Tennis: Murray ousted early in Rome; Nadal, Federer win

ROME (AP)—Fourth-ranked Andy Murray lost for only the fourth time this year, upset by Argentine qualifier Juan Monaco 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Wednesday in his opener at the Rome Masters.

Murray easily won the first set before missing several first serves and committing unforced errors, while the 58th-ranked Monaco won several points with an effective drop shot.

“To be fair, he started playing a lot better,” Murray said. “It wasn’t my best match, but I was still very close to winning.” Murray’s other losses this year came against top-ranked Rafael Nadal—twice in Masters Series events in Indian Wells, Calif., and at Monte Carlo—and to Fernando Verdasco at the Australian Open.

Monaco will next face 15th-seeded Marin Cilic after the 6-foot-6 Croatian beat Christophe Rochus of Belgium 6-0, 5-7, 6-2.

Nadal and Roger Federer both advanced in straight sets. Nadal took the crowd out of play with a methodical 6-2, 6-3 win over Andreas Seppi, the top-ranked Italian at No. 37, while Federer beat big-serving Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 6-4.

In another upset, Jurgen Melzer of Austria eliminated seventh-seeded Nikolay Davydenko 7-5, 7-6 (5). Davydenko missed two months earlier this season with a left heel injury, but he reached the quarterfinals in Monte Carlo and the semifinals in Barcelona the last two weeks.

Also, eighth-seeded Verdasco eliminated the last American in the draw, Mardy Fish, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3; No. 12 Fernando Gonzalez beat Janko Tipsarevic 6-4, 6-4; Paul-Henri Mathieu of France eliminated 11th-seeded David Ferrer 6-3, 2-6, 6-2; and Robin Soderling of Sweden overcame a second-set lapse to beat Romanian qualifier Victor Crivoi 6-1, 6-7 (2), 6-1.

In the first round, held over from Tuesday due to rain, Richard Gasquet beat ninth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (2), 6-4. Tommy Robredo of Spain also eliminated Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-2, 7-6 (5) and will now play defending champion Novak Djokovic.

Gasquet then beat Ernests Gulbis of Latvia, 6-2, 1-6, 6-4, in his second match of the day, while Mathieu lost to Mischa Zverev of Germany, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-0.

Also advancing was fifth-seeded Juan Martin Del Potro, who dispatched Viktor Troicki of Serbia, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.

Seppi beat Nadal on a hard court in Rotterdam last year, and he had the fans cheering when he broke the Spaniard in the opening game. But the top-ranked Nadal broke right back and eventually extended his winning streak on clay to 26 matches.

Nadal won this clay-court warmup for the French Open three consecutive times from 2005-07 and he is trying to become the first player in the Open era to win it four times.

The 6-foot-10 Karlovic had 15 aces to Federer’s one, but he couldn’t hold serve.

“I got off to a good start in both sets, which is always good, kind of comforting against Ivo,” Federer said. “He found his groove later on with his serve, but I already had the break in the second, which is perfect.”

With the sun out at the Foro Italico after two days of rain, something in the air got into Monaco’s eye and he had to call the trainer and receive eye drops midway through the first set.

Monaco fell to the clay trying to react to a passing shot from Murray, but he got back up, wiped the dirt off his side and proceeded to beat Murray and improve to 13-6 on clay this year, including a runner-up result in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in February.

Murray made his first clay-court semifinal appearance in his last outing in Monte Carlo, but he showed he still has some work to do before the French Open, which begins May 24. He’s been working with two-time French Open finalist Alex Corretja during the clay-court season.

Murray could still move up to No. 3 in the rankings if Djokovic does not defend his title.

“I haven’t been playing my best on clay and that’s something I’m going to have to work out,” Murray said. “But I’ve had a great eight months. I haven’t lost early in a long time and I knew it was going to happen sometime. I’ve just got to move on and work hard for Madrid.”

‘It’s insane’: Pacman fame likened to Ali’s

LAS VEGAS—“I’ve seen this before with Ali years and years ago. This is the same type of reaction. Ali was Ali, but Manny’s getting there.” This was how Bob Arum described the frenzy that greeted Manny Pacquiao’s grand arrival at Mandalay Bay on Tuesday afternoon, where the Filipino ring icon instantly drew a swarm of fans and journalists upon stepping out of a 56-seater luxury bus bearing his image.

“It’s insane,” said the 78-year-old Arum, top honcho of Top Rank which promotes Pacquiao’s fights.

The “Pacman,” he declared, is the new face of boxing.
Just as electric was the reception England’s Ricky Hatton got from flag-waving compatriots as he made his own grand entrance, which officially started the countdown to his world welterweight title defense against Pacquiao here on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

“I may be fat and I may be round but guess who is going to be the best pound-for-pound?” the “Hitman from Manchester” told backers before mounting a small ring set up at the lobby.

Security personnel warded off surging crowds as Pacquiao got off the bus. Even for the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter, Tuesday’s welcome still came as a big surprise for its sheer scale and zest.

“It’s bigger than the (Oscar) De La Hoya one,” Pacquiao said, recalling the arrival bash leading to his blockbuster welterweight showdown against the Golden Boy last December, which the Filipino won by a knockout in the eighth round.

'Most manic’

Arum likened Pacquiao’s unprecedented fame after beating De La Hoya to that of heavyweight legend Muhammad Ali.

“Ali, remember, was so tied up with politics, with the Vietnam war, so you can’t really equate Manny with Ali,” he explained. “But as a fighter, as a pure fighter, he’s the most popular, the most manic that I’ve ever seen.”

Arum noted that Pacquiao had even landed recently on Time magazine’s list of the world’s most influential persons, which included US President Barack Obama.

Dapper in khaki slacks, dark coat and Kangol cap, Pacquiao arrived with an entourage that included his mother Dionesia, chief trainer Freddie Roach and close friends Luis “Chavit” Singson and Wakee Salud.
“I don’t want to talk too much before the fight,” Pacquiao said. “I want to let my fists do the talking in the ring.”
Hatton limo

Hatton, who alighted from a gleaming limousine in black shorts and a Hatton-brand T-shirt, joked with the crowd and posed for photographers before doing a brief workout at the 16,000-seat Grand Garden Arena, venue of the megabuck clash.
Though he remains unbeaten at 140 pounds, Hatton conceded it would have been tougher for him had he met Pacquiao earlier.
“Three or four fights ago, Manny Pacquiao would have beaten me,” Hatton, bottled water in hand, later told reporters after the workout.

But after being trained by Floyd Mayweather Sr. and posting a win over Paulie Malignaggi last November, Hatton said, “I feel so much more relaxed because I’m boxing technically so much better. I’m jabbing and moving a lot better.”
“I don’t think (Pacquiao could win) now.”
Still a brawler

Dismissing perceptions that Mayweather had turned him into a different fighter, Hatton said he would still use his trademark aggressive, brawling style.

“Everyone seems to think that because of my new training camp I’ve turned into this twinkle-toed, jab-and-move boxer,” Hatton, said. “But I haven’t. I’m still aggressive. I’m still as ferocious as ever.”

His size and power, coupled with the technical know-how he gained under Mayweather, will turn the tide in his favor, the defending champ said.
Though only an inch taller than the 5’6” Pacquiao, Hatton earlier said he would be the biggest man Pacquiao has ever faced as he intends to enter the ring at 154 pounds.

If that happens, he’ll be even bigger than De La Hoya who weighed 147 pounds when he was stopped by Pacquiao last Dec. 6.

Scraping the surface

Slighted by the 2-1 betting odds favoring Pacquiao, Hatton vowed to prove he is the 140-lb king and to protect his crown from someone who has never fought at that weight.
“Maybe I could be too strong for Manny, but now it’s not just strength and power. With the new team, we’ve scraped the surface. And I think you can see more improvement in that area. This is the best Ricky Hatton that has ever been.”

Having reached ideal form, Pacquiao only did early-morning runs at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas track oval and then sweated it out at the IBA Gym late afternoon before proceeding to the Mandalay Bay.
Under the supervision of conditioning coach Alex Ariza, Pacquiao focused on fast-twitch muscle drills designed to enhance his speed without losing power.

Manny can't fight, says Mayweather Sr.

LAS VEGAS — FLOYD MAYWEATHER SR. likens Ricky Hatton to an animal, specifically a tiger, in the ring. Ferocious and vicious as a fighter, Hatton is also the epitome of what a boxing student should be—talented and a fast learner, according to the trainer.

In contrast, Mayweather holds Manny Pacquiao in low esteem.

The American says the Filipino ring hero fights like an amateur despite being the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter—a title once owned by his now retired son and namesake.

It’s no wonder that Mayweather picks his pupil, Hatton, to win the May 2 showdown.

“Not only is Hatton bigger, stronger than Pacquiao, he is also smarter, slicker, clever, smoother,” said Mayweather.

“If I have a fighter of eight years like Freddie Roach had Manny, I wouldn’t be thinking so much about the size because Manny still can’t fight if you ask me,” said Mayweather.

Carmelo, Nuggets beat Hornets to make second round

DENVER -- With a little help from the hometown kid, Carmelo Anthony is finally moving on.

Behind Anthony's 34 points and the floor leadership of Chauncey Billups, the Denver native who came home this season and galvanized a city and a team, the Nuggets advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs, 107-86 over the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday night.After five straight first-round flameouts, 'Melo led the Nuggets to their first playoff series win since 1994. They'll face the Dallas Mavericks in the second round.

