NBA Playoffs Results

vs(From the Associated Press) - Manu Ginobili stepped off the podium and bumped into Dirk Nowitzki. They shook hands. Nowitzki gave his longtime foe a congratulatory slap on the back and Ginobili disappeared down the hallway.

He was off to celebrate a playoff series win. Just like old times for the Spurs.

“We’re thrilled that we beat them,” Ginobili said. “We’re really proud of it.”

Nowitzki then sat down for a playoff ritual of his own—dissecting yet another first-round failure by the Mavericks.

Ginobili scored 26 points and San Antonio survived blowing a 22-point lead to finish off the Mavericks 97-87 in Game 6 on Thursday night, getting payback after Dallas eliminated the Spurs a year ago in the opening round.

The seventh-seeded Spurs will play the sixth-seeded Suns in the Western Conference semifinals starting Monday night in Phoenix.

The Mavs, meanwhile, slump away into another too-early summer.

Dallas lost in the first round for the third time in four years. The Mavs head into an interesting offseason for a team that’s won 50 games for 10 straight seasons, but has only one trip to the NBA finals to show for it.

“Going into the playoffs as a No. 2 seed, it is all we could have wanted,” Nowitzki said. “We just happened to see a tough No. 7 seed that got rolling at the right time.”

Said Mavs guard Jason Terry, “As of right now this season is a failure.”

Nowitzki nearly carried the Mavs to an unbelievable comeback, getting 25 of his 33 points in a remarkable second half. But George Hill, the hero for the Spurs in Game 4, scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter to keep the series from going back to Dallas.

The Spurs continue their roll after coming off their worst regular season in the Tim Duncan era, which perhaps makes this series all the more impressive.

It will technically go down as an upset. San Antonio is only the fifth No. 7 seed to win a first-round series, and the first since the opening round became a best-of-7 in 2003. It hadn’t been done since New York beat Miami in 1998.

But with a healthy Big Three and a championship pedigree, the Spurs could hardly be called underdogs.

And with no clear favorite in the West, they might be as good a finals pick as any.

“The only reason (the Spurs) we’re the 7 seed is because they’ve been hurt all year,” Mavs center Brenden Haywood said. “This could have been the Western Conference finals. The teams are that good. This isn’t like a monumental upset or anything. You all are talking like this is the NCAA tournament and the 15 seed just beat the 2.”

As for the Mavs, it was yet another early playoff disappointment.

It comes three years after the Mavs came into the postseason as the No. 1 seed, only to be knocked out by No. 8 Golden State. The Mavs were the NBA’s best road team in the regular season, but went 0-3 in San Antonio and couldn’t pull themselves out of a 3-1 deficit.

This one is especially tough for team owner Mark Cuban, who plunked down an extra $30 million for a deal at the trade deadline that brought Caron Butler from Washington.

Cuban, who needled San Antonio earlier in the series by saying he hated the Spurs, congratulated them afterward and said he’d root for his Texas rivals the rest of the way.

He followed that up with a cryptic comment.

“I’m not proud of the NBA. I’m not proud of my inability over the last 10 years to have an impact like I want to have,” Cuban said. “So I kind of feel like I owe fans an apology. But that’s just the way this business goes.”

Cuban declined to elaborate.

Butler scored 25 points and rookie Rodrigue Beaubois had 16. But aside from them and Nowitzki, no other Dallas player scored more than six points.

Among the questions facing the Mavs is Nowitzki, who could choose to become a free agent this summer. He’s steadily said he won’t, but after the game, Nowitzki was noncommittal about his future.

“I haven’t really thought about my future,” he said. “I guess I have some time now to think about my future and think about my options.”

He and the Mavs will have a long time to sulk over this one.

Plagued by slow starts in this series, Dallas got off to its worst yet when it mattered most. The Mavs trailed 22-8 after the first quarter, hitting just four of their first 18 shots. By halftime it was 47-34, a franchise playoff low for Dallas.

Nowitzki, who had four fouls in the first half, shrugged off the foul trouble and put Dallas ahead 57-56 with a 3-pointer midway through the third quarter. But Ginobili immediately fired back with a 3-pointer, and Dallas never led again.

“I think we took a lot of their energy, a lot of their effort getting back into it after being so far down,” said Duncan, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds. “Hopefully we used that against them and closed the game out.”

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.”

NBA Playoffs Results

vs(From the Associated Press) - In front of a boisterous, hostile crowd and facing a team in desperation mode, the Orlando Magic showcased their depth, grit and poise when it mattered most.

Imagine how good they could be if their superstar center played more than half the game.

