Friday was another night of great NBA action with the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards defeating the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks to advance to the second round of the playoffs, while in Utah, the LA Clippers got their much-needed win and forced the first Game 7 of this postseason.
Celtics beat Bulls
The Boston Celtics got their first playoffs series win since 2012 after taking last night’s Game 6 105-83 against the Chicago Bulls. Avery Bradley had 23 points and five rebounds, Gerald Green had 16 points, while Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford and Jae Crowder combined for 36 with 12 points apiece.
Jimmy Butler had 23 points and seven rebounds for the Bulls, Robin Lopez 10 points and five rebounds, and Bobby Portis 11 rebounds and five points.
Wizards down Hawks
John Wall (42 points, eight assists and four steals) and Bradley Beal (31 points) combined for 73 points in their series-winning 115-99 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Markieff Morris had 17 points and eight rebounds, while Bojan Bogdanovic finished with 10 points.
The Hawks were led by Paul Millsap with a 31-point, 10-rebound double-double, Gambian-German guard Dennis Schroder had a 26-point, 10-assist double-double, and Tim Hardaway Jr ended the game with 13 points.
Clippers take Utah
The LA Clippers won their curial Game 6 against the Utah Jazz 98-93 and have taken the series to Game 7. Chris Paul had 29 points and eight rebounds, DeAndre Jordan had a 13-point, 18-rebound double-double, while Austin Rivers and Cameroonian forward Luc Mbah a Moute combined for 26 with 13 points apiece.
Gordon Hayward had 31 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Jazz, George Hill 22 points and five rebounds, and Rudy Gobert 15 points and nine rebounds.
By Kaunda Chama