"That monkey is awful heavy sometimes," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "I'm just really happy for 'Melo."

Dallas advanced to the Western Conference semifinals by defeating San Antonio in five games. Denver swept the season series with the Mavericks 4-0.

Anthony's 34 points were a career playoff best. Billups had 13 points and 11 assists, and J.R. Smith scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half to fuel Denver, which needed just five games to go from traditional first-round fodder to a playoff success story.

"I thought we could be a good team," Karl said. "But I never thought we could be this good."
[Photo: Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, right, goes up for a shot past New Orleans Hornets center Sean Marks in the fourth quarter of the Nuggets' 107-86 victory in Game 5 of the teams' first-round playoff basketball game in Denver on Wednesday, April 29, 2009. With the victory, the Nuggets eliminated the Hornets and move into the second-round of play. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)]
Despite the final score, the capper wasn't nearly as easy as Denver's three other wins, including the 58-point blowout in Game 4 that matched the NBA record.

Playing without Tyson Chandler but with a pride and passion unapparent through most of the series, the Hornets made the Nuggets sweat. It was tied at 62 midway through the third period before Denver went on a 24-4 run to ice it.

David West led the Hornets with 24 points and Chris Paul had 12 points and 10 assists.

The Nuggets were coming off the most lopsided road win in NBA playoff history, a 121-63 shellacking in New Orleans on Monday night."Whether it's 58 points or a 1,000 points, a loss is a loss and you just try to get that bitter taste out of your mouth," Hornets forward James Posey said before the game.

Karl told his players not to look at Game 5 as a gimme after what happened in Game 4: "Don't get me wrong, New Orleans is capable of winning a game against us and playing well. If that happens than we can look in the mirror and say we're still playing with house money and let's move on," Karl said.

The Nuggets were equally determined to match their opponents' verve.

"I don't want to go back to New Orleans until next year," Anthony Carter said.

He won't have to.

The Nuggets finally started to create some separation late in the third quarter when consecutive 3s by Billups and Smith (twice) gave Denver its biggest lead yet, 73-62. The spurt began with Anthony's deflection that led to a sweet fastbreak lay-up by Dahntay Jones.

When the 14-0 run was finished, the Hornets were history.

Including the playoffs, the Hornets were 13-6 following a loss of 10 or more points, and they looked for much of this night like they were going to win. They built a nine-point first-quarter lead before settling for a 49-49 tie at halftime.

The Hornets used a 16-2 spurt to take a 25-16 lead and let some of the air out of the Pepsi Center. But with the Nuggets' bench players on the court, Denver scored eight electrifying points in a row to recharge the arena.

Still, the Hornets, with Hilton Armstrong starting at center for Chandler (ankle), went toe-to-toe with the Nuggets until Denver's third-quarter run started the celebration.

It was especially sweet for Billups, who was born and raised in Denver. He came from Detroit in the Allen Iverson trade a week into the season and transformed his beloved Nuggets from an afterthought into the West's second seed.

"Chauncey is the best thing that happened to Denver," Paul said. "The mind-set that he's given this team right now is something that will fuel them in the next round."

Game notes
The average margin of victory in Denver's four wins was 37.5 points. The Nuggets' previous best average in a playoff series was 20 in their 3-2 win over San Antonio in the first round in 1984-85. ... The crowd observed a moment of silence before the game for former Nuggets player Glen Gondrezick, who died Monday at age 53 after apparent complications from a heart transplant he received last September. ... The last time the Nuggets won a seven-game series was 1985, when they beat Utah in the Western Conference semifinals. ... Anthony's previous career playoff high was 30 points (twice).

Wade banged up as Heat fall to Hawks in Game 5

ATLANTA -- A series of blowouts is now about survival. The Atlanta Hawks hope they have enough players left to finish off Miami. The Heat are counting on Dwyane Wade to save the season, despite a bump on his head and a balky back.

The Hawks kept up the theme of this matchup between division rivals -- no game has been close -- but there were several subplots after a night of hard fouls and staredowns left the Heat feeling as though Atlanta rubbed it in a little too much in a 106-91 victory Wednesday. Joe Johnson scored 25 points in his first big game of the series, which the Hawks now lead 3-2, and Flip Murray added 23 from a bench that has taken on an increasingly important role. They already were without one injured starter (Marvin Williams) and lost another when Al Horford hobbled off the court with a sprained right ankle.

"It's not a good sign," said Zaza Pachulia, one of Atlanta's top backups. "In the playoffs, you need everybody. But what can you do? Whoever we have, they really have to step up."

Wade scored 29 points but didn't get going until the game had been decided. The NBA's leading scorer already was bothered by back spasms, and he was feeling even worse after colliding with Josh Smith late in the first quarter and banging the back of his head on the court.

[Photo: Atlanta Hawks' Joe Johnson (2) drives on Miami Heat's Udonis Haslem during the first quarter of an NBA basketball Eastern Conference playoff series game in Atlanta on Wednesday, April 28, 2009. Johnson scored 25 points to help Atlanta win 106-91. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)]

But he's eager for another shot at the Hawks after Smith tried a between-the-legs windmill dunk late in the game with Atlanta up 20. Not only did he fail to pull it off -- the ball bounced high off the rim -- he fired up the Heat with his unnecessary showmanship."We were very insulted by it," Wade said.

So was rookie coach Erik Spoelstra, who figures to show the play over and over heading into Game 6, which is Friday night in Miami. The Heat must win to force Game 7 in Atlanta on Sunday.

"There at the end it turned into a highlight show. A pickup game highlight reel, really trying to embarrass us," Spoelstra said. "Now we've played five games against each other. I don't think anybody on either side likes each other anymore."

While the outcome was never really in question, there was plenty of extracurricular activity to spice up the fifth straight game decided by at least 10 points.

Early on, Wade was sprawled out on the court for several minutes after injuring his head injury. He finally staggered to the locker room for treatment, holding a towel to his head. Not long after Wade returned, Horford was fouled hard by James Jones and fell into Wade on the way down, landing awkwardly on his right foot.

Horford managed to shoot two free throws, but it quickly became apparent he couldn't go on. He was helped to the locker room, his arms draped around two trainers, and didn't return.

"I'm a little sore, but we did a lot of treatment in the second half," Horford said. "That's what the playoffs are all about. We're playing hard out there."

Williams sat out his third straight game with a sprained right wrist. When Mike Bibby picked up his fourth foul, Atlanta played much of the third quarter with only two regular starters on the court. Solomon Jones and Mario West got extensive minutes after playing sparingly during the regular season.

Despite the lack of healthy bodies, the Hawks pulled away in the first half with Wade -- still groggy from his head blow -- making only 1-of-6 shots.

The Hawks made 13-of-16 from the field in the second quarter, including their last 12 attempts, to push a 24-20 lead to a commanding 63-40 lead by halftime.

With NBA commissioner David Stern looking on, both teams turned up the intensity level -- and things nearly got out of hand early.

When Solomon Jones doled out a hard foul on a driving Wade, the two players tumbled into the basket support and stared each other down. Jamaal Magloire jumped in and shoved Jones. Smith took offense and shoved Magloire. The referees stepped in before any blows were thrown, though all four players were given technicals.

Then, with Maurice Evans going in for a layup, Wade slammed into the Atlanta player from behind and sent him tumbling to the court. Again, the teams bowed up, but Evans merely flashed a disgusted stare at Wade -- who was called for a flagrant foul -- before getting up to shoot his free throws.

Pachulia caught Jermaine O'Neal in the face with an elbow while driving to the hoop. O'Neal crumbled to the court, then got up to deliver a shot across Pachulia's head the next time the Hawks' reserve ventured into the lane.

Pachulia was already sporting a black eye from a shot he took in an earlier game.

That was certainly fitting for this one.

Game notes
Johnson averaged just 13.8 points over the first four games. ... The Hawks led by as many as 23 points. ... The closest game in the series was Atlanta's 10-point win in Game 4. ... Smith scored 20 points for the Hawks. ... Michael Beasley had 18 points for the Heat, and O'Neal added 14.

PBA: Chandler leads Purefoods over Coca Cola Tigers

COCA-COLA COACH KENNETH Duremdes sat on the bench wearing sunglasses because of sore eyes.

He might have been better off covering them completely to avoid the sight of the Tigers collapsing in the stretch and Marquin Chandler dominating for Purefoods on both ends.

Chandler celebrated his return with 30 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks last night, leading the Tender Juicy Giants to a 92-85 taming of the Tigers in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Cup eliminations at the Araneta Coliseum.

“That’s the reason why we patiently waited (for Chandler),” Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio proudly told sportswriters.

Chandler, a former winner of the Best Import award, did almost everything in the stretch for the Giants, highlighting his offensive show with a seven-point string to snuff the fight out of the Tigers and rise to 5-4.

James Yap scored 22 points, his only basket in the fourth quarter coming at the final 76-second mark, to make it 88-83.

Coca-Cola, which dropped to 2-6, was held to just two points in a three-minute, 13-second span when Chandler ran berserk to give Purefoods an 86-79 lead going into the final 3:31 from 76-77 with 6:16 to play.

Purefoods actually blew a 12-point second quarter lead and had to rally from three 10-point deficits in the third, using a 10-2 run to open the fourth period and regain the lead at 74-73.