No Dwight Howard(notes), no problem for the Magic, who got 32 points from sudden star Jameer Nelson(notes) to overcome another frustrating, foul-filled game by their big man in a 90-86 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday.

Spoiling Charlotte’s return to the playoff stage after an eight-year absence, the Magic took a commanding 3-0 lead in their first-round series despite being without Howard for the final 3:32 after he fouled out.

“You’ve got to admire them with Dwight getting foul trouble and fouling out how they still didn’t fold,” Bobcats coach Larry Brown said. “They were disciplined and executed. They got a well-deserved win.”

For the third straight game and two days after Orlando was assessed $70,000 in fines for complaining about the officiating, Howard played about half the game, finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks.

After Howard was sidelined for good, Nelson had a key bucket and backup center Marcin Gortat(notes) hit two free throws with 12 seconds left to put it away.

The defending Eastern Conference champions can clinch a spot in the second round with a win in Game 4 on Monday.

“I think this is a big test for me, learning how to keep my composure in tough situations,” said Howard, who has played in only 83 of 144 minutes in the series because of chronic foul trouble. “Things may not go my way, but we’re playing for something bigger.”

Stephen Jackson(notes) scored 19 points, but was 6 of 18 from the field and missed a key 3-pointer in the final minute for the cold-shooting Bobcats, who face the prospect of a first-round sweep in their first playoff appearance.

Charlotte hadn’t hosted a playoff game since the Hornets’ last year here in 2002, and towel-waving, white T-shirt-clad fans arrived early for the team’s milestone moment.

But even with excited owner Michael Jordan squirming in his seat and relaying pointers to players from the end of Charlotte’s bench, the 6-year-old Bobcats wilted in a tight fourth quarter.

Gerald Wallace(notes) added 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting for Charlotte. Raymond Felton(notes) also scored 13, but shot 5 of 14 and again couldn’t contain Nelson.

“We’re not good enough to win with one or two guys playing at a high level,” Brown said.

Nelson’s floater in the lane with 1:32 left put Orlando ahead 85-82. After an empty possession for each team, Felton’s driving layup with 52 seconds left cut the lead to one.

Nelson then missed a contested layup, giving Charlotte the ball with 31 seconds left. But Jackson was badly short on a straightaway 3-point attempt.

It was a familiar sight: Charlotte was 5 of 23 from 3-point range.

“It was kind of hard to drive when you know Dwight’s there clogging the paint and nobody’s open,” Jackson said of all the 3-point attempts. “It’s hard not to take the shot.”

Vince Carter(notes) and Gortat combined to hit 5-of-6 free throws to put it away.

Nelson, who also scored 32 points in the series opener, hit 12-of-21 shots and 5-of-9 3-point attempts.

“In this series, when I get in the paint something good has happened for us,” Nelson said. “I just want to stay in attack mode.”

He had to after Howard fouled out after picking up his last two fouls in 11 seconds. The first came after he tangled with Tyson Chandler(notes) in the post on the offensive end, the second when he tried to contest Felton’s driving layup.

Felton’s ensuing free throw put Charlotte ahead 80-79.

The Bobcats immediately went small, putting in an extra guard, but Rashard Lewis(notes) responded with two strong drives to the hoop and four free throws to put Orlando ahead for good.

Lewis added 14 points for Orlando, which overcame 9-of-30 3-point shooting to outscore Charlotte 11-6 after Howard left.

The crowd was giddy when Howard had three fouls—and a technical to boot from referee Joe Crawford(notes)—with 10:40 left in the first half after getting called for an offensive foul tangling with Chandler in the post.

It didn’t matter early with Nelson dominating. As in Game 1, Nelson constantly beat Felton off the dribble for easy layups when he wasn’t hitting 3-pointers. His four-point play that included the sight of Felton flailing away in attempt to grab him, ended a 19-point, 7-for-7 first quarter.

With Howard on the bench, the Bobcats built a 41-33 second-quarter lead before Nelson got hot again in the third quarter in Orlando’s 11-0 spurt.

Then Howard was called for his fourth foul with 3:40 left in the third quarter.

“It’s tough not to get frustrated,” Howard said. “I don’t think you guys understand how it feels to get beat up every night. I just try to keep my composure.”

vs(From the Associated Press) - Brandon Roy(notes) was so antsy to return to the Trail Blazers that he campaigned via text message to coach Nate McMillan.

“Coach, I think I should play,” he texted on the eve of Saturday’s playoff game against the Phoenix Suns.

Luckily for the Blazers, McMillan agreed.

Roy was activated Saturday, then helped Portland to a 96-87 victory that evened the first-round series at two games apiece.

