NBA Playoffs 2015: Derrick Rose’s buzzer-beater for Bulls against Cavs, Clippers run riot over Rockets

DERRICK Rose banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Bulls a 99-96 playoffs victory over the Cavaliers, while the Clippers decisively beat the Rockets today.

Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson

DERRICK Rose banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer and scored 30 points on Saturday to give the Chicago Bulls a 99-96 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers and a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Cleveland had just tied it on a 3-pointer by J.R. Smith with 10.8 seconds left when Rose came through with the winner.

He took the inbounds pass from Mike Dunleavy Jr. on the sideline after Chicago called time with 3 seconds remaining. Rose then dribbled past the top of the key before burying a wild shot over Tristan Thompson, drawing a mob from his teammates and a deafening roar from the crowd.

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) drives to the basket past LeBron James.

LeBron James scored 27 points for Cleveland and passed Tony Parker, Steve Nash and Larry Bird for fourth on the career playoff assists list. He had 14 in the game, giving him 1,073.

Australian Matthew Dellavedova provided a spark for the Cavaliers connecting on his first three shots and providing 10 points and four assists off the bench.

Chicago never won more than one game in three previous playoff series against teams led by James. But the Bulls have a chance to take a commanding lead with Game 4 at home on Sunday.

Smith, back from a two-game suspension, scored 14 points. Kyrie Irving shot 3 of 13 and finished with 11 points and no assists.

LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers goes up for a shot over Joakim Noah.

Jimmy Butler scored 20 points for Chicago. Dunleavy added 16 points, and Nikola Mirotic scored 12. One concern for Chicago was Pau Gasol straining his left hamstring. The Bulls announced late in the game that he would not return.

In a game that was tense and tight the whole way, Rose gave Chicago a 92-91 lead with a free throw with 2:09 remaining. But he also missed on a drive with James guarding him. He had another layup blocked by Thompson before Butler missed a 3, resulting in a shot-clock violation with 52 seconds remaining.

Butler then reached in on James, who hit two free throws to give Cleveland a 93-92 lead with 41.5 seconds left. But Butler drove along the baseline, stopped and spun for a layup.

James then missed on a drive and fouled Taj Gibson as he grabbed the rebound, resulting in two free throws that made it 96-93. Smith buried a 3 with 10.8 seconds remaining, but Rose answered, drawing a wild ovation.

Austin Rivers holds off James Harden en route to scoring a career playoff-high 25 points.

CLIPPERS 124, ROCKETS 99

Austin Rivers scored a career playoff-high 25 points, sparking a decisive run to end the third quarter, and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Houston Rockets 124-99 Friday night for a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semi-finals.

Chris Paul returned from a hamstring injury to bolster the Clippers with 12 points and seven assists after he missed the first two games of the series. J.J. Redick had a career playoff-best 31 points, Blake Griffin added 22 points and 14 rebounds, and DeAndre Jordan had 15 rebounds.

But it was the coach’s son who came off the bench and helped the Clippers use a 20-3 run to finally get the separation they lacked in the first half. Rivers scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the dominating offensive outburst that extended the Clippers’ lead to 99-76 going into the fourth.

He was so good that coach-dad Doc Rivers kept him on the court for the first two minutes of the fourth. Fans saluted Austin Rivers by chanting his name and giving him a standing ovation when Paul replaced him.

Austin Rivers responds to the crowd at the Staples Center.

James Harden had 25 points and 11 assists, and Dwight Howard added 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Rockets.

Game 4 is Sunday at Staples Center.

Rivers started in place of Paul the last two games while the All-Star guard fought back from a strained left hamstring. Rivers had a playoff career-high 17 points in the Game 1 win and followed up with 10 points in the Game 2 loss.

He spelled Paul with 6 minutes left in the third and promptly tore through the Rockets. With starters Harden and Terrence Jones on the floor, Rivers shredded Houston’s defence on repeated driving lay-ups. He tossed in a 3-pointer, completed two three-point plays and capped his exploits with a floating jumper.

Jordan chipped in three points and Redick two while the Clippers held the Rockets scoreless over the final 3:45 of the third.

The Clippers led by 12 before the Rockets outscored them 9-2 to get within five. That’s when Rivers single-handedly put the game out of reach in the biggest blowout yet of the best-of-seven series.

Actor Mark Wahlberg yawns as he watches the Clippers rout the Rockets.

The Rockets never made a run in the fourth, and fans started bailing out with three minutes to go.

Jason Terry was called for a technical foul in the fourth after tripping Griffin and an altercation ensued, leading to Terry’s ejection with eight minutes left in the game. Terry finished with 13 points.

Paul had an immediate effect on his team. He assisted on consecutive dunks by Griffin, including a one-handed jam, in the game’s first few minutes. Paul missed his first two shots before scoring on consecutive jumpers that launched an 18-9 spurt to close the first quarter with the Clippers leading 33-24.

Harden’s jumper beat the half-time buzzer, capping a 5-0 spurt that helped the Rockets cut their deficit to 64-57 after they made five 3-pointers in the second quarter. The Clippers shot 54 per cent in the half, when their largest lead was 12.

Originally published as NBA Playoffs 2015: Derrick Rose’s buzzer-beater for Bulls against Cavs, Clippers run riot over Rockets