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game 5

Another dramatic finish as Memphis take lead over OKC while Clippers win on historic day

But Benny The Bull couldn’t stop Washington advancing past Chicago and into the second round.

MIKE MILLER SCORED 21 points last night as Memphis edged Oklahoma City 100-99 in yet another overtime thriller to take the lead in their NBA Western Conference first-round playoff series.

The Grizzlies took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series as the evenly matched clubs went to overtime for an unprecedented fourth straight game.

The victory was confirmed after Thunder forward Serge Ibaka’s tip-in was ruled too late — just a fraction of a second after the buzzer to end overtime sounded.

Boswell Figueroa / YouTube

Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook stripped Mike Conley at the top of the key and drove for an uncontested layup with four seconds left in regulation as the Thunder forced overtime.

Thunder star Kevin Durant had a chance to equalize again late in overtime. But after he had hit the first of two free throw attempts with 27.5 seconds remaining, referee Joey Crawford physically stopped the 87-percent free throw shooter from attempting his second try as a problem at the scorer’s table was resolved.

When Durant play resumed, Durant bounced his second attempt off the rim, and he hit the rim again on a tough jump shot as the clock was winding down.

Ibaka’s acrobatic follow-up went in, but a review showed it left his hand after time expired.

Zach Randolph added 20 points and 10 rebounds for Memphis, who host game six on Thursday with a chance to eliminate the Thunder.

Westbrook finished with a triple-double of 30 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds, and Durant scored 26 points with eight rebounds in the setback, in which the Thunder turned the ball over 17 times and shot under 40 percent (39.1) for the fourth successive game.

Clippers energised

Hours after team owner Donald Silver was issued a ban by the NBA, the LA Clippers put one foot in the second round of the playoffs; a 113 – 103 win over the Golden State Warriors giving them a 3 – 2 advantage in the series.

“I was really proud of them,” said coach ‘Doc’ Rivers. “I thought you could see them getting tired from all the emotional baggage over the last four days.”

Ashok Gamer / YouTube

DeAndre Jordan scored 25 points and pulled down 18 rebounds for the Clippers. Chris Paul finished with 20 points and seven assists and Blake Griffin seven assists and 18 points included the above monster dunk.

Wizards Bulls Basketball AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

In a much less dramatic encounter, John Wall scored 24 points to help the Washington Wizards to a 75-69 victory over the Chicago Bulls and into the second round of the NBA playoffs.

Wall added seven rebounds and four assists in the victory, which gave the Wizards a 4-1 triumph over the Bulls in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series.

Washington’s Brazilian big man Nene, who returned after serving his one-game suspension for grabbing the head of Chicago’s Jimmy Butler’s in game three, scored 20 points and pulled down seven rebounds.

NBA Playoffs / YouTube

Bradley Beal added 17 points for the Wizards, who are in the playoffs for the first time since 2008 and last won a post-season series in 2005, when they beat the Bulls in the first round.

The fifth-seeded Wizards will face either Indiana or Atlanta in the second round.

- © AFP, 2014

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