After all of that, the L.A. Clippers may have lost home court advantage in the first round with a loss to the Knicks. In other action, Kevin Durant extended his gap over Kobe Bryant for the NBA scoring title.
Clippers Vs. Knicks: Without Chris Paul, Clippers Fall in New York
Apr. 25, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) and Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin (32) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 99-93. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE In the end, though, it was no choice at all. A healthy Chris Paul in the playoffs is much more important to the Clippers than home court advantage, and so the team decided to rest its team leader. Without Paul, the team struggled in the half-court offense and lost to the Knicks, 99-93.
The Knicks led most of the way, building an 11-point lead in the second quarter, but the Clippers would battle back to make it a game. Then the game really seemed to get away from L.A. when New York opened the fourth quarter on a 16-6 run to establish its biggest lead of the evening at 18.
Read Article >Nuggets Vs. Thunder: Kevin Durant Pushes Lead For NBA Scoring Title, Denver Pushes Lead For No. 6 Seed
PresswireThe No. 22 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft ran the court enthusiasm, fought hard for every inch of rebounding position and even sprinkled in a couple first-quarter jumpers on his way to a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double. He also sparked a 17-11 advantage on the offensive glass by grabbing six of his own, which helped the Nuggets overcome the shooting disparities across the board. Even so, Thunder TV play-by-play man Brian Davis still had it exactly correct when he noted that Faried “shoots free throws like he doesn’t have opposable thumbs.” He finished the game 1-7 from the line, which was the only blemish on in his box score section.
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Read Article >Bulls Vs. Pacers: Chicago Holds Grip On Best Record, Beats Indiana 92-87
Apr 25, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) brings the ball upcourt against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE But Stephenson was also tasked with chasing around Korver, who rang up a team-high of his own, with 20 points. Korver consistently hung Stephenson up on screens and Rose calmly found him three times in the fourth quarter, an 11-point effort that helped dilute Stephenson’s own 12-point quarter and keep the Pacers at arms length before closing out the game.
The easy synergy in the Bulls lineup, as shown by a quick 32-24 first-quarter start, 27 assists for the game, the crisp screen setting to set Korver free and Rose’s perfect anticipation and delivery of the ball, was in spite of the fact that, while the Bulls had their preferred starting lineup and rotation in tact, it was only the 15th game all season that lineup had been able to play together.
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