SB Nation

SB Nation NBA Staff | April 23, 2014

NBA Playoff scores, results and highlights from Tuesday's action

The Wizards do it again

The young Washington Wizards were supposed to roll over against the battle-tested Chicago Bulls in the first round. Instead, they've withstood the challenge, seen their young players grow up and stunningly have a 2-0 series lead.

Atlanta Hawks Recap
85 - 101 Series tied 1-1
Indiana Pacers RECAP
Brooklyn Nets RECAP
95 - 100 Series tied 1-1
Toronto Raptors RECAP
Washington Wizards Recap
101 - 99 2-0 WAS
Chicago Bulls Recap
5 things to know
  • Nobody believes in the Wiz
    As everyone else in the Eastern Conference ran away from the Bulls in the season's final weeks, the Wizards surged straight towards them. Internally, the Wizards respected Chicago's pedigree, but felt they matched up well with them. They put far more weight in the two victories they picked up in January with Nene healthy than the April blowout loss they absorbed with Nene out.

    But a 2-0 series lead? That has to be a stunner even for them. Yet here we are, in a world where the battle-tested Bulls have no answer for a green backcourt that grew up in a hurry and an overlooked frontcourt that has just as much tenacity as Chicago's does.

    The Bulls pulled out all the tricks in Game 2. They clutched and grabbed after falling way behind and got away with it. They jammed Wizards cutters and hounded John Wall and Bradley Beal with their vaunted defense. This was the moment where the Wizards should have folded.

    Instead, Wall and Beal led a comeback, Trevor Booker provided a jolt of energy and Trevor Ariza locked down D.J. Augustin, who had been killing the Wizards all night. They absorbed Chicago's punch, responded, and suddenly the Bulls had nothing left. Things got interesting late, but Kirk Hinrich's missed free throw was fitting. The Wizards deserved this game, and now, they're amazingly just two games away from a second-round date with a shaky top seed in the Pacers or a No. 8 seed. -Mike Prada
  • Chicago tired
    The Bulls were playing into the narrative one offensive rebound at a time in the third quarter, racking up hustle points to erase what was once a 17-point Wizards lead. D.J. Augustin was shooting the lights out, Taj Gibson was dominant inside and the Bulls were finding a way to score just often enough to hold a seven-point lead with just under six minutes remaining.

    What followed looked eerily similar to how Chicago lost in Game 1. The Bulls went cold offensively, going scoreless for almost eight minutes between the fourth quarter and overtime. Chicago gave itself a chance to win at the end after Augustin drew a controversial offensive foul, but the Bulls were denied by their faulty shooting one last time in the end. Kirk Hinrich got to the foul line on a busted possession, but he missed his first once he got there and that was that.

    It was a fitting ending for a game the Bulls needed to have that they let slip away. The Nets seemingly tanked on the last day of the regular season to avoid these Bulls, but the Wizards are liking their matchup just fine right now. -Ricky O'Donnell
  • Toronto's heartbeat
    Kyle Lowry was having a miserable game when he checked back in midway through the fourth quarter, which was unfortunate because the Raptors’ season was basically hanging on the outcome. He wasted no time changing everything. Lowry hit a runner, then drew an offensive foul before sinking two free throws and forcing yet another turnover.

    DeMar DeRozan will get many of the accolades -- and deservedly so -- after scoring 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and hitting tough shots and clutch free throws. But it was Lowry who changed the flow of the game and scored maybe the biggest bucket after he sliced through the Nets defense to put Toronto ahead, 91-87.

    That’s been Lowry’s lot in life this season. His forceful brilliance has often been overshadowed by DeRozan’s scoring binges. But for all the talk in this series about Brooklyn’s experience and veteran know-how, Lowry reminded everyone that he’s one of the toughest pound-for-pound dudes in the league -Paul Flannery
  • (Finally) setting the pace
    Indiana looked like they were on their way to yet another disappointing loss on Tuesday night. Atlanta dominated the first half, with Mike Scott, Pero Antic and Paul Millsap abusing the slower, bigger Pacers from the three-point line on Tuesday night. The Hawks looked true to form, much as they have all season against the Pacers and as they did when they stole Game 1 in Indianapolis on Sunday.

    But finally, the Pacers finally flipped a switch. Maybe it was the home crowd. Maybe they were tired of getting beat by Lou Williams. Maybe it was Frank Vogel's decision to attack Jeff Teague with George Hill. Whatever it was, the Pacers came out of the gates on fire, looking like the defensive stalwarts of old while forcing Atlanta to shoot just 25 percent in the third quarter. Indiana's offense kicked into high gear, with Hill scoring 10 points in 12 minutes on the way to a 31-point explosion that sealed the game for the No. 1 seed in the East.

    It was the first time in a while that the Pacers looked the way they did back in December. The rest of the Eastern Conference better be on guard. -Dane Carbaugh
  • Toronto's three musketeers
    Here are some facts about Canada: There are three people from Canada. All three people from Canada are mayors of Toronto. Two of them were at Air Canada Centre Monday night. Toronto mayor Rob Ford, swaddled in a red Raptors warm-up muumuu, sat high up in the stands among the common folk. Toronto mayor Drake lurked courtside, thoroughly enthralled by the action save for the moment a stray eyelash on his pant leg demanded ten seconds of vigorous lint-rolling. (GIF via @BenGolliver)

    The presence of two Toronto mayors was enough to boost the Raptors to a crucial Game 2 win. Now, the series moves to Brooklyn, where the Raps will need more spiritual force behind them. Toronto mayor Justin Bieber has to join in. Drake, Ford, and Bieber have never been in the same place at the same time because their combined force would alter the planet's gravitational field, but it's time. The Raptors need them in Brooklyn.

    [Cut to montage of the Three Toronto Mayors stowing away in a southbound train, Citi-biking across the Brooklyn Bridge, sharing a huge piece of cheesecake, then celebrating hand in hand as the Raptors win Game 3, 200-0] -Seth Rosenthal
Tonight's Schedule
Charlotte Bobcats vs. Miami Heat Miami leads 1-0 | 7 p.m., TNT American Airlines Arena, Miami, Fl.
Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs San Antonio leads 1-0 | 8 p.m., NBATV AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Houston Rockets Portland leads 1-0 | 9:30 p.m., TNT Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

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