Penny had 17 points to share scoring honors for the Tigers with Nic Belasco, who was tossed out in the final 36.6 seconds after a flagrant foul on Peter June Simon as Coca-Cola dropped to 2-6.

The scores:
First Game
PUREFOODS 92—Chandler 30, J.Yap 22, Adducul 9, Raymundo 9, Simon 8, Villanueva 5, Canaleta 4, Cruz 3, R.Yap 2, Robinson 0.

COCA-COLA 85—Penny 17, Belasco 17, Cabagnot 13, Taulava 12, Telan 8, Buenafe 5, Macapagal 5, Catli 5, Dimaunahan 3, Rizada 0, Avenido 0.
Quarters: 22-14, 45-41, 64-71, 92-85

Pacquiao draws extra inspiration from mom

LAS VEGAS – Dionisia Pacquiao finally came to the United States with her son Manny for one of his mega-fights, but the mother of the Filipino superstar boxer still can't bring herself to watch him fight.

Manny Pacquiao tries to match a boxing record and become world champion in his sixth weight class on Saturday by beating England's Ricky Hatton, but his mom cannot bear to see Manny trading punches from ringside.

"She is scared to watch it live," Pacquiao said. "To have her here, it's going to give me more inspiration to do my best and win. It's going to be one of the best times I've had in my life."

Dionisia Pacquiao plans to pray for her son while he is in the ring.

"I'm not scared," she said through a translator. "I'm confident he's going to win. Manny is going to go all the way."

Pacquiao, who grew up in a farming family, built a house for his mother near his own in the Philippines. His mother has avoided joining her son on prior trips over health issues as well as to make certain his return was perfect.

"I wasn't feeling too well and also I wanted to take care of everything at home so it was ready when Manny got home," she said. "I love the United States. It's wonderful. I have wanted to come here for a long time."

Pacquiao, who has starred in Filipino action movies and spoken about running for Congress in his homeland next year, pleased his mother the most by learning the lessons she taught of humility and generosity.

"It's the way he processes everything, humbly and with kindness," she said.

Pacquiao always says that his main goal from fights is to bring happiness and entertain the people of his homeland and fight for Filipino pride.

"I will do my best to give a good show," Pacquiao said.

What "PacMan" rarely talks about are the gifts he provides for poor people in his homeland.

"Everyone knows what life is like in the Philippines," he said. "I'm just trying to do anything to give happiness – food, clothes – and go out to help people have a better way of life."

The 30-year-old southpaw remains a bettors' favorite over Hatton, the brawling British "Hitman" who hopes to claim Pacquiao's world recognized "pound-for-pound" champion's crown for himself.

Spurs bow out of first round for first time since 2000 thanks to Mavs

SAN ANTONIO -- Jason Terry galloped down court after one big shot and Josh Howard skipped along the sideline after another. For what the Dallas Mavericks were about to pull off, they might as well have danced.For the first time since 2006, the Mavericks are moving past the first round.

And for the first time since 2000, the San Antonio Spurs are not.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 31 points in his first breakout game of a lopsided series, and the Mavericks won a playoff series for the first time in three years by eliminating the Spurs in five games with a 106-93 victory on Tuesday night.

Besides closing another chapter between the Texas rivals, this series seemed to signal more: that the Mavericks are much better than their No. 6 seed might suggest, and whether the Spurs are slipping into a new stage after winning four NBA titles in the past decade."[We] went through a lot this year, a very turbulent year," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "Injuries. Ups, downs, emotional stuff, and we really stuck together. We came together at the right time."

[Photo: Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki (41), of Germany, and Jason Terry (31) celebrate during the fourth quarter of Game 5 of a first-round Western Conference NBA playoff basketball series against the Dallas Mavericks in San Antonio, Tuesday, April 28, 2009. Dallas won 106-93, winning the first-round series 4-1. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)]

The Mavericks advance to the Western Conference semifinals to play either Denver or New Orleans. The Nuggets lead that series 3-1 and can finish off the Hornets on Wednesday at Denver.

Tim Duncan scored 30 and Tony Parker had 26 but again got little help -- the story of the series for the two-dimensional Spurs. Predictions that the Spurs were doomed while Manu Ginobili sat out the playoffs with a bum ankle appeared largely validated, as San Antonio never got anyone to step up in his absence.For Duncan, it's the first time in his career he couldn't lead the Spurs past the opening round.

"They had more firepower than us. They played better than us," said Duncan, who never played in San Antonio's first-round loss in 2000 because of a knee injury. "However you want to put it, obviously they were the better team this year. That's all you can say."

Getting to the West semifinals is a dramatic turn for the Mavericks, who were a borderline playoff team as late as March and got a public lashing from owner Mark Cuban after a listless loss to woeful Oklahoma City. Dallas pulled together to win seven of nine entering the playoffs, and has now won 11 of its last 14.

The Mavs can also stick this to their Interstate 35 rivals: only twice in the Duncan era have the Spurs been eliminated on their home court, and both have came courtesy of Dallas.

Howard rang in his 29th birthday with 17 points, and may have permission from Carlisle to celebrate this time. Howard enraged former coach Avery Johnson last year when he didn't cancel his birthday plans despite a blistering Mavs playoff defeat, but the party may be on coach Carlisle after this series win.

"I think [Howard] probably is our MVP of the series," Carlisle said. "He played great. He was there for us -- a lot of big plays that didn't necessarily lead to scores."

Howard's biggest gift to the Mavs: a momentum-changing 3-pointer with 4:20 left in the third, which he celebrated by skipping down the sideline and razzing the crowd. When Jason Kidd hit another 3-pointer at the buzzer in the third, his teammates jumped from their seats and spilled onto the floor.

They could sense the victory, and the Mavs put it away in the fourth having never trailed. Terry finished with 19 points and Nowitzki finally emerged after four relatively pedestrian games.

"The big key for me was I got into a good rhythm right away," Nowitzki said. "Made some shots, had some good looks right away, and that usually helps get the confidence up and I was able to carry through."

The Spurs, meanwhile, end their season the same way it started: plenty of Parker and Duncan, but not much else. After combining for 75 percent of San Antonio's points in a Game 4 loss, the duo were again the only Spurs in double figures.

San Antonio lumbers into the offseason facing questions about where its team, the NBA's winningest over the last decade, goes from here. Along with the flourishes of another Southwest Division title and 10th consecutive season with 50-plus wins, there was also the ignominy of the worst playoff loss in Spurs history in Game 3.

The Big Three will be back next year for the Spurs, piloting what is now a championship drought by their standards: San Antonio has been a denied an NBA finals trip the past two seasons, its longest lapse since the gap between their 1999 and 2003 titles.

"The Mavs beat the Spurs," coach Gregg Popovich said. "They're the best team, and that's that."

Game notes
The AT&T Center took some precautions against the spread of swine flu, setting up hand sanitizer stations around the arena and arming ushers with wipes for fans who wanted them. There are three confirmed cases of the virus near San Antonio. ...The Mavericks shot 13 free throws in the first half to San Antonio's two. This season, the Mavs were 28th in the NBA in free throw attempts. ... Spurs F Drew Gooden, acquired during the season for the postseason push, didn't play.

Portland defeats Houston 88-77, cuts Rockets lead at 3-2

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge each scored 25 points, and the Portland Trail Blazers staved off elimination in the playoffs with an 88-77 victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night.

The Rockets, who have not advanced out of the first round of the playoffs in six tries since 1997, hold a 3-2 advantage in the series going into Thursday night's game back in Houston.

Luis Scola led the Rockets with 21 points. Yao Ming had 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Roy, a two-time All-Star and Portland's leading scorer, missed practice on Monday because of flu-like symptoms, while Aldridge didn't practice because of a sore right elbow. Both started Tuesday night.

Houston trailed until the fourth quarter, when Yao and Von Wafer hit consecutive jumpers to put the Rockets ahead 68-64. The Blazers tied it at 68, then Greg Oden had another two free throws to give the Blazers back the lead.

Travis Outlaw and Roy padded it with a pair of 3-pointers to make it 77-68 with 5:21 to go. After Roy added a running jumper, the Rose Garden fans were on their feet, with one fan raising a sign that read "Bring down the Rockets!"

Aaron Brooks hit a running jumper to close the Rockets to 80-75, but it was as close as Houston would come.

[PHOTO: Houston Rockets' Yao Ming, of China, attempts to defend as Portland Trail Blazers' Brandon Roy shoots during the second half of Game 5 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series in Portland, Ore., Tuesday, April 28, 2009. The Trail Blazers defeated the Rockets 88-77. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)]

Portland went on a 17-4 run in the first quarter, taking a 23-13 lead on Aldridge's 18-footer. But Houston's Scola hit seven of nine shots from the floor and ended the quarter with 15 points, and the Rockets cut the deficit to 29-26 to start the second quarter.

The Blazers built a 46-36 lead late in the first half, but the Rockets closed within 48-43 on Yao's dunk. Roy finished out the half with a driving layup to give Portland a 50-43 lead.

Aldridge handed off to Joel Przybilla for a dunk to put the Blazers ahead 56-45. Houston answered with a 12-2 run, capped by Yao's jumper, to close to within 58-57.

Brooks' pull-up 3-pointer tied it at 60 and Houston finally pulled ahead on Yao's turnaround jumper that made it 66-64 early in fourth.

