as Portland made Phoenix the only home team to lose in a playoff opener.

“We have done this all season long,” Blazers coach Nate McMillan said.

LaMarcus Aldridge(notes) added 22 points and Nicolas Batum(notes) 18 for Portland in a game played in the methodical style the Blazers wanted. Jerryd Bayless(notes) also had 18 for the Blazers, 10 in the fourth quarter, but missed two free throws with 12.2 seconds left to give Phoenix a shot to tie. Steve Nash’s(notes) 3-point try was well short, though, and Miller’s two free throws iced the victory.

“We just didn’t play well enough,” Nash said. “I thought we were a shade of ourselves. We’ve got a lot of improving to do if we want to win the series.’

Marcus Camby(notes) grabbed 17 rebounds for Portland, two off his career playoff best.

“They were probably the hottest team in the league at the end of the season, but we’re a pretty good road team ourselves,” Camby said. “We came out here without our best player and guys stepped in and contributed real well.”

The Suns won 14 of their last 16, including the final eight at home, and the Blazers were well aware that they had been written off when Roy went down.

“Watching the news, people were asking them (the Suns) who they’d rather play in the second round,” Camby said, “but we’re still here.”

Roy is out for the series after arthroscopic knee surgery, and the Blazers lost Greg Oden(notes) and Joel Przybilla(notes) earlier in the season. But Portland won two of three against the Suns, including a win at Phoenix when the Blazers didn’t have Roy.

Miller was in his attack mode from the start, but found another gear in the final quarter.

“We talked about forcing the issue a little bit and not relying on jump shots,” he said. “We tried to contain them as far as keeping them out of the paint and forcing them to take 3s. And on the other end, we tried not to fall into that trap of taking jump shots and letting them start running.”

The Suns, the NBA’s highest-scoring team at 110 points per game, never got into that fluid style but still led 87-85 after Stoudemire’s 16-footer with 4:57 to play.

Miller, though, made his only 3-point attempt of the night to put Portland ahead for good 88-87 4:28 from the finish, then Aldridge sank two free throws to make it 90-87 with 4:12 remaining. Nash’s 22-footer cut it to 90-89, but Miller made two free throws, Aldridge tipped one in over Stoudemire, and Portland was up 94-89 with 3:37 left.

Nash’s 3-pointer briefly cut the lead to 94-92, but Batum responded with a 3 of his own 17 seconds later and Bayless made two free throws to put the Blazers up 99-92 with 1:29 to go.

The Suns missed repeated 3s before Jason Richardson(notes) finally made one to cut it to 103-100 with 12.5. After Bayless missed two free throws, Nash dribbled upcourt and let it fly, but his shot was not even close.

Phoenix shot just 42 percent and was 9 of 24 in the final quarter, including 3 of 13 on 3s.

“I thought we didn’t push the ball on them or impose our will on them as much as we have to,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. “We had four fastbreak points and obviously that’s an area we have to get better in.”

Gentry said Stoudemire is up against a tough defender in Camby.

“Amare is going to have to step it up and find ways to score for us and we’ve got to try to get the ball in a good location,” Gentry said.

Stoudemire said the Blazers “did a great job of playing boxing and elbows— they did a phenomenal job defensively.”

“They clogged up the lane there a little bit,so it was kind of difficult to get into our offense,” he said.

Leandro Barbosa(notes) scored 13 in eight minutes in the first half, when he made all five of his shots, three of them 3s. He was scoreless in the second half.