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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In brief: Wizards pull off OT victory for 2-0 lead

Wizards John Wall and Bradley Beal celebrate 101-99 win as Bulls’ Kirk Hinrich walks off the court after missing two free throws. (Associated Press)
From Staff And Wire Reports

NBA: Bradley Beal came on strong late in regulation to finish with 26 points, Nene scored six of his 17 in overtime and the Washington Wizards beat the host Chicago Bulls 101-99 Tuesday to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.

Washington rallied from 10 down in the fourth quarter after blowing a 17-point first-quarter lead.

Nene scored the first six points in overtime after being held in check by Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah in regulation, and the Wizards hung on after Kirk Hinrich failed to convert at the foul line in the closing seconds.

Noah had just hit two free throws when Beal missed a jumper with 18 seconds left. Jimmy Butler got the rebound and Chicago called time.

Hinrich, a 76-percent free-throw shooter this season, had a chance to tie it after getting fouled by Nene on a drive with 2.4 seconds left. But his first attempt hit the rim. He deliberately missed the second, and Trevor Ariza grabbed the rebound to seal the win for Washington.

D.J. Augustin led Chicago with 25 points. Taj Gibson had 22 points and 10 rebounds. Noah added 20 points and 12 boards, but the Bulls will have to dig themselves out of a huge hole after dropping two at home.

George, Hill lead Pacers: Paul George scored 27 points and George Hill had all 15 of his points in the second half, leading the Indiana Pacers to a 101-85 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.

The Pacers and Hawks are tied at a game apiece heading into Game 3 in Atlanta on Thursday.

George was especially effective even though he spent much of the night defending Hawks point guard Jeff Teague, who had 14 points. Paul Millsap finished with 19 for Atlanta.

The first 24 minutes looked like an exact duplicate of Game 1, but the Pacers pulled away with a 31-13 burst in the third quarter.

DeRozan helps Raptors even series: DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 15 points and 14 rebounds for his second straight playoff double-double and the Toronto Raptors beat the visiting Brooklyn Nets 100-95, evening their first-round playoff series at one game apiece.

Amir Johnson scored 16 points and Kyle Lowry had 14 as the Raptors rebounded from a 94-87 loss in Game 1. It was Valanciunas’ second straight playoff double-double.

Joe Johnson scored 18 points, Deron Williams had 15 and Mirza Teletovic 14 for the Nets.

Hampered by foul trouble throughout the game, Brooklyn’s Paul Pierce went 2 for 11 from the field, including 0 for 6 from 3-point range. He finished with seven points.

Warriors buy land for new arena: The Golden State Warriors have agreed to terms to buy 12 acres of land in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood to build a new arena.

The proposed arena will hold about 18,000 seats. The Warriors say it will be privately financed on private land near the San Francisco Giants’ ballpark.

Golden State is targeting the 2018-19 season to open the arena.

Canadiens win 4-3 for series sweep

NHL: Max Pacioretty lifted the Montreal Canadiens into the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a power-play goal with 43 seconds remaining for a 4-3 victory and a four-game sweep of the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning.

Ondrej Palat had a goal and an assist for Tampa Bay. Victor Hedman pulled the Lightning within one goal three minutes into the third period, and former Spokane Chief Tyler Johnson tied the game three minutes later.

Rask posts shutout for Bruins: Tuukka Rask finished with a 23-save shutout to give the visiting Boston Bruins a 3-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings for a 2-1 playoff series lead.

Dougie Hamilton and Jordan Caron scored in the first period, and Patrice Bergeron added an empty-net goal late in the game. The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Bruins are ahead for the first time in the opening-round series. And, it seems like a commanding lead the way Boston has played the past two games.

Ramgers take series lead: Derek Stepan, Martin St. Louis, Dan Girardi and Dan Carcillo scored goals, leading the visiting New York Rangers past Philadelphia 4-1.

Henrik Lundqvist stopped 31 shots to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Marleau hits game-winner in OT: Patrick Marleau scored on a backhand 6:20 into overtime, and the visiting San Jose Sharks moved to the brink of the second round with a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings to take a 3-0 first-round series lead.

Cheerleaders suing Bills for back wages

NFL: Five former Buffalo Bills cheerleaders are suing the team, saying they weren’t paid for their time at games or mandatory public appearances that left them open to groping and sexual comments.

Two members of the Buffalo Jills squad held a news conference with their attorney. They say they were wrongly classified as independent contractors by Stejon Productions, which manages the Jills and failed to pay them for hundreds of hours of work.

Their lawsuit seeks back pay and “other damages as allowed by law.”

McClain retires again: The Baltimore Ravens have put middle linebacker Rolando McClain on the reserve-retired list for a second time.

McClain retired last year, but recently announced his intent to return to the NFL. After being reinstated by the Ravens last week, McClain abruptly said he was retiring for good.

Injured ex- Jags linebacker ends career: Former Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Russell Allen is retiring after suffering a concussion and a stroke in a game last December.

The Jaguars released Allen last week. Allen tells MMQB he has struggled to pick up and grip hand-held objects and will be on blood-thinning medication for the rest of his life.

Manchester United manager resigns

Soccer: Manchester United says manager David Moyes has left the Premier League club after less than a year in charge, amid heavy speculation he was about to be fired.

United is seventh in the league, a season after winning its 20th championship by 11 points, and on course for its lowest league finish since 1990.

Chelsea, Atletico Madrid tie: Chelsea capitalized on its defensive strategy, playing to a 0-0 draw with Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal.

The return leg is at Stamford Bridge on April 30. The winner plays Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the final.