Eight days removed from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, Roy made his surprising return to the court to the strains of the theme from “Rocky” blaring from the Rose Garden sound system, then went on hit a key 3-pointer late in the game that shifted the momentum squarely in the Trail Blazers’ favor.

“I just didn’t feel right sitting in the training room knowing that I could contribute—so I just had to keep begging coach,” Roy said afterward.

The first-round series now moves back to Phoenix on Monday night. It wasn’t supposed to include Roy, but things changed Friday.

McMillan said it was a “long, sleepless night” in deciding to play Roy, the team’s unquestioned leader. He even brought owner Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, in on the discussion.

“All kinds of things went through my head, thinking about the risk of him reinjuring himself,” McMillan said. “But our doctors didn’t feel like Brandon could hurt himself.”

LaMarcus Aldridge(notes), who had been double-teamed all series long without Roy, benefited the most from his return, with 31 points and 11 rebounds.

“As soon as he checked into the game, I got my first open shot with nobody guarding me, so I was thinking thank God he’s back,” Aldridge said.

Roy, who had the surgery to repair a torn meniscus, came into the game to a deafening ovation with 4:06 left in the first quarter and made a layup about a minute later to put Portland ahead 20-19.

Roy played a relatively quiet 26 minutes, but hit a 3-pointer with 4:55 left that gave Portland a 85-79 lead.

“I’d certainly say it gave them a lift,” Suns guard Steve Nash(notes) said. “More than anything it just gave everyone a boost in their spirit and attitude. That was good for the crowd and good for his teammates to have him out there.”

Amare Stoudemire led the Suns with 26 points.

After dropping the series opener 105-100 in Phoenix, the Suns cruised to a 119-90 home victory before beating the Blazers 108-89 in Portland to take the series lead going into Saturday’s game.

“We didn’t bring it, we just didn’t bring it,” Stoudemire said. “We realized how important the game was. We didn’t bring the effort, we didn’t bring the energy, we didn’t rebound, we didn’t attack. We had a chance to go up 3-1, which would have been great. Now we’ve got to go back to a must-win situation.”

The Suns in the previous two games had stymied Portland with an up-tempo pick-and-roll, kicking the ball out to Jason Richardson(notes), who had a career playoff-high 42 points in Game 3.

The Blazers caught on in Game 4, limiting Richardson to 15 points. Nash also had 15 points and eight assists.

“For us, the difference in the game was that we didn’t play with the energy that we needed to in order to beat this team,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. “And if you don’t, you struggle. I thought we had the pace of the game where we needed to have it at the start, but we ended up with 37 in the second half. You won’t be able to beat this team doing that.”

The Blazers were much more competitive at the start than they had been the past two games. Rudy Fernandez(notes) hit a 3-pointer that put Portland up 35-33 in the second quarter and the Blazers extended the lead to 51-45 with 2:09 left on Aldridge’s dunk.

The Suns kept it close, narrowing it to 52-50 on Grant Hill’s(notes) pull-up jumper before Marcus Camby’s(notes) tip-in put Portland up 54-50 at the half.

Richardson hit two consecutive 3-pointers to open the second half and gave Phoenix a 56-54 lead.

Portland responded, going up 70-64 on Jerryd Bayless’(notes) fast-break jumper, but the slight cushion was short-lived and Stoudemire’s hook tied it 74 early in the fourth quarter.

The Suns were unable to pull ahead, despite poor shooting by the Blazers from the field. Portland missed 12 straight shots but was able to stay in the game on the free throw line.

Then came Roy’s 3-pointer with 4:55 left to make it 85-79. He also made a pull-up jumper with 2:10 left that gave the Blazers a 91-83 lead, their biggest of the game.

Roy’s injury was the latest to strike the unlucky Blazers this season. Nicolas Batum(notes) missed 45 games to start the season after shoulder surgery, centers Greg Oden(notes) and Joel Przybilla(notes) both had season-ending knee surgery, Fernandez had back problems, and former Blazer Travis Outlaw(notes), later traded to the Clippers, was out for an extended period because of a foot injury.

Roy himself was out for 15 games because of a sore hamstring.

In all, 13 Blazers missed a combined 311 regular-season games, second only to Golden State this season. Only guard Andre Miller(notes) and forward Martell Webster(notes) played in all 82 games.

Roy, who for a long time had a note with the words “Stay Humble” in his locker, gave himself an average grade.

“For the first game in a couple of weeks I thought I did OK,” he said. “Once I get my rhythm back, I’m capable of making shots.”

NBA Playoffs Results

vs(From the Associated Press) - Derrick Rose(notes) heard the “MVP! MVP!” chants and thought he would faint, the loud chorus rattling the All-Star point guard.

Funny thing, though.

