NBA Playoffs 2013: Bulls survive Nets in triple OT; Thunder take commanding lead over Rockets

Harden can do it, as he’s proven all season. Only two of his nine made field goals were assisted, and he provided six assists for his buddies with only two turnovers. Parsons took advantage of those assists and shot well (8-12), and had seven assists of his own. But he also had five turnovers.

This isn’t to say the turnover result would have been different with a healthy Lin (who didn’t play in the fourth); Lin is particularly turnover prone himself. But having someone to handle the ball and initiate the offense comfortable when buckets get tight is important. Despite spending a whole lot of money on the position last July, Houston doesn’t have that right now. It’s costing them a chance to win a game or two in this series. And seriously, if Lin can’t offer more than he did in Game 3 while injured, he shouldn’t be playing injured. Aaron Brooks, who got nine minutes in Game 3, hasn’t been very productive for Houston this time around. But he can at least play freely, which an injured Lin cannot.

The Thunder started the game strong, out-scoring Houston 39-19 in the first quarter and taking a 17-point lead into the half. Houston had a strong third quarter, holding Oklahoma City to just 14 points to get back into the game, but the Thunder held on late.

• Russell Westbrook’s injury turns playoffs upside down

When Lin didn’t come out for the second half, having decided he could no longer play, the Rockets truly looked sunk, but some lockdown defense brought them back into the game. They limited the Thunder to 5-of-25 shooting in the third quarter and cut the OKC lead to four by the end of the period.

• Russell Westbrook’s injury turns playoffs upside down

When he’s got a running start like that, you best get out of the way.

Here’s your poster, Omer:

The Hawks controlled the game from the opening tip. They went on a 18-0 run midway through the first half and never looked back, taking a 24-point advantage into the half. Atlanta held the Pacers to just 27 percent from the floor, one of the worst marks in recent playoff history.

It seems Teague will be fine moving forward, although it will be a storyline to keep an eye on in the coming days.

Late in the first quarter, the Hawks used an 18-0 run to take a commanding lead over Indiana. The Pacers went five minutes without a bucket, often turning the ball over or settling for poor shots. As a team, they shot just 23 percent from the floor and went 3-for-12 from behind the three-point arc.

Prior to Game 3, Jason Patt asked a couple of key questions about the game.

And while the play got reviewed, West took his frustration out on some gum:

Poor, poor gum.

Heading back to L.A. for Game 5, the series is now tied 2-2.

Memphis came out strong in front of their own fans, expanding its lead to as many as 12 points in the first quarter before letting the Clippers crawl back into things. Hot shooting from the field powered the early effort, as Memphis made 54 percent of its attempts in the first quarter to hold a 33-25 advantage.

The Bulls appeared to take control in the second overtime period, going up by four points on a Noah dunk with just over a minute left. Robinson fouled out as the Nets quickly erased the lead, but both teams missed chances to win on their final possessions of the period.

Williams had 32 points to lead the Nets, but he only managed one basket over the three overtime periods. Johnson — also fighting plantar fasciiits like Noah — finished with 22 points on 10-of-20 shooting, while Lopez had 26 points and 11 rebounds. Brooklyn got some unexpected offensive contributions from Wallace and Evans, with Wallace scoring 17 points and Evans pouring in a playoff career-high 15 points. But it would not be enough to avoid a devastating loss, and despite playing much better offensively, the Nets now find themselves on the brink of elimination.

Soak it up. Enjoy it. Go to Disney World. Whatever you want to do, you can.

How will Westbrook’s injury affect Durant?

There’s a faction of people who think Westbrook’s injury could be good for Durant, as now he will have the ball in his hands more. And Prada notes that the Thunder have outscored opponents by 13.4 points per 100 possessions in 523 minutes this year when Durant was on the court and Westbrook was on the bench. But things are different in the postseason, and with no Westbrook around, the Rockets will likely focus more of their attention on Durant.

Will the Rockets’ guards take advantage of Westbrook’s absence?

Here were three key questions facing the teams heading into this game:

Williams got off to a really rough start, with Hinrich continuing to hassle him into tough shots and a couple of turnovers. But Williams started to heat up as the half wore on, going into the break with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go along with seven assists.