NBA wRap: Nets, Bucks stay alive; Dubs, Griz dominate

MANILA, Philippines – The Brooklyn Nets stayed alive against the Atlanta Hawks, and so did the Milwaukee Bucks with the Chicago Bulls. Out west, the Golden State Warriors eliminated the New Orleans Pelicans and the Memphis Grizzlies put the Portland Trail Blazers on the brink of their summer vacation.

Brooklyn Nets 91 – 83 Atlanta Hawks

It took them seven tries, but the Brooklyn Nets finally won a game against the Atlanta Hawks this season. Brook Lopez had 22 points, Thad Young had 18, and Bojan Bogdanovic put up 19. But the real reason the Nets was won was due to their defense – they held Atlanta scoreless for nearly 5 minutes in the third quarter, helping Brookyn go on an 18-0 run.

Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 18 points and 17 rebounds. Kyle Korever and Al Horford struggled, combining for 4-of-20 shooting.

Brooklyn made it a 2-1 series. They’ll need a lot of luck to tie it at 2-2 – seeing as the Hawks missed tons of uncontested shots – but more ball movement like this, and it could just happen:

Other highlights:

Milwaukee Bucks 92 – 90 Chicago Bulls

Game four went down the wire, and when the Bucks needed a savior to help them fight another day and take the series back to Chicago, Jeryd Bayless delivered with a game-winner – thanks to some bad defense by Derrick Rose.

Kudos to Rose, who after the game took the blame for the basket. He did help Chicago erase a late 6-point deficit, but finished with just 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting.

OJ Mayo led the Bucks with 18 points while Bayless put up 10.

Jimmy Butler continues his ascend as one of the NBA’s bright young stars. The future of the Bulls franchise recorded 33 points and 7 rebounds, and also had a number of highlights:

Milwaukee-Chicago fight part II:

Golden State Warriors 109 – 98 New Orleans Pelicans

The Warriors played no games in game four, jumping off to a 13 point lead at the half and extending it to 21 by the end of three periods. New Orleans rallied in the fourth, but by the end of the contest the Warriors won by 11 and sealed the series in a sweep.

Steph Curry added another strong case to his MVP chances with a 39-point, 9-assist, 8-rebound performance. Draymond Green was superb as well: 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists. And Anthony Davis? 36 points and 11 rebounds. His growth as one of the NBA’s best players took a major turn for the better in his first playoff series with these numbers:

Anthony Davis in his first postseason: 30 ppg, 11 rpg, 3 bpg, 2.1 apg, 1.5 spg, 53% FG, 89% FT #Future

— Chris Palmer (@ChrisPalmerNBA) April 26, 2015

Steve Kerr on A.D.: "The guy will be the MVP within in the next few years, I think."

— Jeff Duncan (@JeffDuncan_) April 26, 2015

Davis’ time will come. But right now, it’s Steph’s turn to try and take over the West.

I propose a new nickname: Steph All Mighty:

Memphis Grizzlies 115 – 109 Portland Trail Blazers

Memphis jumped off to an early lead and was ahead by double-digits for most of the game. Whenever Portland looked like they would rally and trim the deficit, bringing it down to 10 or 8, Memphis would always have an answer by getting to the foul line or making a critical shot.

With under six minutes left in the game, the Grizzlies were ahead 94-82 and looked like they had the win in bag. But thanks to timely baskets by Nic Batum and Arron Afllalo, the Blazers went on a 9-0 run to get within 3.

With the crowd up on their feet, Portland needed a stop to prolong their comeback rally. But Memphis answered with a 6-0 run – 4 coming from Tony Allen, and free throws by Zach Randolph to extend the lead to 9 with under two minutes left. Both teams exchanged baskets and free throws after, but the contest was already decided.

Marc Gasol had 25 points and 7 rebounds for Memphis, who lost Mike Conley in the second half after he took an elbow to the face. The Griz now lead the series 3-0.

Update: Mike Conley is done for the night. He’s going to a local medical facility for further review. Mike’s left eye is swollen

— Rob Fischer (@thefishnation) April 26, 2015

Portland was led by Batum’s 27 points. Damian Lillard had 22.

Tidbit: There were reports that surfaced LaMarcus Aldridge would leave Portland when he becomes a free agent this summer, with the Spurs being a strong suitor. When asked about it, this is what Aldridge said:

Chris Broussard on ESPN: "I asked Aldridge if Portland is his first choice, and he smiled and said, ‘We’ll see.’ Not a ringing endorsement."

— Evans Clinchy (@evansclinchy) April 26, 2015

Highlights:

Jeff Green cuts through the lane for the CIRCUS shot on @ESPN! #NBARapidReplay #NBAPlayoffs http://t.co/eJnDR5xpg4

— NBA (@NBA) April 26, 2015

#VideoGameDame attacks the lane with AUTHORITY on @ESPN! #NBARapidReplay #RipCity http://t.co/l7twPt6GSx

— NBA (@NBA) April 26, 2015

– Rappler.com