By Annie Ross
Isaiah Thomas (above) and Avery Bradley scored 24 points apiece to help the Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 108-97 last night and take a 3-2 lead in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
After the road team won each of the first four games, the Celtics won at home to earn a chance to eliminate the Bulls on Friday night in Chicago.
Dwyane Wade had 26 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists for Chicago. Wade and his teammate Robin Lopez were called for technical fouls 32 seconds apart with a little less than five minutes left, after which the Celtics went on a 20-5 run that gave them a 104-89 lead.
WIZARDS 103, HAWKS 99 Bradley Beal scored 27 points, and John Wall added 20 points and 14 assists, leading host Washington to a 3-2 lead over Atlanta in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
Dennis Schroder led the Hawks with 29 points, tying a career high with five 3-pointers, and added 11 assists. But after Schroder’s basket from beyond the arc pulled Atlanta to 101-99 with 1 minute 10 seconds left, Wall responded with a 21-foot pull-up jumper.
Washington can close out the best-of-seven series and move into the conference semifinals by winning Game 6 at Atlanta on Friday night.