The Blazers had not been to the playoffs since 2003. Portland surprisingly clinched the Western Conference's fourth seed and home-court advantage.

The Rockets won the opener at the Rose Garden, but dropped Game 2 before returning to Houston for the next two games, both victories.

The Blazers kept it close in Game 4, but made crucial mistakes in the final two minutes for an 89-88 Rockets' win. Yao had 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Yao got off to a slow start back in Portland -- he didn't even attempt a shot in the first quarter.

Game notes
Both Rockets coach Rick Adelman and Blazers coach Nate McMillan were fined $25,000 by the NBA on Tuesday for comments made about officiating during the playoff series. Asked for his reaction, McMillan said: "My mother's gone but she gave me great advice as a player: `Shut your mouth and do your job." Adelman said he had no comment. Boston coach Doc Rivers also was fined over comments about officials during the playoffs. ... McMillan tinkered with his lineup a bit in the second half, starting rookie Rudy Fernandez rather than rookie Nicolas Batum.

Pierce leads Boston to a 3-2 series lead over Chicago

BOSTON -- Kevin Garnett was in street clothes. Ray Allen fouled out. The Boston Celtics' Big Three was down to one, and Paul Pierce was ready.The MVP of last year's NBA Finals scored 26 points, hitting one jumper to tie the game at the end of regulation and three more in the final 77 seconds of overtime on Tuesday night to help the Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 106-104 and take a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series.

"I just thought when Ray fouled out it was time for me to really step up," said Pierce, who scored 12 points in the 10 minutes after Allen left the game. "Better late than never."

Rajon Rondo scored 28 points with 11 assists and eight rebounds, and Kendrick Perkins had 16 points, 19 rebounds and seven blocks for Boston. The Celtics could finish the Bulls off in Chicago on Thursday in Game 6; if not, the decisive seventh game would be in Boston on Saturday.

[Photo: Boston Celtics' Paul Pierce, right, fights for the ball against Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose, left, and John Salmons, back right, during the second half of a first-round NBA basketball playoff game in Boston on Tuesday, April 28, 2009. The Celtics won 106-104 in overtime. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)]

Ben Gordon scored 26 and Joakim Noah had 11 points and 17 rebounds for Chicago, but Brad Miller missed the potential game-tying free throws with 2 seconds left in overtime after Rondo fouled him to prevent an easy layup."Paul Pierce was unbelievable," Noah said. "Guys are hitting crazy shot after crazy shot. It's all about who's going to make that shot at the end of the game. We had our chances, and that's what makes it so tough. But we'll be back: I still feel that we can win the series."

It was the third time in five games the teams have needed overtime, a surprising first-round struggle for the defending NBA champions. This time, they did it with two of the Big Three on the bench: Garnett is out for what could be the entire playoff run with strained ligaments in his right knee, and Allen -- who hit the game-winning 3-pointer in Game 2 -- fouled out with 5:27 left in regulation.

"When you've got Ray fouled out of the game and you're searching for bodies, it didn't look good," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "And we dug down and won the game."

Pierce made a jumper to give Boston a 102-101 lead with 1:17 left, then hit another with 37 seconds to play to make it 104-101. Boston's defense nearly forced a stop, but Tony Allen fouled Gordon while he was attempting a 3-pointer with 28 seconds left; Gordon hit all three free throws to tie it 104-all.

Pierce got the ball and dribbled down the clock before hitting a long 2-pointer over John Salmons with 3.4 seconds remaining. Pierce played 50 minutes, 40 seconds -- all but 2:20 of the game."He was just doing what he was supposed to be doing: being the captain, being Paul Pierce, 'the Truth," said Celtics forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis, who scored 21. "You've seen it a dozen times; I think since I've been here I've seen it a million times, so nothing surprised me."

The Bulls called a timeout and got the ball in to Miller, who had a surprisingly clear path to the basket but appeared to sail a layup wide. The clock expired and the Boston Garden crowd celebrated, but the referees immediately huddled, called a foul on Rondo and put Miller on the line with 2 seconds left.

He missed the first one badly, then tried to miss the second on purpose but failed to hit the rim.

Miller got stitches in his mouth after the game, and Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said it should have been called a flagrant foul. Kirk Hinrich also needed stitches, for a cut above his eye, Del Negro said.

"We got a lot of guys getting head shots this series -- I mean a whole lot of them -- and it hasn't been a flagrant. So everybody's had to shake off these high hits," Miller said. "I didn't see it but I felt it. ... There was blood on the floor. I don't even know if they got it all cleaned off."

The Bulls led 77-66 early in the fourth before the Celtics scored nine in a row to make it 83-82 with 4:27 left. But the run was costly because Ray Allen fouled out 18 seconds after hitting a key 3-pointer. Gordon hit a leaner from the right side to give the Bulls the lead with 16 seconds left.

But Pierce sank a 15-foot spinner from the key to tie it at 93 with 10.5 seconds left and send it into overtime.

Game notes
Capt. Richard Phillips of the cargo ship Maersk Alabama, which was captured by Pirates, was honored during a break in the second quarter and presented with a personalized jersey by the Celtics' owners. Other celebrities in the crowd included Christopher Mintz-Plasse of the movie "Superbad" and musical group Jada.

Howard's 24 points, 24 boards power Magic to 3-2 series lead

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Dwight Howard did so much damage to the Philadelphia 76ers he set off a coaching feud.

Howard had 24 points and a career playoff-high 24 rebounds, a dominating performance that powered the Magic to a 91-78 victory over the Sixers on Tuesday night and gave Orlando a 3-2 series lead.

Afterward, Philadelphia coach Tony DiLeo said Howard should have been called for 3 seconds in the lane several times and asked the league to look into an elbow from Howard on Samuel Dalembert .

'' Dwight Howard had a great game, and he's a great player, but he just lives in the 3-second lane on offense and defense,'' DiLeo said. ''I'm just saying he's standing in the 3-second lane on offense and defense. He's a great player, and he doesn't need any advantages.''

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy heard DiLeo's remarks, took the podium and defended his star center by taking a shot at DiLeo.

''Am I supposed to come up here and talk about the game. Or am I supposed to come up here and lobby for the calls I want the next game?'' Van Gundy said. ''Is that what it's about now? We're supposed to lobby for the calls we want the next game? Let's just play the games.
[Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard (12) makes a shot over Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young (21) during the second half of a first-round NBA playoff basketball game in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, April 28, 2009. Orlando won 91-78 and leads the series 3-2.(AP Photo/John Raoux)]

''I guess that's the only reason Dwight's having success in this series. It has nothing to do with the fact that he's good.''

Howard had help.

Rashard Lewis snapped out of his playoff slump with a series-high 24 points, and Rafer Alston scored 14 for the Magic. But it was Howard's fourth career playoff game with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds that carried the Magic.

Andre Iguodala scored 26 points and led a second-half charge that fizzled fast, and Andre Miller added 17 points for Philadelphia. The Sixers face elimination in Game 6 in the best-of-seven series on Thursday in Philadelphia. A potential Game 7 would be Saturday in Orlando.

Iguodala said it was hard to tell if Howard should have been whistled, but was sure of one thing.

''I just know when I'm going to the basket, he's always there,'' Iguodala said.

The Magic managed to keep home-court advantage without starting shooting guard Courtney Lee , who took an elbow to the head from Howard early in the first quarter and never returned. He was taken to the hospital for precautionary tests.

Thanks to Howard, he wasn't missed.

Howard led a third-quarter surge, muscling his way past the Sixers and elevating above everyone. He had two dunks, including an alley-oop from Hedo Turkoglu over Theo Ratliff , that highlighted a 12-5 run to put the Magic ahead 58-47 and put the blue-and-white crowd into a Thunderstick-pounding frenzy.

But just like they've done all series, the Sixers came back.

Philadelphia cut the deficit to four points in only a few minutes on Iguodala's three-point play, converting a running layup on a foul by Turkoglu. The Magic went ahead 69-60 at the end of the period on a 3-pointer by Turkoglu, and they took a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter on a layup by Howard.

The Sixers are now in the same position as a year ago, when they took a 2-1 series lead on Detroit before losing in six games. Philadelphia hasn't won a playoff series since beating New Orleans in the first round in 2003.

Plans changed fast for the Magic.

Lee's injury knocked him out of the game - and possibly longer - and threw off Orlando's rotation. Howard soared high and blocked a shot by Willie Green on the play in the first quarter. Howard's elbow came down on Lee, who was on the floor for a few minutes before going to the locker room for good with a towel to his head. His status for Game 6 was not immediately clear.

What had DiLeo upset was another elbow from Howard.

Howard and Dalembert got tangled up going for a rebound in the first quarter, and Howard was called for a technical foul on the play after he apparently hit Dalembert with his elbow.

Howard said he doesn't feel he should face any suspensions for the hit.

''Very physical in the paint,'' Howard said. ''It's been very physical in the series. All we can do is hope for the best. It's been a dogfight all series. It wasn't like I was out there trying to hurt anybody.''

Van Gundy also had a joking response to DiLeo's comments on the elbow allegation: ''We're going to have the league look at Dwight's elbow on (Lee), too.''

Notes: Iguodala had an X-ray on his injured right thumb afterward that came back negative. ... Howard's previous career playoff high was 22 rebounds against Toronto in the first round last year. ... Lewis said he has a horse in Saturday's Kentucky Derby after one of the favorites, Quality Road, was scratched. Lewis said he is co-owner of Join In The Dance with Todd Pletcher.

