Wizards win in OT; Warriors, Bulls cruise
Paul Pierce beat the Raptors with a veteran mix of brains and baskets.
Pierce scored five of his 20 points in overtime, Nene had 12 points and 13 rebounds, and the Wizards stole homecourt advantage with a 93-86 victory in Game 1 as the playoffs began Saturday in Toronto.
“It takes the pressure off us and puts it on them now,” Pierce said.
Pierce hit a 3-pointer, his fourth of the game, to begin the extra session.
Bradley Beal scored 16, while John Wall and Kevin Seraphin each had 10 for the Wizards.
Amir Johnson scored 18 and DeMar DeRozan had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Raptors, who have yet to win the opening game of a first-round series in seven postseason appearances.
The Wizards held a double-digit lead in the second half, but Greivis Vasquez, who came on after All-Star Kyle Lowry fouled out, tied it at 82 by hitting a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left.
Neither team scored again until Pierce made a 3-pointer 36 seconds into overtime, the first basket in a 7-0 run.
The Raptors missed sev- en straight shots before DeRozan’s dunk with 29 seconds left.
Bulls 103, Bucks 91: Derrick Rose had 23 points and seven assists in his first postseason game in three years, Jimmy Butler scored 25, and the Bulls opened the playoffs with a victory over the Bucks in Chicago.
Rose shot 9 of 16 and got serenaded with “MVP! MVP!” chants. He was making his first playoff appearance since he tore a knee ligament in the 2012 playoff opener against the 76ers.
Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 18 points.
Warriors 106, Pelicans 99: Stephen Curry scored 34 points with an MVP-worthy performance, and the Warriors went up big before holding off the Pelicans in their playoff opener in Oakland, Calif.
Klay Thompson added 21 points, and Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut dominated down low.
The Warriors led by 15 after the first quarter, 18 at the half and 25 late in the third.
The Pelicans pulled within four in the final minute behind Anthony Davis, who scored 20 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter.