Pacers knock out Magic; Hawks, Bulls, & Denver survive

Danny Granger scored 25 points to help the Indiana Pacers eliminate the Orlando Magic with a 105-87 victory to finish the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, 4-1. It's Indiana's first series win since 2005 and its first clincher on its home court since the first round of the 2000 playoffs. The Pacers could possibily face Miami in the conference semifinals, who currently leads New York in their series, 3-1.




Al Horford scored 19 points, hit Atlanta's final two baskets, and came up with a potentially season-saving defensive play that allowed the Atlanta Hawks to hang on for an 87-86 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals and thus, cutting the Celtics' lead in the series, 3-2.




Luol Deng scored 24 points and Carlos Boozer added 19 points & 13 rebounds as the Chicago Bulls beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 77-69 to avoid a first-round playoff exit. The Sixers, leading the Eastern Conference quarterfinals 3-2, will head back to Philadelphia in hopes of finishing off the Bulls this Thursday night for Game 6.




Andre Miller scored 24 points, including two free throws with 12.8 seconds left, as the Denver Nuggets survived Kobe Bryant's late scoring barrage in a 43-point performance to avoid playoff elimination with a 102-99 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. With the Lakers' Western Conference series lead trimmed down, 3-2, the series moves back to Denver for Game 6 this Thursday night.