Lakers finish opening series with Utah, 4-1

LOS ANGELES -- Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers are moving on in the NBA playoffs -- as if that was really in doubt.

With Bryant making everything from 3-pointers to a fadeaway jumper while falling on his backside, the Lakers ran away from the Utah Jazz on Monday night, winning 107-96 to finish the opening-round series in five games.

Bryant scored 31 points and Lamar Odom had 26 points and 15 rebounds for the Lakers, who earned several days of rest before meeting the winner of the Portland-Houston series.
The Lakers didn't want to have to go back to Salt Lake City, the site of their Game 3 collapse and their Game 4 bounceback.

"I think we had a first-round opponent that was much tougher this year than we did last year," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "I'm not discounting the present Denver team when I talk about last year's Denver team, but we were able to kind of do what we wanted to do with them and were able to sweep them 4-0.
[Photo: Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom celebrates a basket against the Utah Jazz during the second half of an NBA basketball first-round playoff game in Los Angeles, Monday, April 27, 2009. The Lakers won 107-96.]

"I think it will prep us for what we have to do as we go along. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves."

It was a disappointing end for a Jazz team that had high expectations.

"Injuries kind of affected us and we really weren't able to ever get into a rhythm," Utah's Deron Williams said. "We kind of headed downhill toward the playoffs and we just really didn't get the type of effort we needed to win a series."

Although it wasn't the most artistic game at times, the Lakers got the shots to fall when they needed them most.

If there was any question that this was going to be the Lakers' night on their home court, Bryant answered that in the closing seconds of the first half.

He drove the lane and passed to Pau Gasol. The ball was batted loose and Bryant grabbed it, turned and sank a fadeaway jumper as he fell on his rear end, giving the Lakers a 56-43 halftime lead.

By late in the third quarter, the Lakers were toying with the Jazz. Bryant made a layup, hit a 3-pointer and fed Gasol for a slam dunk. Odom added a bucket and just like that it was 80-58.

The crowd spent the ensuing timeout cheering the celebrities shown on the big screen at Staples Center -- John McEnroe, Dustin Hoffman, Glenn Frey and, of course, Jack Nicholson.

The Jazz cut the lead to 93-86 with 4:37 left but Bryant hit a turnaround jumper and Odom finished a fast break with a slam dunk to fend off Utah's late run.

"We're happy that we got the win but, but I don't think we're happy about how we won so we have to pay attention and stay focused on closing games out," Lakers forward Trevor Ariza said.

Paul Millsap led Utah with 16 points while Andrei Kirilenko and Williams had 14 apiece.

Gasol had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Ariza 12 points for the Lakers.

The Lakers weren't particularly sharp in the first quarter, and the Jazz held on for a 26-all tie.

But when the Jazz took out Williams starting the second quarter, the Lakers went on an 8-0 that put them ahead for good. Odom and Bryant each hit a 3-pointer and Bryant made two free throws for a 34-26 lead.

Game notes:
Ariza started for the Lakers and didn't appear bothered by the ankle he sprained during warmups before Game 4 on Saturday night. The news isn't so good about Luke Walton -- he's out for at least one week with a partial ligament tear in his left ankle. ... This was the final game for Jazz broadcaster "Hot" Rod Hundley, who is retiring after his long career. Hundley has been broadcasting Jazz games since they were an expansion team playing in New Orleans in 1974. He made the move to Utah with the rest of the club in 1979. A former star at West Virginia, the 74-year-old Hundley played six NBA seasons for the Lakers before he retired in 1963. Hundley was acknowledged by the PA announcer during a timeout in the fourth quarter and received a nice ovation from the crowd.

NBA: Denver match most lopsided win in NBA Playoff history to take a 3-1 lead over Hornets

NEW ORLEANS -- George Karl scanned two decades of NBA coaching memories and failed to find an instance when one of his teams played as well, from start to finish, as his Denver Nuggets did in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series against New Orleans.But then, no one has seen a playoff whipping as bad as the Nuggets put on the Hornets in more than half a century.

Carmelo Anthony scored all of his 26 points in the first three quarters, and Denver thoroughly dismantled New Orleans 121-63 on Monday night to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

"Every coach talks about playing a playoff game, every possession having value, every possession having intensity to it," Karl began. "I thought my team, probably in my career, I've never seen a team probably do that on every possession -- do what they were supposed to do and play the game the right way -- as much as they did tonight."But then, no one has seen a playoff whipping as bad as the Nuggets put on the Hornets in more than half a century.

[Photo: Denver Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups (7) and forward Carmelo Anthony (15) congratulate each other in the second half of an NBA basketball first-round playoff game in New Orleans, Monday, April 27, 2009. The Nuggets defeated the Hornets 121-63.]

The Nuggets can close out the series at home in Game 5 on Wednesday night. They will if they play as well as they did in Game 4, when they led by 20 early in the second quarter and by a lot more most of the second half.

It was the first time Paul, who did not play in the fourth quarter, scored fewer than 14 points in a playoff game.

"I'm pretty sure Chris Paul is not 100 percent," Karl said. "He doesn't have that slippery quickness he usually has."

Paul, who played 46 minutes and fell hard a few times in the Hornets' Game 3 win, insisted he was fine, "Other than that whooping we just took."

"Every time we tried something, they countered," Paul said. "We didn't play well and they executed their game plan to perfection. ... Understand that while it was embarrassing and they beat us pretty bad, it still was only one game."

However, while New Orleans' only win in the series was by two points, Denver's three wins have all been by double digits, including both games played in Denver.

In Game 4, Denver held New Orleans to only 31.5 percent shooting and forced the Hornets into a franchise playoff-high 27 turnovers, which led to 41 Nuggets points.

The Hornets also recorded playoff lows in points, field goals made (17), field goals attempted (54), assists (10) and second-half points (24). Denver's 121 points set a Hornets opponent playoff high.

"I don't think I've ever had a team play defense like that," Karl said. "Defensively, when you play this well, offense just happens."

Denver shot 57 percent (33-of-58) through the first three quarters, when Chauncey Billups scored all of his 17 points. Nene added 13 points and Dahntay Jones 12.

David West was the Hornets' high scorer with 14 points, while James Posey had 12.

All the starters on both teams were done when the anticlimactic final period began.

Denver dominated early for the second straight game and this time never let up. After West scored the game's opening points, Kenyon Martin dunked on the other end, igniting a 27-6 run. Denver shot 70 percent in the first quarter, taking a 36-15 lead on Jones' 3-pointer.

Denver's torrid shooting continued into the second quarter, with Anthony scoring on acrobatic drives and quick pull-up jumpers. Chris Andersen added a dunk and even a 15-foot fade, putting the Nuggets up 46-22.

New Orleans' frustration began to bubble over. Rasual Butler was called for a technical for pushing Anthony Carter after Carter fouled him on a fast break. The infuriated home crowd began to disparage the officials in unison while Anthony's technical free throw made it 49-24.

The Hornets went without a field goal for a span of 7:48 in the second quarter, scoring only on free throws until Butler's baseline jumper made it 61-39 at halftime.

Nene's inside basket as he was fouled early in the third quarter sparked an 11-0 run that included back-to-back 3s by Anthony and Billups. Martin's jumper made it 71-41 with 9:16 left in the period.

The margin only widened from there, even to the surprise of the Nuggets.

"I wouldn't have thought that we would win by 58 points," Anthony said. "I never thought anyone could win by 58 points in the playoffs."

Game notes:
The Hornets' previous worst playoff loss was by 32 points (96-64) to Atlanta in 1998, when the team was still in Charlotte. ... Denver's previous largest playoff victory margin was 30 (141-111) over San Antonio in 1985. ... Double technicals were called twice in the first half, first on Paul and Martin and later on Posey and Anthony.

Hatton, Manny will knock each other out

BRITISH SUPERSTAR RICKY HATTON declared there will be no winner on points when he finally meets Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao this weekend in Las Vegas.

In last weekend’s third installment of HBO’s 24/7 reality series to promote their fight, Hatton said his style as well as Pacquiao’s skills will only mean a knockout win for either fighter.

“There will definitely be a knockout in the fight,” said Hatton. “Me and Manny don’t exactly tiptoe around the ring and feel each other out. We’re both knockout fighters.”

Hatton’s colorful trainer Floyd Mayweather, Sr. guarantees his fighter will go for the body and stop Pacquiao with brutal body blows.

Mayweather said two of Pacquiao’s three losses were due to punches to the body, something which the American trainer says is still the Filipino’s weakest point.

Both Pacquiao and Hatton are scheduled to be given red carpet arrivals tomorrow. Pacquiao will arrive at the Mandalay Bay around noon while Hatton will be at the MGM Grand Garden Hotel around 1:30 p.m.

Pacquiao and Hatton will square off this Sunday morning (Manila time) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Although under instructions to take a rest, Pacquiao was so pumped up he defied conditioning expert Alex Ariza on Sunday and jogged for 30 minutes at the nearby Pan Pacific Park in Hollywood.

Pacquiao did some sprints and playfully cleared three hurdles, shadow-boxed for a few minutes and then capped his “day-off” by doing 1,200 sit-ups.

“Maintain na lang (Just maintain it),” Pacquiao said. Pacquiao earlier attended the 8:30 a.m. mass at the Christ the King Church, about a kilometer from the Wild Card Cym.

