NBA Playoffs Results

vs(From the Associated Press) - As the final seconds ticked down, Dwight Howard was back in his familiar spot on the bench and coach Stan Van Gundy was steamed at his superstar for fouling out again.

Then the buzzer sounded and the Orlando Magic became the first team to advance in the NBA playoffs.

Who needs Howard? Not these deep Magic—at least not in the first round.

Vince Carter scored 21 points, Jameer Nelson added 18 and the Magic showcased their depth and pressure shot-making in a 99-90 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday night to complete a sweep of their first-round series.

Howard was held to six points in his fourth straight game in foul trouble, but the Magic never flinched to accomplish their first four-game sweep in franchise history. Orlando will face the Atlanta-Milwaukee winner in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

“If you would have told me that he would have averaged well under 30 minutes for the series and we would sweep, I would have said you’re crazy,” Van Gundy said. “I think it’s a testament to our other guys.”

Howard did grab 13 rebounds, but was limited to 23 minutes before fouling out for the second straight game. The Magic, though, got key contributions and big shots from others.

Rashard Lewis scored 17 points, Matt Barnes added 14 and Orlando held Stephen Jackson to 2-of-11 shooting to overcome Howard’s 22 fouls in the series.

“He and I got into it a little bit,” Van Gundy said about their sideline exchange in the last minute. “It wasn’t a bad argument. My point was he was in the restricted area and he’s got to jump. He’s so frustrated now that what he was trying to say is it wouldn’t matter. But, well, let’s jump and find out. What he did was give them the call.”

Tyrus Thomas scored a career playoff-high 21 points for the Bobcats, whose focus will now immediately turn to nomadic coach Larry Brown’s future with the team.

Brown, who has had 13 pro and college coaching jobs, continues to be the focus of reports for openings around the NBA, including Philadelphia, where his wife and kids live.

But he repeated that he’ll only coach for Bobcats owner Michael Jordan.

“I’m not coaching anywhere but Charlotte,” Brown said. “Now am I going to go home and talk to my wife and kids? I’ll be 70 years old with two young kids. Am I going to talk to them and find out what I need to do and am I going to talk to Michael? Yeah, absolutely.”

Could that mean he’d retire or consider a front office job with another team?

“That’s hypothetical,” Brown said. “I love coaching more than anything, except my family maybe. … I’m really, personally, not ready to step down in terms of my desire to keep coaching.”

Brown was down after the 6-year-old Bobcats again wilted in a close game in their first playoff appearance.

After Charlotte cut Orlando’s lead to one on Tyson Chandler’s two free throws, Mickael Pietrus hit consecutive 3-pointers directly across the floor from Jordan’s seat to put the Magic ahead 83-76 with 5:47 left.

Nelson’s 3-pointer less than a minute later—after Gerald Wallace missed two free throws—put it away for the Magic, whose only previous playoff sweep was a 3-0 victory over Detroit in 1996.

“They’re better,” Brown said. “They know how to play playoff basketball. We haven’t figured it out yet.”

Charlotte’s offensive woes were magnified by Howard’s long absences.

The four-time All-Star’s endless foul trouble entering the game made him the focus of ribbing in the morning shootaround. Teammates told him instead of Superman, his nickname was now “Foul on You.” Howard played along in raising his arm and clenching his fist as if to call a foul.

The joking stopped when Howard was called for two fouls in 16 seconds in the first quarter, the second for tripping. He picked up his third for challenging D.J. Augustin after he had released a reverse layup that turned into a three-point play.

“It’s very tough out there,” Howard said. “There’s a lot of things I feel don’t go my way or our team’s way.”

With Howard on the bench, the Bobcats built a 38-31 lead on the strength of Thomas, who hit his first eight shots in his best performance since being acquired from Chicago in a trade-deadline deal.

Orlando cut the deficit to 45-43 at halftime and took the lead on a run that included Carter’s first made 3-pointer after an 0-for-15 start to the series.

Howard was called for his fourth foul on Raymond Felton’s drive with 6:58 left in the third quarter—and stayed on the bench for nearly 10 minutes.

The Magic hung on, and it could be a while before they play again. The Hawks-Bucks series is tied 2-2.

