The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
2. Jazz move on to face Warriors
Utah advances to face Warriors in West semifinals.
Gordon Hayward scored 26 points, and the Jazz eliminated the Los Angeles Clippers with a 104-91 victory, closing out the firstround series 4-3 to earn the franchise’s first postseason series victory since 2010. The Jazz advance to face top-seeded Golden State in the Western Conference semifinals.
Gordon Hayward scored 26 points and the Utah Jazz easily eliminated the host Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday with a 104-91 victory, winning the first-round playoff series 4-3.
George Hill and Derrick Favors added 17 points apiece in Utah’s first postseason victory since 2010. “We’ve been through some pretty hard downs,” said Hayward, a seventh-year veteran. “It definitely feels really good to go from 25 wins to where we were this year making the playoffs, winning a series.”
The Jazz advanced to face top-seeded Golden State in the Western Conference semifinals. The Warriors swept Portland 4-0 and have been waiting since Wednesday to find out their next opponent.
Game 1 is Tuesday night in Oakland, Calif.
The Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan had 24 points and 17 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the series. Jamal Crawford added 20 points off the bench.
Chris Paul had 13 points for the Clippers, who were sent packing in the first round for the second straight year. Last season, they lost to Portland after Paul and Blake Griffin went down with injuries. This time, they didn’t have Griffin again after he was lost in Game 3 with a bigtoe injury.
In the most closely contested series of the first round — and the only to go seven games — the Clippers came up strangely flat with their season on the line. J.J. Redick didn’t hit his first 3-pointer until the game’s final 31/2 minutes, drawing the Clippers within eight.
Paul couldn’t muster any of his fourth-quarter magic, either. He went scoreless with three assists in the period.
(At) Celtics 123, Wizards 111: Isaiah Thomas had 33 points and nine assists, and Boston made 19 3-pointers to beat Washington Wizards to take a 1-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Thomas played just a day after attending the funeral for his sister, who died in a car accident in April outside of Tacoma, Wash.
“I got in at 4 a.m.,” Thomas said of his second flight to Washington in two weeks. “It’s tough, but it’s the playoffs so there are no excuses. I decided to play and I just tried to give it all for my team.”
Thomas flew to the funeral with Boston president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and assistant coach Jerome Allen.
Al Horford added 21 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Jae Crowder scored 24 points.
Bradley Beal led Washington with 27 points.
The Wizards were more energetic at the outset, jumping out to a 16-0 advantage and leading by as many as 17 points. But the Celtics rallied in the second quarter with Thomas briefly sidelined after getting one of his two front teeth knocked out.