The AP reports: Chris Paul had 35 points, 10 assists and four steals in his first playoff game Saturday night, lifting New Orleans to a 104-92 come-from-behind victory over Dallas in Game 1 of their first-round series… David West scored 23 points against Dallas. Tyson Chandler had 10 points and 15 rebounds to help New Orleans not only storm back but win going away. Dirk Nowitzki had his way with New Orleans early and finished with 31 points, but scored only four during Dallas’ fourth-quarter collapse. Josh Howard added 17 points for the Mavericks, who were in the finals two years ago… Jason Kidd, the All-Star point guard the Mavericks were hoping would be the missing piece to a championship run when they traded for him midseason, finished with 11 points and nine assists… The Hornets also got 14 points from Peja Stojakovic, one of their few grizzled playoff vets, who hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final period to help squelch any notion of a Dallas comeback.
Day: April 20, 2008
Apr. 19: Spurs 117, Suns 115 2OT
The AP reports: Tim Duncan’s first 3 of the season with just ticks left sent his team into double overtime against the revenge-minded Phoenix Suns. Then it was Manu Ginobili’s turn, and his layup with 1.8 seconds left pushed the defending champions past the Suns 117-115 Saturday in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series… Tony Parker added 26 points for the Spurs and Manu Ginobili had 24… Amare Stoudemire, who fouled out with 12 seconds left in the first overtime, led the Suns with 33 points. Shaquille O’Neal scored 11 points… Mike Finley had 13 points for San Antonio, and Kurt Thomas, who played for the Suns last season, grabbed 10 rebounds… “We had the game won a few times and just weren’t tough enough or disciplined enough to make every single play when it counted,” said Steve Nash, who had 25 points and 13 assists.
Apr. 19: Cavs 93, Wizards 86
The AP reports: Bumped and banged by the Wizards on every drive, LeBron James scored 32 points, making two tough shots in traffic down the stretch as the Cleveland Cavaliers opened the NBA playoffs with an intense 93-86 win over Washington on Saturday… Resting a bothersome back, James sat out the early part of the fourth quarter… Following a miss by Gilbert Arenas, who led the Wizards with 24 points, James powered past Stevenson and dropped a floater with 55 seconds left in the game—and one tick to spare on the 24-second shot clock… Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 22 points and 11 rebounds and Delonte West finished with 16 points for the Cavaliers, who, unlike the Wizards, stayed quiet in the weeks leading up to the series.