NOTES: Michael Koncz topped Pacquiao’s weight challenge and pocketed $10,000 Sunday. Koncz, who handles some of Pacquiao’s business deals, was able to shed off 24 lb from his weight when the contest started. There were 74 participants and all those who were able to lose 10 percent of their original weight won $3,000 each. Since 56 passed the challenge, first held during the Pacquiao-De La Hoya showdown, Pacquiao will hand out $175,000 (about P8.2 million) on Monday. Ariza emerged the winner last year, when $2,000 was given to the successful weight losers.

Pacquaio arrives in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS — Manny Pacquiao slipped into this glitzy entertainment haven Monday night (Tuesday in Manila) primed up for battle against Ricky Hatton on May 2.

Accompanied by a big entourage, Pacquiao rode in the lead car (a Lincoln Navigator) with wife Jinkee, trainer Buboy Fernandez and his wife Claire, and Atlanta Olympic silver medalist Onyok Velasco.

They were followed by other members of the big entourage ferried from Hollywood by six other vehicles and a 56-seater luxury bus painted with Pacquiao images’ and that of Hatton.

After partaking of dinner consisting of white rice, chicken adobo, beef stew and caldereta, sweet and sour fish and pancit, at Pacquiao’s suite at Mandalay Bay’s hotel, team members fanned away, weary from the 320-kilometer four-hour journey.

Pacquiao, however, was in high spirits, obliging for a quick interview with Manila-based journalists before retiring to bed.

At the hotel lobby, betting odds showed that Pacquiao remains to be favored over Hatton. Pacquiao was listed at -270 while Hatton was at +230 as of 11 p.m. Monday.

It means a $270 bet on Pacquiao will yield only $100, while a $100 bet for the British “Hitman” will net $230.

The odds, however, are expected to change when Hatton’s British fans started arriving to this city of bright lights.

In 2007, an estimated 35,000 Britons flew in from England and supported Hatton in his failed bid to wrest the WBC welterweight crown from Floyd Mayweather.

For the Pacquiao-Hatton bout, which is a guaranteed blockbuster, Britons have reportedly cornered 70 percent of the 16,300 tickets sold.

Due to the perceived toughness of both fighters, majority of fight enthusiasts think the bout set at the MGM Grand will go the full 12 rounds. They outnumbered bettors favoring a quick ending.

Pacquiao, the world’s best pound-for-pound titlist, is favored to win (2-1). A knockout victory by Pacquiao was listed at even while a knockout by Hatton was placed at 16/5.

The fighters’ grand arrivals will be staged Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila), with Pacquiao coming in at noon and Hatton at 1:30 p.m.

Boxing: Pacman declares he's ready

HOLLYWOOD – It’s not the weight, but the impact of the punches that matters.

A reinvigorated Manny Pacquiao said he didn’t care if Ricky Hatton would come in heavier for their “Battle of East and West” date on May 2 (May 3 in Manila) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“It’s OK if he comes in at 150 [pounds] or over,” said Pacquiao in Filipino. “It’s the punches that will decide the outcome.”

Though betting odds are heavily stacked in his favor at minus 285 – meaning a $285 bet wins just $100 if he prevails, Pacquiao refuses to be complacent.

“I’m already in top condition, but we can’t really tell until the fight is over,” he said. “Hatton is just as fast, he’s also good, strong and a champion.”

Pacquiao even prefers to consider himself as the underdog.

“Let’s not presume that this is going to be an easy fight, that I have the advantage” the General Santos lefty told Manila-based sportswriters over lunch at Nat’s Thai Restaurant, which is just a few steps away from the gym.

“Come fight night, it’s our hands that will do the talking in the ring. Let’s not say anything, so that we can’t be blamed whatever happens.”

Nibbling on fresh strawberries and slices of watermelon while signing autographs, Pacquiao said he felt he was in the same condition now as when he beat Oscar De La Hoya into retirement last December 6, also in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao said he’s totally focused on taking away Hatton’s International Boxing Organization light welterweight crown and that weight was the least of his concerns.

According to Pacquiao, he pigged out on his favorite foods Wednesday last week, when Roach ordered him not to do gym work. Despite the extra food, he still tipped the scales at 147 pounds.

Asked about Hatton’s supposedly dirty tactics and brawling style, the Filipino ring superstar said he was not worried as Roach and chief assistant Michael Moorer have devised strategies to counter them.

Pacquiao said he would prefer that Hatton would fight him toe-to-toe because they have the same style. He said he would need to be careful to avoid the enemy’s phantom punch.

“When the bell rings, let’s get it on,” said the only Asian four-division world champion. “The fight lasts just 30 to 40 minutes, but we trained for two months.

“All I can say is I’m ready.”

NBA: Hawks tie series at 2 with first road playoff win in nearly 12 years

MIAMI -- Zaza Pachulia's right eye was black, and his face was dotted with nicks and scrapes.

"I look like Rocky Balboa," the Atlanta forward said.

Fought like him, too.

So did the rest of the Hawks, who finally showed they can take a punch on the road at playoff time.Mike Bibby scored 15 points, Pachulia had 12 points and 18 rebounds, and Atlanta frustrated an ailing Dwyane Wade endlessly to beat the Miami Heat 81-71 Monday night, tying the first-round Eastern Conference series at two games apiece.

It was Atlanta's first road postseason win in nearly 12 years, a stretch spanning 13 games, and ended a slide where the Hawks got pounded by 132 points in their most recent five playoff games played away from home."It's not over," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "We've got to go home now. We survived this trip and we've got to go home and handle our business at home in Game 5."That comes Wednesday, and all the Hawks need is to defend their home court twice to get a second-round shot against LeBron James and Cleveland.

Joe Johnson added 14 and Josh Smith 13 for the Hawks.

Wade scored 22 points, shooting 9-for-26 and wincing from back spasms that started at the morning shootaround, flared in the first quarter and continued from there. Jermaine O'Neal scored 20 points and James Jones added 19 -- 10 of them coming in a spectacular first-half spurt -- for the Heat, who shot 38 percent and never led.

"I hope that everyone understands that this is the playoffs," Wade said. "This is how it's going to be. We've got to go up to Atlanta, in a hostile environment, and play the same way we've been playing."

First, though, the Heat will see if Wade can get his back right.

He was hurting so badly, Jones said, that "any other player probably would have sat out."

"We didn't do a good job lifting him up tonight," Jones said.

Knowing the Hawks would want no part of a 3-1 deficit, the Heat expected Atlanta's best shot.

They got it.

The Heat shot 5-for-23 in the first 21 minutes, digging a 21-point hole. At one point, Miami nearly had as many fouls (15) as points (19), Wade had four airballs (arguing he was fouled on two), and the Heat were unraveling.

"He's still going to score points but we made him work on every play," said Hawks guard Flip Murray, who scored 11 points. "A total team effort. Every time he got past one guy, there was another guy there to contest."

When Pachulia tipped in Murray's missed 3-pointer for a 44-23 lead, he looked at his teammates on the Atlanta bench and started punching the air.

"Zaza was huge throughout the whole game," Woodson said. "I mean, 18 rebounds, 12 points for us, and we needed all that tonight to survive."

Coincidentally, when Pachulia started punching, Miami started to fight.

A 19-2 run closed the half, with Jones needing only 41 seconds to get 10 points -- the last eight coming in (probably) never-before-seen fashion, with a pair of four-point plays 11 seconds apart.

The Heat sharpshooter made a 3-pointer with 2:26 remaining, got fouled by Solomon Jones and swished the free throw. Miami immediately got the ball back when Bibby ran over Mario Chalmers, and with 2:15 left, James Jones struck again.

He connected from the left side, got fouled by Bibby, made that free throw as well and Miami clawed within 46-42 at halftime.

Even the Elias Sports Bureau, which tracks nearly every stat imaginable, didn't know if anyone else had pulled off that feat as quickly as Jones. Others have made a pair of four-point plays in a game, including Gilbert Arenas, Michael Redd and Tracy McGrady.

Longtime Heat assistant coach Keith Askins did it in an NCAA game for Alabama against Florida on March 12, 1989, his 4s coming 51 seconds apart.

"It was crazy," Jones said. "The second time, I was kind of shocked."

Either way, it was for naught. Atlanta's lead was never smaller than three after halftime, and the Hawks led by as many as 13 points in the final quarter.

"This is the playoffs," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We just have to focus the next 48 hours on getting healthy, getting our minds right, getting prepared and going up there and getting a game."

Game notes:
The Heat granted reserve C Mark Blount a leave of absence to tend to personal matters related to the death of a close relative in Haiti. ... Seven players had two fouls before the game was 13 minutes old.

PBA All Stars Defeat Team Pilipinas

For coach Yeng Guiao, his Powerade Team Pilipinas learned a lot more in one loss they suffered Sunday night than in four games they had won earlier.

"We're just learning the deeper character of the players that we have. The true test of character is in adversity. We need adversity to test the players' character. And I'm happy with what I've seen," said Guiao.

The RP mentor had this remark moments after the Nationals were beaten by the reinforced PBA All Stars, 89-97, in the climax of the 2009 Motolite PBA All Star Week at the Araneta Coliseum.

The All Stars sent the Nationals' streak to a screeching halt after the RP squad swept its two-game goodwill series versus an Australian selection then won the first two games of the 2009 All Star festivities.

