Derrick Rose scored 25 points and Pau Gasol added 21 points and 10 rebounds as the Chicago Bulls beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-92 in Game One of the Eastern Conference semi-finals on Monday.
The Bulls led by as many as 16 points and never trailed. The Cavs tied the game twice in the third quarter, but the Bulls countered by scoring the next 15 points, leaving the Cavs to play catch-up the entire evening.
The Cavs were within 94-90 in the final minute but Chicago guard Jimmy Butler banked in a jump shot over center Tristan Thompson, sealing the victory and shifting home-court advantage to the Bulls.
Griffin triple-double leads Clippers past Rockets
At Houston, Blake Griffin recorded a triple-double and received plenty of support in the absence of Chris Paul as the Los Angeles Clippers claimed a 117-101 road victory over the Houston Rockets in Game One of their Western Conference semi-final on Monday.
With Clippers point guard Paul sidelined by a strained left hamstring, the Clippers rode balanced scoring and the Rockets’ benevolence to a 1-0 lead in the series.
Griffin, the Clippers’ star power forward, finished with 26 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists. Guard Jamal Crawford scored 21 points off the bench and forward Matt Barnes added 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
The Paul-less starting backcourt of J.J. Redick and Austin Rivers combined for 34 points and the Rockets committed 23 turnovers, resulting in 34 points for the Clippers.
Center Dwight Howard posted 22 points and 10 rebounds while guard James Harden tallied 20 points.