Being guarded by LeBron James(notes) late in the game didn’t faze him. And now, the Cleveland Cavaliers can forget about sweeping the Bulls out of the playoffs.

Rose scored 31 points, Kirk Hinrich(notes) added 27 and Chicago hung to beat the top-seeded Cavaliers 108-106 Thursday night in Game 3 of a first-round series after its 21-point lead dwindled to one.

“We stayed strong,” said Chicago’s Joakim Noah(notes), who fought through foul trouble to finish with 15 rebounds. “D-Rose played huge for us. It just feels really good to come out with a win right now.”

James scored 13 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter but also committed some turnovers down the stretch. Even so, the Cavaliers were within 107-106 after Mo Williams(notes) nailed a 3-pointer with 3.8 seconds left. They immediately fouled Luol Deng(notes), who hit the first free throw but missed the second.

Cleveland’s Anthony Parker(notes) got the rebound and raced up the right side but missed a 3 at the buzzer, and the Bulls escaped with the win despite some shaky foul shooting late in the game.

They will try to tie the best-of-seven series on Sunday.

Hinrich, a career 80.9 percent foul shooter, missed two with 26 seconds left and the Bulls up 104-99.

James then buried a 3-pointer with 11 seconds remaining to make it a two-point game. The Cavaliers immediately fouled Rose, who missed the first free throw before converting the second to make it 105-102 with 10.1 seconds left.

Chicago fouled Anderson Varejao(notes) to prevent a 3-point attempt, and he made the first but missed the second. Brad Miller(notes) got the rebound and converted both foul shots to make it a four-point game, and the Bulls hung on for a wild win.

“They kept us on our heels and we can ill afford to let that happen,” said Antawn Jamison(notes), who scored 19.

Rose was serenaded by that “MVP!” chant late in the third quarter and was guarded down the stretch by the player who figures to win the award. That didn’t shake him, but the chorus did, though.

“I almost passed out,” Rose said. “Hopefully one day, but I’m just worried about winning games right now.”

So is James, who said he made the call to take Rose down the stretch.

The Bulls appeared to be in good shape up 21 in the third, only to see the Cavaliers cut it all the way to 94-92 on a pair of free throws and a layup by Jamison with 4:10 remaining in the game.

Deng, who scored 20, then made a jumper and Noah stole a pass from James. That led to a jumper by Rose, who then buried a fadeaway as the crowd chanted “Let’s go Bulls!” to make it 100-92 with 2:42 remaining.

James charged into Deng with 1:18 remaining and the Bulls up by six, then got stripped by Noah. Deng picked up the loose ball and Hinrich hit two free throws to make it 104-96 with 38 seconds remaining.

About that charge, James didn’t agree with the call.

“I saw him backpedaling,” James said. “Me as a driver, I’m watching the defender’s feet. I’m seeing if he’s stationed or is still moving. To me, I felt like he was still backpedaling, and as soon as I saw him backpedaling, that’s when I decided to take off. They called a charge. I haven’t seen the replay, but I know exactly what I’ve seen on the court with the defender right in front of me.”

Noah said he was particularly concerned Deng would get whistled after seeing James’ shot go in.

“I think one of the refs was about to call a block and then he looked at the other ref because he wasn’t sure, and the other ref—thank God—called a charge,” Noah said. “That was a huge play for us. I’m really happy that play went our way. I think I’m kind of biased, but to me, I thought it was a charge the whole time.”

As for his five fouls?

“Stupid, stupid fouls,” said Noah, who collected several going for offensive rebounds.

Still, at times the Bulls looked as if they might run away with this one.

They were leading 39-23 early in the second after a three-point play by Deng, and they finished the half with a flourish after Cleveland pulled within seven.

Miller hit a 19-footer with a minute left and Hinrich nailed 20-footer from the wing to make it 56-45 before Noah blocked a driving layup by James in the closing seconds. The Bulls continued to pour it on in the third.

Taj Gibson(notes) started it with a jumper and capped the run with another one, making it 68-47 with 7:37 left in the third, before the Cavaliers scored 13 straight.

“I believe we’re going to be fine,” Varejao said. “We just have to play the way we did in the second half.”

vs(From the Associated Press) - Scuffling through a rough shooting night, Kevin Durant(notes) wanted to do anything he could to keep the Oklahoma City Thunder from falling hopelessly behind the Los Angeles Lakers.

So, why not take on the task of defending Kobe Bryant(notes)?

Durant had 29 points and 19 rebounds, and snapped out of a shooting funk while guarding Bryant to lead the decisive run, lifting the Thunder to a 101-96 victory in Game 3 on Thursday night in the first playoff game in Oklahoma City.

