The Washington Wizards displayed a dominating performance to beat the Chicago Bulls 98-89 in the fourth game of their NBA Eastern Conference playoff series. Wizards are now just one win away from the next round, with the win giving them a 3-1 lead in the seven-game series.
Washington played without Nene, who was suspended for grabbing Jimmy Butler by the neck in the previous game. Trevor Ariza led Washington's attack, scoring 30 points, while John Wall finished with 15 points and 10 assists.
Wizards scored the first 14 points of the game and built a solid 15-point lead by the end of the second quarter, which was further extended to 24 in the fourth. Bulls tried a late comeback in the game, but Washington defended well to keep them at bay.
Taj Gibson was the standout performer for the Bulls, finishing with a career-high 32 points, but on the other hand Joakim Noah had a quiet game with 10 points and 15 rebounds.
In the second game of the day, the Golden State Warriors registered a thumping 118-97 win over the troubled Los Angeles Clippers in the fourth game of the playoff series. Stephen Curry led the Warriors' charge and scored 33 points as Golden State evened the series at 2-2.
The Warriors controlled the game from the start and at one point built a 23-point lead. LA tried to crawl back into the game and cut the lead to 11 points, but a 7-0 run by Warriors at the end put an end to any comeback hopes.
In the third game of the day, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry helped the Toronto Raptors top the Brooklyn Nets 87-79 to even their postseason series at two games apiece. Raptors handled the final quarter well compared to the last game to seal the encounter.
Toronto started the game strongly and built a solid lead by the end of the first quarter. Nets rallied back in the next two as both teams were tied at 67 points entering the final quarter. The fourth quarter remained tight in the initial stages before a final run gave the Raptors the edge.
Paul Pierce put Brooklyn in the lead early in the fourth quarter, but Toronto responded with a brilliant 14-2 run to wrap up the game. Amir Johnson scored 17 points and helped Toronto shut down the Nets in the last five minutes.
"That's just us, man," DeRozan said. "We're definitely resilient. We're never going to give up until the game's over."
In the final game of the day, Portland Trail Blazers prevailed over the Houston Rockets 123-120 in overtime to take a crucial 3-1 lead in the playoffs. It was the third game of the series that went into overtime.
Portland rallied in the fourth quarter after trailing by 11 points. With just 18.9 seconds left on the clock, Mo Williams put Blazers in front with a three-pointer. Dorell Wright later made it 106-104, but James Harden tied the game with just 3.6 seconds left.
Williams missed a three-pointer for the Blazers which took the game into the overtime, but Portland got the better of Houston to register a hard-fought victory.
Harden finished with 28 points, while Dwight Howard had 25 points and 14 rebounds for the Rockets. Aldridge scored 29 points and 10 rebounds, whereas Nicolas Batum had 25 points in Blazers' first home win of the postseason since 2000.
Catch highlights of Washington Wizards v Chicago Bulls HERE.
Catch highlights of Golden State Warriors v Los Angeles Clippers HERE.
Catch highlights of Toronto Raptors v Brooklyn Nets HERE.
Catch highlights of Portland Trail Blazers v Houston Rockets HERE.