“We’re going to be well rested,” Howard said before laughing. “I’m going to be well rested.”



vs(From the Associated Press) - Powered by Carlos Delfino’s hot shooting, Brandon Jennings’ creativity and an unexpected windfall of chances at the free throw line, the undermanned Milwaukee Bucks are beginning to make the Atlanta Hawks sweat.
MILWAUKEE - APRIL 26: Ersan Iiyasova #7 of the Milwaukee Bucks puts up a shot past Josh Smith #5 of the Atlanta Hawks in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2010 NBA Playoffs at the Bradley Center on April 26, 2010 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Bucks defeated the Hawks 111-104. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
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* 1 of 51
* Atl-Mil Gallery

Series at a Glance
Milwaukee vs. Atlanta
Series tied 2-2

1. Game 1: at ATL

MIL 92, ATL 102 - Final
Recap | Box Score
2. Game 2: at ATL

MIL 86, ATL 96 - Final
Recap | Box Score
3. Game 3: at MIL

ATL 89, MIL 107 - Final
Recap | Box Score
4. Game 4: at MIL

ATL 104, MIL 111 - Final
Recap | Box Score
5. Game 5: at ATL

Wed, Apr 28 - 8:00 pm EDT

TV: FSS
6. Game 6: at MIL

Fri, Apr 30 - TBA

TV: FSS
7. Game 7: at ATL

Sun, May 02 - TBA

TV: FSS

Series Breakdown

The Bucks pulled off their second straight playoff surprise, beating the Hawks 111-104 in Game 4 on Monday night to pull even in the first round of the playoffs.

Suddenly, it’s a series.

“I still feel like there’s no pressure on us,” Jennings said. “At the end of the day, everybody still expects us to lose the series. The best thing we can do right now is just keep fighting, keep competing with them and just see how everything goes. Hopefully we can go over there and steal one.”

Delfino scored 22 points with six 3-pointers, Jennings scored 23 and John Salmons added 22 for the Bucks, who finally started getting free throws and made the most of them. Milwaukee was 28 of 32 from the line after attempting 17 free throws or fewer in each of the first three games of the series.

Free-throw shooting helped the Bucks survive a fourth-quarter surge led by Atlanta stars Joe Johnson and Josh Smith. Johnson scored 29 points, reserve Jamal Crawford had 21, and Smith had 20 points and nine rebounds.

Now the Hawks head home for Game 5, desperately needing a win to stave off a surprising challenge by a team missing its best player, injured center Andrew Bogut.

“It’s very frustrating, man,” Johnson said. “We just don’t have the toughness. They are getting all the loose balls, all the big rebounds. We can’t get stops when we need to and it’s killing us.”

It was yet another subpar performance away from home for the Hawks, who struggled on the road in the regular season and haven’t performed well on the road in recent playoff appearances.

“Somehow we’ve got to get our defensive mojo back where we’re defending and rebounding and running up and down the floor,” Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. “And come Wednesday we’ll get that opportunity.”

Why can’t they carry their dominant play at home with them on road trips?

“I wish I knew,” Crawford said. “I wish I could figure it out. We’re two totally different teams. I think it’s been like that in the past for this team. We play well at home, we feed off the crowd, but you can’t play every game at home. We have to figure this out. That’s what winners do, that’s what champions do.”

The Hawks came to Milwaukee with two wins in hand and the series under control, looking to dismiss the Bucks and move on to the next round. Smith felt so comfortable that he decided to take a playful swipe at the city’s nightlife scene.

The dig wasn’t well-received by a surprisingly boisterous Bradley Center crowd, helping to fuel a home team whose playoff outlook appeared pessimistic after Bogut sustained a gruesome arm injury near the end of the regular season.

“Individually we’ve been through a lot,” Salmons said. “We’ve been tested, losing ‘Bogues’ and all that stuff just gave us a lot of confidence in ourselves.”

The Hawks’ day got off to an odd start, when a car collided with their team bus on their way back to their hotel after a pregame shootaround. Everybody was OK, but the day went even further downhill once the Hawks got back to the Bradley Center.

Little-used big man Dan Gadzuric gave the Bucks a jolt at the end of the third quarter, emphatically blocking a shot by Johnson and then making an acrobatic layup to give Milwaukee an 85-74 lead going into the fourth.

Delfino went 6 for 8 from 3-point range, including a 3-pointer from the corner to put Milwaukee ahead 97-88 with 3:56 left. Smith missed inside and Jennings grabbed the rebound, then hit a floating jumper at the other end.

Layups by Al Horford and Johnson later cut the lead to five with 1:41 remaining, but Milwaukee’s Kurt Thomas made one of two free throws, then took a charge by Crawford with 1:20 left.

Horford fouled Salmons, who hit both free throws to give the Bucks a 103-95 lead with 1:05 to go. Atlanta couldn’t get much closer because Milwaukee kept hitting from the line.

“The good thing is we’ve got home-court advantage,” Johnson said. “We have to go home and take care of our home court. Just start with Game 5 first.”

vs(From the Associated Press) - When the Phoenix Suns win in this playoff series, they win by a mile.