“Scoring’s a big part of my game. It kind of overshadows the other parts of my game,” said Durant, who at 21 became the youngest player to lead the NBA in scoring. “But if I continue to play hard on both ends, it’s going to come around for me. I was able to get free and make a couple shots, and that’s what got us going.”

Durant and Russell Westbrook(notes) scored 22 of the final 23 for the Thunder, including every point during a 10-2 surge that put Oklahoma City ahead to stay.

The top-seeded Lakers got back within 98-96 on Bryant’s driving layup with 13.5 seconds left, but the Thunder closed it out from the foul line to pull within 2-1 in the seven-game series.

Game 4 is Saturday night in Oklahoma City.

Durant celebrated by thumping his chest and popping his jersey to show off the “Thunder” printed on the front while Westbrook, who scored 27 points, flapped his arms to egg on the screaming crowd.

“It feels good. Playing against the reigning champs makes it even better. But we have a long ways to go,” said Durant, who missed his first seven shots and 15 of his first 19. “It does feel good to get our first win. It feels even better to bring the first win in the playoffs here to Oklahoma City. That’s what I’m most excited about.”

Bryant scored 24 points to surpass Jerry West’s franchise record for playoff scoring, and Pau Gasol(notes) had 17 points and 15 rebounds for Los Angeles.

But when it came down to crunch time, Bryant couldn’t deliver as he did in scoring 15 fourth-quarter points to seal the Lakers’ 95-92 victory in Game 2. He went 2 for 10 in the final 12 minutes, with Durant stopping between free throws at one point to motion to the bench that he wanted to guard the former MVP.

“It was a matchup that caught me by surprise,” said Bryant, who’s nearly half a foot shorter than Durant. “I think he did a great job.”

Undaunted by a raucous sellout crowd, the Lakers scored the first 10 points of the game and were in control until the Thunder roared back with an electrifying run of eight straight points late in the third quarter.

The fans reached a deafening pitch as the Thunder completed their charge back from an 11-point deficit set off by Westbrook’s right-handed tomahawk dunk. James Harden(notes) and Durant followed with back-to-back 3-pointers to tie it at 74, and Oklahoma City finally took its first lead of the game on its opening possession of the fourth quarter.

“That was the loudest I’ve ever heard a crowd get,” said Harden, a rookie reserve who scored 18 points after going scoreless in Games 1 and 2. “That Russell dunk was just amazing and the back-to-back 3s, it just rattled the place.”

Nick Collison(notes), the only player left from the franchise’s last playoff appearance five years ago in Seattle, said, “It was so loud, it was almost quiet. It’s a weird feeling.”

Andrew Bynum(notes) pulled Los Angeles even for the final time by powering through Collison’s hard foul for a right-handed dunk, then hitting the ensuing free throw to tie it at 80.

Durant answered at the other end with a jumper from the right side with 8:41 left to give Oklahoma City the lead for good, then converted Bryant’s turnover into a two-handed jam on a fast break.

His 19-foot jumper from the right wing put Oklahoma City up 90-82 with 4:28 remaining, and that lead was just big enough for the Thunder to hang on down the stretch.

“We just fell asleep. We probably thought we had it in the bag,” said Ron Artest(notes), charged with defending Durant most of the game. “In this game, especially, you’ve got to respect the possessions. … You really can’t take it for granted.”

Fans wearing free blue “Rise Together” T-shirts were standing even 15 minutes before the game to chant “Beat L.A.!” and rose to their feet again when the Thunder brought out a new pregame video that showed key moments from Oklahoma City’s time in the NBA.

It was billed as the biggest sports day in the city’s history, with three Oklahoma players taken among the top four picks in the NFL draft on the same night as the first home playoff game for the Thunder or the New Orleans Hornets — who were displaced to the Ford Center for two seasons following Hurricane Katrina.

And it came on the 121st anniversary of the date the state, which was formerly American Indian territory, was first settled in a land run.

All that didn’t seem to bother the defending NBA champions.

They kept the fans standing—and waiting for the Thunder’s first basket— until coach Scott Brooks burned a timeout 2:34 into the game with his team already down 10-0. Los Angeles made its first seven shots, taking advantage of three early Thunder turnovers and the 7-foot Bynum’s size advantage inside with a series of lobs.

“I was actually disappointed in the crowd because all year long I thought they were the best crowd. They just gave us so much energy and were so loud throughout the year,” Brooks said. “But now, I realize they were sandbagging.”

vs(From the Associated Press) - —Jason Richardson(notes) kept finding himself alone behind the 3-point line, so he obliged.

