LOS ANGELES — Tim Duncan scored 28 points, Kawhi Leonard added 23 and the defending champion San Antonio Spurs beat the Los Angeles Clippers 111-107 in overtime Wednesday night, tying their Western Conference playoff series at 1-1.
LOS ANGELES — Tim Duncan scored 28 points, Kawhi Leonard added 23 and the defending champion San Antonio Spurs beat the Los Angeles Clippers 111-107 in overtime Wednesday night, tying their Western Conference playoff series at 1-1.
The Spurs blew 10-point leads in the third and fourth quarters, and got into overtime on a pair of free throws by Patty Mills with 8 seconds left in regulation. Duncan scored four straight points in the extra session while playing with five fouls.
His jumper snapped a 101-all tie, Mills followed with a fast-break layup off Leonard’s long pass, and Leonard scored on a layup for a 107-101 lead with 56 seconds left.
Mills finished with 18 points off the bench after starting point guard Tony Parker departed early with an injury. Boris Diaw had 12.
The series, the only one of the eight in the first round that is tied after two games, moves to San Antonio for Game 3 on Friday night.
Blake Griffin had his first career playoff triple-double of 29 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, but a costly turnover late in regulation.
DeAndre Jordan had 20 points and 15 rebounds for the Clippers.
Chris Paul’s two free throws gave the Clippers a 94-92 lead with 50 seconds left in regulation, but Griffin lost the ball while dribbling with a chance to put it away and Mills tied it with two free throws.
Paul missed the potential winning shot with a 19-footer from the right side as regulation expired. The Clippers were 9 of 21 from the line in the fourth, but they hung in while Spurs were held to two field goals over the final 6:41.
The Clippers failed to follow up their dominant showing in Game 1, when they led by 20 points in the fourth and won by 15.
HAWKS 96, NETS 91
ATLANTA — Paul Millsap scored 19 points and top-seeded Atlanta again survived a tougher-than-expected test from Brooklyn, holding on for a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference playoff series.
Squandering an early 12-point lead, the Hawks fell behind before halftime and spent the rest of the game struggling to put away the No. 8 seed.
It went down to the wire. Deron Williams missed an open 15-foot jumper that would’ve tied it with about 10 seconds to go. Kyle Korver rebounded, was fouled and made two free throws to clinch Atlanta’s win.
The best-of-seven shifts to Brooklyn for the next two contests. Game 3 is Saturday.
GRIZZLIES 97, TRAIL BLAZERS 82
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Mike Conley and Courtney Lee each scored 18 points, and Memphis beat Portland to grab the franchise’s first 2-0 lead in a playoff series.
The Grizzlies took full advantage of starting the playoffs with home-court advantage for only the second time in their short postseason history. They had only won their playoff opener once before, and that was on the road in San Antonio in 2011.
Marc Gasol had 15 points, and Zach Randolph and Beno Udrih added 10 apiece.
LaMarcus Aldridge led Portland with 24 points and 14 rebounds, and he also had four blocks with two steals. Damian Lillard added 18 points but the Trail Blazers lost their first two playoff games for the first time since 2011.
Oklahoma City Thunder fire coach Scott Brooks
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Thunder have fired coach Scott Brooks.
The team made the announcement Wednesday.
Brooks coached the Thunder for seven seasons. Starting in 2010-11, he led the team to the Western Conference Finals three out of four years, and the Thunder reached the NBA Finals in 2012. The Thunder failed to make the playoffs this past season, as injuries limited them to a 45-37 finish.
Brooks was 338-207 (.620) with the Thunder and was the 2009-10 NBA Coach of the Year.