The Boston Celtics swept the New York Knicks out of the NBA playoffs Sunday, but the Philadelphia 76ers denied Miami a seamless move into the Eastern Conference second round. Kevin Garnett had 26 points and 10 rebounds and Rajon Rondo added 21 points and 12 assists for the Celtics, whose victory at New York’s Madison Square Garden made them the first team to reach the second round of the post-season.
Ray Allen and reserve Glen Davis each added 14 points for the Celtics, who saw a 23-point lead trimmed to four in the fourth quarter but stretched the margin again thanks largely to Garnett, who scored 20 of his points in the second half. The Knicks were making their first playoff appearance since 2004, when they were also swept in the first round. The Celtics now have the luxury of waiting for either Miami or Philadelphia. Lou Williams and Evan Turner each scored 17 points and sparked a game-ending 10-point run that gave Philadelphia an 86-82 victory over the Heat.
The 76ers denied Miami a sweep of the series, but the Heat still lead the series three games to one and can advance to the second round with a home victory in game five on Wednesday. LeBron James scored a game-high 31 points for Miami while Dwyane Wade added 22 and Chris Bosh contributed 12, but the Heat’s superstars fell silent after seizing a 82-76 lead with barely 90 seconds remaining. Turner, a 22-year-old rookie, started Philadelphia’s 10-0 run while Williams and Jrue Holiday each sank 3-pointers before Turner added two clinching free throws to seal Miami’s fate.
Elsewhere in the East, the Hawks defeated the Orlando Magic 88-85 in Atlanta to take a 3-1 lead in their series. Jamal Crawford scored 25 points for Atlanta and Joe Johnson drained four key foul shots in the last 20 seconds to put the Hawks in position to claim the series on Tuesday in Orlando.
WESTERN CONFERENCE: Chris Paul’s triple-double led New Orleans to a 93-88 victory over Los Angeles Sunday to tie the Hornets’ playoff series against the NBA’s two-time defending champions at two games apiece. Paul had 27 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds as the Hornets evened the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series. Paul scored 14 of the Hornets’ 24 fourth-quarter points and with nine seconds remaining he delivered a key assist, setting up Jarrett Jack’s jump shot that gave the Hornets a 90-86 lead. Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, scoreless in the first half, finished with 17 points.
He shot just five-of-18 from the floor, missing a three-point attempt in the waning seconds. That came after Bryant turned his ankle in a collision late in the fourth quarter. Trevor Ariza scored 19 for the Hornets and Carl Landry added 16 before he fouled out in the final minute.