Richardson made eight 3-pointers and finished with playoff career-high 42 points Thursday night in the Suns’ 108-89 victory over the Trail Blazers, which gave Phoenix a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series.
PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 22: Martell Webster(notes) #23 of the Portland Trail Blazers takes a shot against Amar'e Stoudemire(notes) #1 of the Phoenix Suns in Game Three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2010 NBA Playoffs on April 22, 2010 at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Oregon. 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 Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)
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* 1 of 41
* Pho-Por Gallery

Series at a Glance
Portland vs. Phoenix
Suns lead series 2-1

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

Sat, Apr 24 - 4:30 pm EDT

TV: TNT, My45
5. Game 5: at PHO

Mon, Apr 26 - 10:30 pm EDT

TV: TNT, FSAZ
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

“I was surprised they kept leaving me,” Richardson said.

Richardson hit his first three late in the first half as the Suns built a lead that would extend to 31 points. He made 13-of-19 shots from the floor.

The secret to Richardson’s success? Portland was occupied with Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash(notes).

“They’ve done a good job of taking Amare’s game away on the rolls, but in order to do that you have to have an extra defender in and we’ve done a good job of swinging the ball and finding Jason,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. “Obviously he’s in a good groove shooting the ball right now.”

Portland mounted a rally in the fourth quarter, closing within 91-80 after Rudy Fernandez(notes) hit three consecutive 3-pointers. But the burst came too late for the Blazers, who suffered a setback when starting forward Nicolas Batum(notes) aggravated a shoulder injury in the first half and did not return.

Phoenix dropped the opening game of the series 105-100 at home but rebounded with a 119-90 victory on Tuesday night. Game 4 is Saturday at Portland.

Home-court advantage meant little for the Blazers. The red-clad Rose Garden fans even booed their team as the players left the court with a 66-37 deficit at the break.

LaMarcus Aldridge(notes) led the Blazers with 17 points. Andre Miller(notes), who scored 31 in Portland’s Game 1 win, was off for the second straight game and finished with just 11. And the home team was dismal from the free throw line, making just 16-of-28 attempts.

Stoudemire had 20 points for the Suns, while Nash finished with 13 points and 10 assists. Richardson ended up the beneficiary.

“I think that is my best game as a pro,” Richardson said. “Nine years in the league, only been to the playoffs twice, so it’s been seven summers at home. Right now I don’t take anything for granted.”

The Suns jumped on Portland early, quickly quieting the sellout crowd. Nash’s left-handed layup midway through the first quarter put Phoenix in front 16-6.

The Blazers were conservative, hampered by early fouls on both Fernandez and Aldridge. It didn’t help when Jerryd Bayless(notes) was hit with a technical, and coach Nate McMillan had to signal his team to calm down.

Richardson hit a 3-pointer and Leandro Barbosa(notes) made a layup to close out the first period with a 34-16 Suns lead.

“Once I hit the first 3, it felt like it opened up the basket for me,” Richardson said.

Richardson, who had 29 points in the Suns’ Game 2 victory, had 21 in the first half alone while the Blazers unsuccessfully used second-year guard Bayless to defend him.

Batum was questionable before the game after hurting his shoulder in the second half of Game 2 when he collided with Nash. But he started—and answered any questions about his shoulder with an early two-handed dunk.

But late in the first half, Batum was fouled under the Blazers basket and appeared to re-injure himself. He quickly retreated to the locker room.

The injury was of concern because Batum, the team’s primary perimeter defender, had surgery on the shoulder just before the opener and missed the first 45 games of the season.

The Blazers are already thin because of injuries. All-Star guard Brandon Roy(notes) tore the meniscus in his right knee and had arthroscopic surgery two days before the playoffs got under way.

“We have lost Nick now. We have to keep going through it,” Aldridge said. “This is our season—we take a step forward, and we take a step back.”

Portland mustered some energy in the second half, closing to 82-67 on Bayless’ 20-foot jumper early in the fourth quarter before Fernandez went on his 3-point flurry.

“Tonight we just seemed tight,” Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. “The first half, we seemed to be a little tight, maybe put some pressure on ourselves. The second half, we won that. We started to play basketball. We started to fight and won both of those quarters. Somehow we have to get that fight, that scrappiness, in the first half.”

Batum’s injury was yet another in a string that have afflicted the Blazers all season. Centers Greg Oden(notes) and Joel Przybilla(notes) needed season-ending knee surgeries and Fernandez had midseason back troubles. Former forward Travis Outlaw(notes), who was traded to the Clippers, sat out for a time with a foot injury.

Roy missed more that a dozen games with a sore hamstring earlier this year before the slight meniscus tear was discovered.

In all, 13 Blazers missed a combined 311 regular-season games, second only to the Warriors this season. Only Miller and forward Martell Webster(notes) played in all 82 games.

