Clippers Come Back From Huge Deficit to Knock Out Grizzlies; Lakers, Spurs Win in Opening Round

by

Apr 29, 2012

Clippers Come Back From Huge Deficit to Knock Out Grizzlies; Lakers, Spurs Win in Opening RoundKobe Bryant may be the man with five championship rings, but Andrew Bynum was the guy making history Sunday afternoon.

On the second day of the NBA playoffs, Bynum put up the first triple-double for the Lakers in 21 years as Los Angeles ripped past the Denver Nuggets in the first game of their opening-round series.

The Spurs, no stranger to the playoffs themselves, also put up a decisive Game 1 win.

And in the final, wild game in Western Conference, the Clippers came down from a 20-points-plus deficit to edge the Memphis Grizzlies.

Here are the recaps from the games that took place Sunday, April 29. Be sure to check out more of our in-depth Associated Press recaps and previews.

Los Angeles Lakers 103, Denver Nuggets 88

LOS ANGELES — A day before Andrew Bynum produced one of the most eye-popping defensive performances in NBA playoff history, he spoke up to his Lakers teammates about the importance of getting off to a good start in their championship quest.

With an NBA record-tying 10 blocked shots, the 7-foot All-Star center put the Lakers on the good foot — and the Denver Nuggets on their heels.

Kobe Bryant scored 31 points, Bynum posted the Lakers' first playoff triple-double in 21 years, and Los Angeles thoroughly controlled the tempo in a playoff-opening 103-88 victory Sunday. Read the complete story here.

San Antonio Spurs 106, Utah Jazz 91

SAN ANTONIO — This was not another early playoff letdown by the San Antonio Spurs. For the first time in four years, they won a series opener.

But more important to them was Tony Parker looking like his old postseason self. Pulling together his best playoff game since 2009, Parker scored 28 points, and the top-seeded Spurs erased four years of putting themselves in 0-1 holes to start the playoffs, beating the Utah Jazz 106-91 in Game 1 of their first-round series Sunday. Read the complete story here.

Atlanta Hawks 83, Boston Celtics 74

ATLANTA — Josh Smith scored 22 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, leading the Atlanta Hawks to an 83-74 victory over Boston in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs Sunday night, the final minute turning ugly when Celtics star Rajon Rondo was ejected for bumping an official. Read the complete story here.

Los Angeles Clippers 99, Memphis Grizzlies 98

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Chris Paul hit a pair of free throws with 23.7 seconds left, and the Los Angeles Clippers rallied from 27 down to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 99-98 Sunday night in the opening game of the Western Conference series.

Rudy Gay missed a 15-footer with 0.9 seconds left after the Grizzlies squandered a lead they held for the first 47 minutes. Read the complete story here.

Previous Article

Phoenix Coyotes Beat Nashville Predators; Philadelphia Flyers Take Down New Jersey Devils in Overtime

Next Article

Jeremy Lin Hopes to Return Soon, As Knicks Lack Depth in Backcourt

Picked For You