Celtics, Wizards take 3-2 leads
BOSTON — Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley scored 24 points apiece to help Boston beat Chicago 108-97 on Wednesday night and take a 3-2 lead in its first-round playoff series.
After the road team won each of the first four games, Boston won at home in Game 5 to earn a chance to eliminate the Bulls on Friday night in Chicago. A Chicago victory would force the series back to Boston for a decisive Game 7 on Sunday.
Dwyane Wade had 26 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for Chicago.
But Wade and Robin Lopez were called for technical fouls 32 seconds apart with just under five minutes left, helping the Celtics to a 20-5 run that turned an 84-84 game into a 15-point Boston lead.
Chicago cut it to nine before Al Horford got loose for a dunk, Wade missed a 3-pointer and then Horford fed Jae Crowder for a layup that made it 108-95 with 99 seconds to play.
Despite the technical fouls, there was little of the tension that characterized Game 4, when Jimmy Butler and Marcus Smart got in each other’s face on the court and continued the criticism in their postgame comments.
Horford had 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for Boston, which entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the East. The Celtics lost the first two games at home — with Game 1 just a day after Thomas’ sister died.
After Bulls point guard Rajon Rondo broke his thumb, though, Boston took Games 3 and 4 in Chicago to tie the series.
WIZARDS 103, HAWKS 99
Back at home, and back in charge, Bradley Beal scored 27 points, and John Wall added 20 points and 14 assists, leading Washington to a victory over visiting Atlanta for a 3-2 lead in its first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
Dennis Schroder led Atlanta with 29 points, making a career hightying five 3s, and 11 assists. But after his basket from beyond the arc pulled Atlanta within 101-99 with 70 seconds left, Wall responded with a 21-foot pull-up jumper.
A miss followed from Paul Millsap, who had 21 points and 11 rebounds, but after Wall’s jumper was off the mark, Atlanta seemed to waste too much time at the other end and the buzzer sounded.
Washington can close out the best-of-seven series and move into the conference semifinals by winning Game 6 at Atlanta on Friday night.
Washington won 30 games at home during the regular season, and it has now collected six consecutive first-round home playoff games.