NBA Playoffs Results

vs(From the Associated Press) - High-flying Josh Smith dominated on the inside. Joe Johnson stepped up from the outside when the Hawks needed him.

The result: Atlanta has a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series for the first time in 40 years.

Johnson took control in the fourth quarter to finish off a 27-point effort, Smith finished one assist shy of a triple-double and the Hawks ran away from the pesky but outmanned Milwaukee Bucks for a 96-86 victory in the Eastern Conference playoffs Tuesday night.

Smith played as though he’s still upset about being snubbed for the All-Star game, when teammates Johnson and Al Horford were selected but he stayed home. He’s certainly a player capable of taking control of a series in many ways, as he demonstrated with his 21 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, not to mention two blocks and two steals.

“There’s nothing he can’t do on the floor,” Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. “We just have to keep him playing at a high level, keep his head in the game and we’ll be just fine.”

That applies to the team as a whole. Woodson was mindful of last season, when Atlanta blew out Miami in its playoff opener—then lost at home and had to go the full seven games.

This time, the Hawks took care of business on their home court. They’ll head to Milwaukee on Saturday night with a commanding lead, the first time they’ve won the first two in a best-of-seven series since the Western Division semifinals in 1970. That team went on to beat Chicago in five games, but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the division finals.

The current Hawks aren’t taking anything for granted, even though they’ve seemed capable of pulling away any time Milwaukee tries to make a run.

“We’re on edge,” said Horford, who teamed with Smith to give the Hawks a big edge in the lane. “We can’t take them lightly. We know it’s going to be tough up there.”

Again, the Hawks’ balance and size advantage on the inside were just too much for the Bucks, who knew they’d face a huge challenge in this series after 7-foot center Andrew Bogut took a hard fall late in the regular season and was done for the playoffs.

All five Atlanta starters reached double figures for the second game in a row, and the two guys on the inside sure took advantage of Bogut’s absence.

Smith had the crowd on its feet with four thunderous dunks and a couple more above-the-rim lay-ins. Horford was nearly as dominant, scoring 20 points, snatching down 10 rebounds and blocking three shots.

“We understand that we’ve got bigger guys down low,” Smith said. “When we miss a shot, we can usually get the putback or pass to a wide-open (Mike) Bibby or Joe. We want to make it easy for those guys.”

When Smith is really on his game, he fires up the home crowd with his gravity defying plays.

“He’s one of those players that can control the game without calling plays for him,” said John Salmons, who led the Bucks with 21 points.

Johnson took over in the fourth quarter. After Milwaukee had closed to single-digit range, he buried four straight jumpers, the last of them a 3-pointer from the corner after snaring a rocket pass from Smith, pushing the Hawks to an 87-74 lead that essentially finished off the Bucks.

“I felt like we were in a drought,” said Johnson, who scored 10 points in the final period and bolstered his all-around effort with six assists, two blocks and a steal. “I just wanted to be aggressive and make plays.”

Johnson also led the defensive effort against Bucks rookie star Brandon Jennings, who followed up a 34-point performance in Game 1 with just nine points on 3-of-15 shooting.

“All season long he’s been playing point guards, so he’s sort of used to it now,” Woodson said. “And Jennings is a tough cover because he is so quick, and he can shoot the outside shot as well as get to the rim.”

The Bucks head home, hoping to turn things around in the next two games. But they’ve led only three times in the series—never by more than two points—for a total of 1 minute, 32 seconds, looking very much like a team making its first playoff appearance since 2006.

“Our preparations have been great, but we’re having trouble taking it onto the game floor,” coach Scott Skiles said. “We knew it would be interesting to see how we would react in this type of environment. They outplayed us in almost every spot up and down the floor. We’ve got three days to get better.”

Ersan Ilyasova came up big off the bench with 13 points and 15 rebounds, but Jerry Stackhouse was the only other Milwaukee player in double figures with 15 points. The Bucks shot only 41 percent (37 of 90).

The Bucks grabbed their first lead of the series, 4-2, on Luc Mbah a Moute’s putback less than 1 1/2 minutes into the game. But Atlanta looked like it was headed for another first-half blitz, pushing out to 22-12 lead on Marvin Williams’ three-point play.

In Game 1, the Hawks led by 20 in the opening quarter and 22 at halftime.

This time, Milwaukee kept it respectable in the early going, ripping off an 8-0 spurt to get right back in the game. But the Hawks scored the final six points of the period in flamboyant fashion. Smith stole the ball in the defensive end and took off, going all the way to the hoop for a thunderous left-handed jam that brought the crowd to its feet.

After Salmons turned it over, the Hawks were running again. Jamal Crawford missed on an attempted slam, but Smith grabbed the rebound and put it back in while stumbling backward with 2 seconds remaining to put Atlanta ahead 28-20.

