Nba Playoffs | featured news

Kobe Bryant scored 22 of his 24 points in the first three quarters, then let his Lakers teammates take over in a dominant 98-80 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Thursday night that wrapped up the series for Los Angeles in six games.

Dirk Nowitzki had 33 points and 11 rebounds, and the Dallas Mavericks withstood a furious Portland comeback to beat the Trail Blazers 103-96 Thursday night and take the first-round playoff series in six games.

A new season. A much different result. The Atlanta Hawks are moving on in the playoffs, knocking out the team that beat them so badly a year ago.Joe Johnson scored 23 points and came up with a huge offensive rebound, leading Atlanta past Orlando 84-81 in Game 6 Thursday night to finish off the Magic in the opening round.

Kevin Durant matched his best playoff performance with 41 points, including the final nine for Oklahoma City, and the Thunder closed out their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets with a 100-97 victory in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

Gary Neal caught an inbounds pass with 1.7 seconds left and forced overtime with a 3-point heave as time expired, and the San Antonio Spurs staved off elimination by stunning the Memphis Grizzlies 110-103 on Wednesday night.

Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, Chris Bosh added 22 points and 11 rebounds, and the Miami Heat advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals by topping Philadelphia 97-91 on Wednesday night and ousting the 76ers in five games.

Kobe Bryant shrugged off his ankle injury, becoming a dominant force as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New Orleans Hornets on Tuesday to take a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series.

Rose scored 25 points, Luol Deng added 24 and Chicago finally played like a top seed, knocking off the Indiana Pacers 116-89 in Game 5 to wrap up their first-round playoff series Tuesday night.

Jason Richardson scored 17 points and J.J. Redick added 14 to help the Orlando Magic stay alive in the playoffs with a 101-76 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.

PBT: Kobe Bryant refused an MRI or X-ray on his ankle and plans to play in Game 5. That's admirable, but not if he does more damage.