MAVERICKS 121, ROCKETS 109 -- ROCKETS LEAD SERIES 3-1
: With the chance to close out the Mavericks and advance to the second round, the Houston Rockets started Game 4 by pounding Dallas in the paint. Houston went 12-of-14 inside in the paint to score 24 points of their 34 first quarter points. The Rockets built a 12-point lead and with Howard dunking easily, it looked like Houston would just cruise to victory.
But thanks to the play of J.J. Barera (17 PTS, 7-15 FG, 2-6 3PT, 13 AST), the Mavs went on a 22-7 with 3:27 left in the half to take a five-point lead. Dallas also kicked up their defensive effort in the second quarter and held Houston to 19 points.
The Mavs kept their foot on the gas in the third quarter. Monta Ellis took over in the third, scoring on a series of highlights and with the Rockets not scoring for over nine minutes in the third, the Mavs built a 20-point lead.
Monta Ellis cooks the defense with a slick spin move for the layup! #NBARapidReplay http://t.co/V0zbGIbJuu
— NBA (@NBA) April 27, 2015
Dallas kept up their frenetic energy in the fourth quarter to maintain their lead but then Josh Smith (23 PTS, 8-10 FG, 4-5 3PT, 6 REB) started to drain three-pointer and after three-pointer. That is not a typo. With the game seemingly over, Smith made four three-pointers to get the Rockets within nine. But plays from Ellis (31 PTS, 13-21 FG, 2-6 3PT, 6 REB) and Dirk Nowitzki (16 PTS, 7-14 FG, 8 REB) guaranteed the victory for Dallas.
NO THREE FOR YOU
: The Rockets rely heavily on the three-point shot but in Game 4, their three-point attempts were just not falling (7-31 3PT).
AMINU ACID: Rick Carlisle put Al-Farouq Aminu into the starting lineup and his defensive intensity hounded James Harden (24 PTS, 7-15 FG, 1-7 3PT) all game. Aminu had a solid all around game finishing with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
WIZARDS 125, RAPTORS 94 -- WIZARDS SWEEP SERIES 4-0: In Game 4, the Wizards cast the dreaded Aada Kedavra spell on the Raptors to sweep the season series.
With their season on the line, the Raptors didn’t put up much of a fight as the Wizards blew them out in dominating fashion. After the first quarter, Washington was up by 14 and with 4:40 left in the second, the Wizards were up by 20. With the score 102-70 after the third quarter, the game should’ve mercifully ended.
The Wizards got big performances from Marcin Gortat (21 PTS, 8-9 FG, 11 REB), John Wall (14 PTS, 10 AST) and Bradley Beal (23 PTS, 5-15 FG, 3-6 3PT, 10-11 FT). Washington now heads to the second round for the second straight year.
THREE PARTY: The Wizards were deadly from behind the arc, making 14 three-pointers. Beal even made this wild three that went in right as the shot clock buzzer sounded.
K-LOW: Kyle Lowry probably wishes that the game never happened. He scored 21 points to lead the Raptors but was in foul trouble for the majority of the game, turned the ball over six times and even got a technical foul for forcibly passing the ball to an official.
How would Lowry sum up this series? "There are not many words you can say on TV without them being four letter words"
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 27, 2015
CLIPPERS 114, SPURS 105 -- SERIES TIED 2-2 
: The Los Angeles Clippers did what they needed to do. They looked nothing like they did in their blowout loss in Game 3, and their stars showed up in a big way in the most important game of their season. Chris Paul was his usual dominant self, with 34 points and seven assists, shooting 10-for-19 from the field. Blake Griffin had 20 points, 19 boards and seven assists.
The Spurs just couldn't get the stops they needed. Kawhi Leonard was great, with a 26-7-5 line and two late 3-pointers that kept San Antonio alive. Tim Duncan? 22-14-3-2-3. They needed more from their role players, though, and couldn't get going from deep.
In the fourth quarter, Paul had 10 points and Jamal Crawford added nine. The Clips also got production from a secret weapon ...
WHERE DID THIS COME FROM, AUSTIN RIVERS?: Austin Rivers came out of nowhere and off the bench to score 17 points in 16 minutes, shooting 7-for-8 from the field. The Spurs couldn't keep him out of the paint, and he finished when he got there. Who in the world saw this coming?
WHAT'S UP WITH DANNY GREEN?
: Danny Green hasn't had a big game yet in the playoffs, and he looked extremely uncomfortable n Game 4. He missed all six of his field goal attempts, all from deep, and didn't get to the line. The Clippers are doing a great on him and he'll stay on the floor because of his defense, but San Antonio needs more.
ALLEY-OOP OF THE NIGHT: DeAndre Jordan (6 PTS, 14 REB, 4 BLK) didn't have a great offensive night, but he had one big moment. He's one of the best alley-oop finishers in the league, and his teammates know they need to look for him. Jamal Crawford found him in the first quarter:
CAVALIERS 101, CELTICS 93
: The Celtics never die. They trailed by as many as 21, but they fought back and made it a six-point game with 30 seconds left. This is the type of team they've been all season, and they made this series competitive and entertaining despite it being a sweep. LeBron James had a 27-10-8 night in the win.
The story of this game was that things got contentious. Jae Crowder had said leading up to this that the Cavs didn't intimidate him, and that this was going to be physical. He was right on the second point. It started in the first quarter, when Kevin Love separated his shoulder after getting tied up with Kelly Olynyk. Love said afterward that it was definitely intentional and the league should punish Olynyk. Evan Turner said that it couldn't have been done on purpose because, even in practice, Olynyk "can't box out to save his life."
Things escalated in the second quarter when Kendrick Perkins came in -- shocking, I know. Perkins set a brutal screen on Crowder, then got in his face and threw either a punch or a non-punch at him, depending on your perspective.
In the third, Cleveland guard J.R. Smith swung his arm wildly at Crowder while they were both battling for position, and it connected with his face. Crowder fell to the ground awkwardly, spraining his knee. Not awesome.
BRAD STEVENS, BE MY LIFE COACH?Brad Stevens, in his second year, is somehow already one of the best coaches in the league. He's also maybe the very best wired-for-sound guy. Early on, he was upset that Boston wasn't grabbing defensive rebounds.
Later, he got philosophical.
I'd love him to coach me in my day-to-day life.
BUT YEAH, LEBRON WAS/IS GREAT: At times in the first round, James has looked a bit lackadaisical, losing focus on defense and settling for contested jumpers. That is purely picking nits, though, as he's taken complete control when he needed to. He played 46 minutes in this close-out game, and his series averages are what you'd expect for the best player on the planet: 27 points, nine rebounds, 6.5 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.