PBA All-Star coach Chot Reyes, mentor of the RP team that placed ninth in the 2007 FIBA Asia championship in Tokushima, Japan, himself was impressed with what he has seen with Guiao's team.

"I'm grading them very high, about 85 to 90 percent. I gave them a high mark as they play very hard, tough on defense and show excellent teamwork," said Reyes.

"No question, this team has a lot of athletic players. With their athletic ability, if the wingmen hit the outside shots, they will be very, very strong. It will be a fantastic team," Reyes added.

Reyes maximized the use of imports David Noel, Gabe Freeman, Anthony Johnson and Jai Lewis as the All Stars foiled the Nationals' bid to complete a sweep of the three-game series backed by Powerade, Coca-Cola, Nike, Accel and Phoenix Fuel.

Noel, the Ginebra import, had a great night, topping the slam dunk contest then leading the All Stars to their eight-point conquest of the Nationals.

The former North Carolina Tar Heel churned out 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in a solid 26-minute outing. He was later named the game's MVP.

"It was a tough game and we're lucky we had four imports on our side. This is a learning process for the RP team and we came out to contribute something to them. We played a game this team would encounter in the international competition," said Reyes.

"It was a loss which can be useful for us. We could have fall into a false sense of security had we won the game," said Guiao, on the other hand. "Despite the loss, I'm still very positive with the progress of the team."

As in their initial outings, the Nationals played a balanced offensive game with Arwind Santos topscoring with 18 and James Yap, Mick Pennisi and Willie Miller adding at least 11 each.

Kelly Williams missed the game as he's down with an ailment.

Ranged against the starters of the North and South All Stars reinforced by four imports, the Nationals put up a tough stand, engaging their rivals in 10 dead locks and 11 lead changes.

They were ahead by five at 83-78 but were outmaneuvered by the All Stars in the homestretch.

Noel tossed in nine of his 18 points in the final quarter, capping his exploits with a personal five-point binge that gave the All Stars a 94-86 lead with 2:46 left to play. (NC)

The scores:
PBA All Stars Selection 97 - Noel 18, Washington 15, Freeman 12, Alapag 12, Johnson 10, Lewis 8, Cardona 6, Artadi 5, Pena 4, Menk 4, Villanueva 3, Hontiveros 0.

Powerade Team Pilipinas 89 - Santos 18, Yap 13, Pennisi 13, Miller 11, De Ocampo 8, Raymundo 7, Dillenger 5, Norwood 4, Taulava 4, Helterbrand 3, Thoss 2, Baguio 1, Reyes O.

Quarterscores: 24-23, 46-46, 71-71, 97-89

Tennis: Nadal wins fifth consecutive Barcelona title

BARCELONA, Spain (AP)—Rafael Nadal won his fifth straight Barcelona Open title on Sunday, beating fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 6-2, 7-5.

Top-ranked Nadal exploited Ferrer’s inconsistent service game to take the first set and then overcame his own erratic play in the second set to win the Godo trophy at Ferrer’s expense for the second straight year.

Nadal was coming off a record fifth straight Monte Carlos Masters title and improved to 24-1 in clay court finals in picking up his fourth title of the season.

The four-time defending French Open champion goes into the Rome Masters on a 25-match unbeaten run with only three defeats in his last 133 matches on clay.

Nadal and Ferrer traded breaks in the first two games before Ferrer’s service game became erratic—he hit four double faults—and Nadal broke him twice more to take a 5-1 lead.

Nadal rifled an ace down the middle to take the set. Ferrer managed only four winners alongside 16 of his 41 unforced errors.

The players traded breaks to open the second set before Ferrer improved, while Nadal uncharacteristically sprayed his shots and finished with 21 unforced errors.

Tied at 5-5, Ferrer sailed a forehand wide to hand Nadal a triple-break chance. Nadal missed the first two tries but converted his sixth break point of the game when Ferrer netted.

Nadal won for the 35th time in 44 finals.

NBA: Hornets bounce back; Denver leads series at 2-1

NEW ORLEANS -- In a relieved New Orleans locker room, Chris Paul and James Posey chatted about all of the hard fouls, all of the flying bodies that more than anything defined the Hornets' first win of this postseason."This is the fun part of the playoffs, all the contact, all the flagrant fouls," Paul said. "You never want anyone to get hurt, but after it's all said and done, you smile about it because that's the nature of the sport."

Playing a grueling 46 minutes and shaking off a hard foul committed against him, Paul had 32 points and 12 assists, helping New Orleans hold on for a 95-93 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday in Game 3 of their first-round series.

The Hornets cut Denver's lead in the series to 2-1, with Game 4 on Monday night.

Posey, who sprained his right knee in the first quarter but returned before halftime, had 13 points and nine rebounds, none more important than his last, which came after Carmelo Anthony's jumper for the lead bounced out with under 5 seconds left.

Posey also played the last 4:39 with five fouls.

"I wanted to finish out the game, just be smart about it," Posey said. "The fouls I did commit, I felt were needed at the time -- nothing easy, make them earn it at the free throw line."The game was loaded with hard fouls; there were 58 personal fouls called in all, 29 on each team. Two players on each team fouled out -- David West and Tyson Chandler for New Orleans, and Nene and Kenyon Martin for Denver.

Chandler, Posey and Denver's Chauncey Billups were called for flagrant fouls. J.R. Smith was called for a technical foul after he collided with Paul late in the third quarter, sending Paul crashing to the court during a fast break.

Breathing heavily and in pain, Paul seemed in no hurry to get up, but eventually made his way to the foul line and hit a pair of key free throws.

Paul's only rest came early in the fourth quarter, with the Hornets leading by eight. He sat for only two minutes.

"I had in my mind that CP was going to play the whole 48," said Hornets coach Byron Scott. "He came out and played like the best point guard in the world. He understood what was at stake."

Scott also was called for technical foul when he argued with official Bennett Salvatore over the flagrant called on Posey, during which the Hornets forward grabbed Chris Andersen to stop him from scoring and Andersen fell.

"It was a terrible call," Scott said. "Chauncey Billups' [flagrant] foul on Rasual [Butler], if it would have been James Posey, they probably would have thrown him out of the game. Posey didn't do anything. He tried to hold [Andersen] up on the foul. It was a good hard foul, but to get a flagrant on the foul, you have to almost throw the guy down as well. It was a terrible call."

Billups gave Butler a bloody nose on his hard foul during a Hornets fast break, and Butler crashed to the floor and slid across the baseline.

Before the game, Scott had his son give Paul a note reminding the point guard that great players aren't always great -- just most of the time. Paul understood it as a message to forget about losses in the series' first two games and rise to the occasion with the team desperate to win Game 3.

"He's so good that he'll always get something going," Denver coach George Karl said. "But this was the first night where he kind of got everything."

Paul shot 11-of-20 with two 3-pointers and was 8-of-9 from the free throw line. He also helped the Hornets slow down Billups, who'd surpassed 30 points in each of the first two games, but finished with 16 points in Game 3.

Denver shot 40.5 percent after shooting 50 percent in each of the first two games.

"The only disappointing part of the game was our offense," Karl said. "I thought we settled. ... They were doubling Melo and I don't think we took advantage of that the way we were capable of."

Anthony still scored 25 points.

West had 19 points and nine rebounds for New Orleans. Butler scored 17 points and Sean Marks, one of only three Hornets reserves to play in the game, made key contributions with eight points and six rebounds.

Denver led 10-0 in the opening minutes and 20-6 when the Hornets took their second timeout. While Paul made four of his first five shots, his teammates were 0-for-11 until Posey's 3. Posey wound up scoring 10 points during a 13-2 run that got New Orleans back in the game. Marks added an inside basket as he was fouled.

"The game could have really gotten ugly for us," Paul said. "Those guys kept us in it."

New Orleans fought back and led by as much as 90-79 with 3:13 to go. Denver had a 7-0 run in the last 1:23, starting with Anthony's 3. Linas Kleiza then stole Peja Stojakovic's inbound pass and Denver set up for the potential winning shot.

Anthony tried to pass to Martin, who was open underneath, but Marks tipped it away as the Hornets defense collapsed inside. Anthony grabbed the ball, dribbled left and took a rushed jumper that bounced out.

Game notes
Anthony hurt his right elbow in the fourth quarter. Team officials said the injury was a contusion and that he was probable for Game 4. ... The Hornets outscored the Nuggets 29-21 in the second period, the first time this series New Orleans had outscored Denver in a quarter.

Miami Heat cruise to a 2-1 series lead over Atlanta

MIAMI -- Dwyane Wade swished a 3-pointer, then turned and shook his hand like it was burning.

Yep, Wade and the Miami Heat are that hot right now.Wade finished with 29 points and eight assists, Jermaine O'Neal added 22 points and 10 rebounds, and the Heat extended Atlanta's decade-plus road playoff drought, beating the Hawks 107-78 Saturday night in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round matchup.

It was over early: Atlanta missed 17 of its first 19 shots, and a 25-6 Heat run to end the first half pushed the lead to 50-29.

"We knew there would be a lot of energy in the building, so we played off that early," Wade said. "And defensively we came out very tough."Josh Smith, Al Horford and Mike Bibby scored 13 apiece for Atlanta, which is 0-12 in road playoff games since May 8, 1997, losing all but one by at least 10 points.The Heat lead the series 2-1 and host Game 4 Monday night.

"No more excuses," Horford said. "We're going to have to bring it fuego on Monday."