Milwaukee got off a quick start in the second quarter, starting with a 12-2 run that gave the visiting team another brief lead, 32-30. Again, the Hawks quickly reclaimed the upper hand, scoring the next six points and leading the rest of the period—though never by more than seven. Johnson finished off the half with a driving layup that sent Atlanta to the locker room with a 52-46 lead.

vs(From the Associated Press) - Even without Kevin Garnett, the Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat.

Easily.

With the good-humored but hard-playing Glen Davis filling in while the Celtics’ emotional leader served a one-game suspension, Boston rolled to a 106-77 victory Tuesday night that Miami coach Erik Spoelstra called “embarrassing.”

It gave the Celtics a 2-0 lead in their playoff series and Davis a chance to reprise the nickname he hung on himself last year when he replaced the injured Garnett—known as the “Big Ticket”—in all 14 playoff games.

“The `Ticket Stub’ came,” Davis said. “Whenever they need the `Ticket Stub,’ he’ll be there.”

Davis had 23 points and eight rebounds, and Ray Allen heated up in the third quarter and scored 25 points. Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 29.

With Garnett serving a suspension for elbowing Quentin Richardson in Game 1, Davis started and went aggressively to the basket to grab missed shots and draw fouls.

“That’s a case of one man impacting the game simply with his effort. I don’t think they ran one play for him,” Spoelstra said. “You cannot let a man’s effort exceed yours. It’s as simple as that.”

The Heat took a 29-25 lead on a dunk by Jermaine O’Neal. But the Celtics used a 44-8 surge over the next 16 1/2 minutes to go ahead 69-37 with 5:38 left in the third quarter, capped by one of Allen’s five 3-pointers in the period.

“Once the ball started moving and we started getting multiple stops, we were off and running,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said.

The Celtics led by 25 to 33 points the rest of the way.

“Once we opened up Glen Davis (offensively), I thought they started to sink in a little bit more and it opened up Ray,” Paul Pierce said.

Game 3 is Friday night in Miami.

“This is an embarrassing loss,” Spoelstra said. “It is one loss. It is not four losses and what we can control right now is getting our minds right and taking care of the most important game on Friday.”

Tempers stayed under control throughout the game, just three days after a skirmish with 40 seconds left in Boston’s 85-76 victory led to Garnett’s suspension without pay and Richardson’s $25,000 fine. Garnett was hovering over Pierce, who had fallen near the Miami bench after hurting his shoulder.

Garnett held off Richardson as he came up from behind. They then exchanged words before the elbow hit the Heat forward in the face.

Garnett wasn’t allowed in TD Garden, but made a prerecorded appearance on the scoreboard above midcourt during a timeout after the Celtics scored 19 straight points to take a 44-29 lead with 2:56 left in the first half.

He encouraged the fans and when the scoreboard followed with a “Let’s Get Loud” message, they raised their voices.

Richardson was booed almost every time he touched the ball.

“We didn’t think that because Kevin was out it was going to be a walk in the park,” Miami’s Udonis Haslem said.

In the opener, the Heat led 61-47 with 7:03 left in the third quarter. Then Boston outscored them 34-10 to go ahead 81-71 with 1:46 to go in the game.

The Celtics started their spurt a lot earlier Tuesday.

“The first game, I thought we gave it away,” Wade said. “This time they took it. I thought they wanted it more than us.”

Trailing by four after O’Neal’s dunk with 10:10 left in the second quarter, Boston got started on a 3-pointer by Michael Finley. It took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Allen.

Then rarely used Shelden Williams, substituting for Davis, hit a field goal. Davis made two straight baskets, Allen connected on another 3-pointer, Pierce sank two free throws and Allen got a layup. Davis followed with two free throws, giving the Celtics 21 straight points.

Miami finally broke through on a 21-foot jumper by Michael Beasley. That made it 46-31 with 2:07 left in the half.

The Celtics have won the last three games they played against the Heat without Garnett. And Davis has proven to be a very capable replacement.

When Garnett missed last year’s playoffs with a knee injury, Davis averaged 15.8 points and 5.6 rebounds before losing in the second round.

“When I stepped out there today and I saw the lineup, I was like, `This is the same lineup we had going into the playoffs last year that pushed Orlando to seven games with Glen out there,”’ Pierce said. “We all know what he’s capable of.”

Garnett had planned to watch the game at the home of team president Danny Ainge.

“I am the `Ticket Stub’ so I kind of know what (Garnett) wanted to happen tonight,” Davis said. “He told me before the game to make sure that I do what I had to do and be physical, be ferocious, and anything is possible.”

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.”