Channing Frye and Jared Dudley rediscovered their shooting touch in a 107-88 rout of Portland on Monday night that has the Suns one victory away from eliminating the Trail Blazers from the playoffs.
PHOENIX - APRIL 26: Andre Miller #24 of the Portland Trail Blazers puts a shot up past Amare Stoudemire #1 of the Phoenix Suns in Game Five of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2010 NBA Playoffs on April 26, 2010 at U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2010 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)
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* 1 of 60
* Por-Pho Gallery

Series at a Glance
Portland vs. Phoenix
Suns lead series 3-2

1. Game 1: at PHO

POR 105, PHO 100 - Final
Recap | Box Score
2. Game 2: at PHO

POR 90, PHO 119 - Final
Recap | Box Score
3. Game 3: at POR

PHO 108, POR 89 - Final
Recap | Box Score
4. Game 4: at POR

PHO 87, POR 96 - Final
Recap | Box Score
5. Game 5: at PHO

POR 88, PHO 107 - Final
Recap | Box Score
6. Game 6: at POR

Thu, Apr 29 - TBA

TV: My45
7. Game 7: at PHO

Sat, May 01 - TBA

TV: TNT, FSAZ

Series Breakdown

Frye scored 20 points and Dudley 19, the leaders of a Phoenix second unit that played a major role in putting the Suns up 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.

“When everyone’s getting involved,” Dudley said, “it’s hard to beat us.”

Phoenix’s three victories in the series have come by 29, 19 and 19 points, the losses by five and nine. The Suns can advance to the second round by beating the Trail Blazers in Portland on Thursday night.

The Phoenix reserves, an effective weapon in the regular season but not so much in the first four games of the playoffs, outscored their Portland counterparts 55-23.

“The second unit did a good job of getting themselves in the open court,” coach Alvin Gentry said, “and when we do that with Channing and J.D. out there and they make a couple of 3-point shots for us, that makes all the difference in the world.”

Frye, who spent the previous two seasons on the Portland bench, made 3-of-5 3-pointers and grabbed eight rebounds. Dudley was 5 of 9 on 3s.

“When they get going like that, we’re a really good team,” the Suns’ Steve Nash said. “I think it’s great for their confidence because we have a lot of confidence in them.”

The Suns’ two best 3-point shooters in the regular season, Frye and Dudley had been a combined 14 of 48 (29 percent) on 3s in the first four games of the series.

“To be honest, if I go 0 for 10, I could care less. It’s not going to happen twice,” Frye said. “That’s how I feel every time I go out there, that it’s only going to take one shot for me to get hot.”

Amare Stoudemire scored 19, and Nash had 14 points and 10 assists for Phoenix.

Andre Miller scored 21, while LaMarcus Aldridge and Jerryd Bayless had 17 apiece for the Trail Blazers.

Portland All-Star Brandon Roy, in his second game back after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus just 10 days ago, drew three fouls in an ineffective 6 1/2 minutes in the first half. He finished with five points on 2-of-7 shooting in 19 minutes.

Roy has come off the bench in his two games back, but he said he will ask to start in Game 6.

“It’s hard to get involved. I don’t think the guys are quite used to me coming off the bench,” he said. “It’s hard for me to kind of get my touches and get into a rhythm.”

The Trail Blazers made their first seven shots and were up 23-9, but it was fool’s gold. The Suns had Portland playing in the up-tempo style in which Phoenix excels.

“Even when we were winning, we were playing their game,” Aldridge said. “We were taking quick shots. They were going in so we felt good about it. But it really wasn’t our style of play and I think the law of averages caught up. We don’t really play that style of play. We should have slowed it down and played more of a halfcourt game.”

On the other hand, the Suns weren’t about to slow it down.

“They were making everything so it made it feel like we were running uphill,” Nash said, “but I just felt like we had to think of this thing as long-term and think of it as the stock market. We’re not day traders, we want to be very conservative and long-term in our investment in transition. You’ve got to stick with it from the start to finish.”

The Suns tied it by late in the first quarter and Frye’s 6-foot hook shot put Phoenix ahead for good 38-36. An 8-2 spurt over the final 2:17 gave Phoenix a 57-47 lead at the half. Frye and Dudley each had a 3-pointer in the run.

The closest the Trail Blazers got in the third quarter was 67-59 after Miller made a free throw with 4:14 to go.

Phoenix led by as many as 27 in the final quarter. The Suns dominated points in the paint 40-28 and had a 17-6 advantage in fast-break points. Phoenix, the NBA’s highest-scoring team in the regular season, had just four fast-break points in each of its two losses in the series.

“You can’t win when they’re doing all that,” Miller said. “Any time they get to the free throw (line) that many times and our turnovers lead to baskets and offensive rebounds lead to second-chance points, you’re not going to win.”

Phoenix made 27-of-29 free throws to the Trail Blazers’ 17 of 24. The Suns outrebounded the bigger Trail Blazers 41-29.

“It’s come down to the team who has been the aggressor,” Portland coach Nate McMillan said. “Tonight they pounded us on the boards. They outworked us on the boards.”