When teams split the first two games of an NBA series, the Game 3 winner advances 76 percent of the time. And in recent years, the edge has been even more pronounced -- of the last 27 series that were tied at 1-1, the Game 3 winner ultimately prevailed on 22 occasions.

That's a bad sign for the Hawks.
"By any means, we're not out of it," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "But we can't come out and give effort like we did tonight. I just thought the Heat did everything that they were supposed to do and we just didn't answer the bell tonight."

Before the game, the Hawks learned starting small forward Marvin Williams would sit out with a wrist injury. Their first shot of the night was from Horford, a 15-foot jumper that fell 2 feet shy of the rim.

It only got worse from there, especially with Wade at his highlight-reel best.

Defensively, he set the tone with a two-hand erasure of a shot by Mo Evans in the opening minutes, then a high-rising effort to swat an offering from Zaza Pachulia into the most expensive seats late in the third. Plus, he had dunks over two of the Hawks' biggest challengers -- Smith got out of Wade's way on one, and Horford offered little resistance on another.

"D-Wade is kind of at another level right now," O'Neal said.

But just like in Game 2, when Miami took home-court advantage, Wade hardly had to go it alone. Mario Chalmers scored 15 points, Udonis Haslem came through with 12 points and 13 rebounds, and James Jones finished with 11 points for the Heat.

"It's not so much Wade, but that supporting cast that is making such a difference," Smith said. "If we can't stop them, it's going to make them a very tough team to beat."

Miami hit 12 shots from 3-point range -- giving the Heat 27 in the last two games -- and outrebounded Atlanta 48-35. For good measure, the Heat were a perfect 17-for-17 from the foul line.
The sellout, noisemaker-clanging, black-clad crowd had cause for mild concern late in the third, when Bibby hit a 3-pointer and Horford followed with a dunk to get Atlanta within 72-61.
The Heat regained control -- quickly.

Wade set up Jones for a 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left in the third, found Chalmers for another 3-pointer to open the fourth, and it soon became a full-fledged rout.
The Hawks started the fourth 0-for-7, and when Smith got one to finally drop with 4:50 left, it only cut the deficit to 95-70.

"All of this doesn't really mean anything unless you get this next game," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Atlanta left thinking the same thing, that a win Monday changes everything.

"This series is far from over," Bibby said, "but we need to get the next one."

NBA: Lakers extend series lead to 3-1

SALT LAKE CITY -- It took Kobe Bryant only a few minutes to end his shooting slump.

Bryant scored Los Angeles' first 11 points and once his teammates joined in, the Lakers overwhelmed the Jazz 108-94 on Saturday night and moved within one game of advancing to the second round."It was important for me to come out and be a little more assertive," said Bryant, who scored 38 two nights after one of his worst shooting games in years.

Bryant went 16-for-24, erasing any memories of his 5-for-24 night Thursday in the Lakers' only loss of the series.

"We never could get close enough to guard him," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "I think he put everyone on his back and got them off to the way they wanted to play."

He scored in double figures in each of the first three quarters and more than doubled his scoring from Game 4.

"Coming off that semi-bad performance -- that horrible performance I had in that last game," Bryant said with a grin, "it feels good to respond with a game like this."Lamar Odom had 10 points and 15 rebounds and Pau Gasol added 13 points for the Lakers, who host Game 5 on Monday night.The Jazz won Game 3 on Thursday, holding Bryant to 18 points. That got Utah within 2-1 in the series, but also stirred Bryant and the Jazz paid for it."You could see he came out on a mission tonight," said Deron Williams, who had 23 points and 13 assists for the Jazz.

Carlos Boozer also scored 23 and pulled down 16 rebounds for Utah.

The Lakers staggered the Jazz with 40 points in the second quarter, then completed the knockout in the third with defense, holding Utah to just 16 points. The Jazz hurt themselves by going 2-for-6 from the foul line and were outrebounded 15-8 and the Lakers stretched the lead to 19.

"We put two quarters together tonight in the middle of the game that gave us some advantage and we were able to walk this one home," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.

Utah got within five twice early in the third, then Bryant and the Lakers smothered the comeback. Bryant scored six during an 8-2 run, hitting two jumpers and adding two free throws to put the Lakers up 72-61 with 7:54 left in the period.

"He came out extremely aggressive," Gasol said. "You could tell he was ready to leave that Game 3 behind."

Gasol and Odom shut down the lane, keeping the Jazz from establish much inside. When the Jazz did get down low, they missed and didn't get the foul calls they wanted."We thought we'd put a better effort forward tonight," Williams said. "I was kind of disappointed in the way we came out and disappointed our fans a little bit."

Utah's usually-rowdy fans were leaving throughout the fourth quarter of what may well have been the final home game of the season. The Lakers first silenced the crowd in the second period, making 12 of their first 18 shots and finished the period 14-for-20, outscoring the Jazz 40-28 while taking a 60-53 halftime lead.

Luke Walton, Sasha Vujacic and Shannon Brown made consecutive 3-pointers for the Lakers during a 9-2 spurt that put Los Angeles ahead 36-34 while Bryant rested on the bench. Bryant returned with 7:02 left in the second and led the Lakers on a 7-2 run, slipping in a reverse layup after a turnover to put the Lakers ahead 43-36 and prompting a timeout by Utah with 5:10 left.

"He was hot right off the bat and continued his onslaught basically during the course of the half," Jackson said.

Utah managed to cut it to 60-53 at halftime. Williams made two foul shots with 3.9 seconds left, then Boozer tipped Walton's long inbounds pass back to Williams, who drove for a layup and drew a foul on Walton with 0.2 seconds left. Williams made the free throw and the Lakers' lead was down to seven points after standing at 12 just four seconds earlier.

Center Mehmet Okur returned for Utah in his first game since straining his right hamstring April 13 and was obviously rusty after the layoff, finishing with two rebounds and no points.

Utah lost the first two games of the series in Los Angeles and went 0-3 there last year in the second round when the Lakers knocked out the Jazz in six games.

"The series is not over. We've still got a little hope," Williams said. "We know it's going to be tough to win 3 in a row against these guys, but we should be playing free and loose."

Game notes
Bryant was 6-for-8 in first quarter, scoring 13 to keep the Lakers close. ... Fisher was the first Laker other than Bryant to score, hitting a 20-footer with 4:54 left in the first quarter. ... Andrei Kirilenko had 15 points and Kyle Korver scored 12 for Utah.

Celtics roll in Chicago, take 2-1 series lead

CHICAGO - Paul Pierce [stats] said don’t worry about his tender game. Rajon Rondo [stats] said don’t worry about his tender ankle.

And Doc Rivers said don’t shed any tears for his defense, which, after giving up an average of 110 points in the first two games, produced one colossal stop in the Celtics [team stats]’ 107-86 Game 3 win against the Bulls last night.

Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon, so hot respectively in Games 1 and 2, were a combined 9-for-27 from the field, as the C’s rediscovered their inner defender.

“I was thrilled with the way we played,” Rivers said. “I don’t know if we got them rattled. We were more concerned with ourselves, and for two days I heard we couldn’t play defense.”

The victims of that talk were the players, who were marched through even a higher concentration of defensive retooling during the previous two days of practice.

But only the Bulls had cause to gripe last night.

After moving to Chicago’s tune during the first two games, the Celtics dictated the pace. The Bulls shot 37.5 percent from the floor, the C’s ran off their stops and enjoyed their most efficient night of the series.

Indeed, Pierce was the picture of efficiency, a 9-of-15, 24-point performance that included a 12-point first quarter and an 18-point first half.

Rondo, again playing as if his sore right ankle wasn’t an issue, muscled his way to 20 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and five steals.Just as quickly as they lost homecourt advantage in a Game 1 overtime loss at the Garden on Saturday, the Celtics grabbed it back with an overwhelming burst last night. Pierce hit his first six shots, including daggers on three straight possessions. And when he left with foul trouble late in the first quarter, Rondo added pressure with a 16-point, eight-rebound opening half.

The point guard also kept the game moving in fifth gear, with the mistake-prone Bulls carrying 19 turnovers into the fourth quarter.

The hosts trailed by 25 points at that juncture, with the heroes of their first two nights - Gordon and Rose - shooting a combined 8-of-23.

Gordon was better late than early, which was part of the problem.
The C’s buried the Bulls with a three-trey barrage in the last 1:38 of the second, including a 28-footer from Stephon Marbury and back-to-back bombs from Ray Allen.
The Celtics went through a similar spurt midway through the third with an 8-0 run that included back-to-back treys from Allen and Pierce.
The Celtics led, 83-58, at the start of the fourth.The rest was gravy, or, more to the point, garbage time.
“We know what kind of team we are, and the way we played tonight is the way we want to play,” Pierce said. “We felt that even though we won the last game, it wasn’t the way we wanted to play. We felt that tonight was the way we wanted to play offensively. Defensively we were controlling the boards, we were causing turnovers, and we were limiting their score options.”
But for Pierce, the bar still can be raised.
“We feel like we can still play better basketball,” he said. “Tonight we tried to play a little bit harder and a little bit faster. I thought we did a good job of winning the 50-50 battle - plays where there were loose balls we had a chance to get and they had a chance to get. I thought we did a great job of getting those 50-50 plays.”

And, as a result, a 2-1 edge in their first-round series with Game 4 looming Sunday afternoon.