Wall and Nene lead Wizards to series win
NBA: John Wall finished with 24 points, Nene scored 20, and the Washington Wizards beat the Chicago Bulls 75-69 on Tuesday night to clinch their first-round series in five games.
Bradley Beal scored 17 points, and the fifth-seeded Wizards advanced in the postseason for just the third time since the 1970s. They will meet Indiana or Atlanta in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
It’s a huge step for a franchise that hadn’t been to the postseason since 2008, but with Wall and Beal leading the way, they won 44 games during the regular season.
The Wizards turned a halftime tie into a nine-point lead heading into the fourth quarter and hung on down the stretch.
Chicago’s comeback chances took a big hit early in the final quarter when Taj Gibson crumbled to the court clutching his left ankle after he tried to block a layup by Wall with the Wizards up by six points. He had to be helped off the court and did not return.
• Clippers return home for win: Hours after owner Donald Sterling was banned from the NBA for life, the Los Angeles Clippers returned to an energized Staples Center and beat the Golden State Warriors 113-103 to take a 3-2 lead in their first-round playoff series.
DeAndre Jordan had 25 points, a playoff career-high, and 18 rebounds while Chris Paul scored 20 points.
The Clippers were greeted with a standing ovation when they came out for pregame warmups.
Players from both teams wore black socks.
The Clippers are on the brink of just their third playoff series victory since Sterling bought the team in 1981. Game 6 is Thursday night in Oakland.
• Grizzlies edge Thunder in another overtime: Mike Miller scored 21 points and the visiting Memphis Grizzlies held off the Oklahoma City Thunder 100-99 in a record fourth straight overtime game to take a 3-2 lead in the first-round series.
Oklahoma City rebounded a missed 3-point attempt by Miller and called a timeout, trailing 100-99 with 2.9 seconds remaining. Kevin Durant of the Thunder missed a long 3-point attempt and teammate Serge Ibaka tipped the ball in on the rebound. The shot was reviewed and it was determined that it was released after the buzzer, ending the game.
Zach Randolph added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who will host Game 6 on Thursday.
Russell Westbrook had 30 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds for the Thunder.
• Blair suspended: Dallas Mavericks center Dejuan Blair has been suspended for Game 5 of the first-round series against San Antonio for kicking the Spurs’ Tiago Splitter in the head.
Blair and Splitter got tangled up and fell to the court in the fourth quarter of San Antonio’s 93-89 victory in Dallas on Monday night. After the whistle blew, signaling a foul on Blair, he kicked his former teammate with his left foot.
Spurs guard Tony Parker has a mild left ankle sprain and will be re-evaluated tonight before Game 5.
Simmonds’ hat trick leads Philadelphia
NHL: Wayne Simmonds scored three goals and Steve Mason stopped 34 shots to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 5-2 win over the visiting New York Rangers, forcing a decisive Game 7 of their Eastern Conference playoff series.
There’s little time for rest, too. The Flyers and Rangers play again tonight at Madison Square Garden.
Simmonds scored in the first period and twice more in the second for his first career postseason hat trick. Mason survived a busy first period and stopped 31 straight shots until Carl Hagelin scored late in the third. Mats Zuccarello also scored for New York in the final minute.
• Finalists announced The Los Angeles Kings’ Dustin Brown, Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf and Chicago’s Jonathan Toews are finalists for the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award.
The winner will be announced June 24 in Las Vegas during the NHL Awards show.
• Panthers fire Horachek: The Florida Panthers have parted ways with interim coach Peter Horachek.
Panthers general manager Dale Tallon made the announcement, saying the dismissal was effective immediately. Horachek replaced Kevin Dineen as Panthers’ coach on Nov. 8, and Florida went 26-36-4 under him.
Real Madrid moves to Champions final
Soccer: Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo scored two goals apiece, and Real Madrid advanced to the Champions League final by beating defending champion Bayern Munich 4-0.
Madrid completed a 5-0 total goals victory and will now play Chelsea or Atletico Madrid in the May 24 final in Lisbon.
Madrid had never won in Munich in 10 previous matches, losing nine of them. This time, however, Carlo Ancelotti’s team put its stamp on the game early in an overwhelmingly display.