CHICAGO — John Wall scored 24 points to lead the Washington Wizards to a 75-69 victory over the Chicago Bulls and into the second round of the NBA playoffs Tuesday. 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. 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. Kirk Hinrich and Butler netted 16 points apiece for the Bulls, who shot just 33.3 percent from the floor and scored just 11 points in the third quarter. Chicago lost Taj Gibson to a sprained left ankle in the fourth quarter. Gibson hit the court holding his ankle after he tried to block Wall and apparently came down on the Washington player's foot. Chicago's NBA Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah also appeared to be hobbled in the second half, massaging his right thigh above the knee. Noah still managed six points, seven assists and 18 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to stave off elimination for a Bulls team that started the season buoyed by the return of star Derrick Rose, only for Rose to suffer another season-ending knee injury in November. The Bulls didn't go down without a fight. Trailing by nine going into the final quarter, Chicago pulled within 72-69 after D.J. Augustin's two free throws with 2:18 to play, but the Bulls couldn't get over the hump. Clippers 113, Warriors 103: DeAndre Jordan scored 25 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and blocked four shots, leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a 113-103 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game Five of a Western Conference first round playoff. With the victory that came hours after NBA commissioner Adam Silver handed a lifetime ban to Clippers owner Donald Sterling due to racist comments, Los Angeles took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Los Angeles point guard Chris Paul had 20 points, including 13 in the second half, plus seven assists, six rebounds and five steals. Clippers forward Blake Griffin, who was plagued by foul trouble, had an uneven outing, finishing with 18 points and seven rebounds. Klay Thompson scored 21 points for the Warriors, who led 70-69 late in the third quarter before Los Angles closed with an 8-0 run and never relinquished control. Grizzlies 100, Thunder 99 (OT): Mike Miller scored 21 points off the bench to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to an overtime win over the Oklahoma City Thunder and a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game Six is Thursday in Memphis where the Grizzlies can clinch the series and upset the seventh-seeded Thunder. This was the fourth straight game the teams have gone into an extra quarter, and the Thunder had to fight back from a 20-point deficit in the third to get this one into overtime. Kevin Durant scored 26 points but his last-second three-pointer missed, and team mate Serge Ibaka made a putback just after the buzzer. Zach Randolph posted 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies and Mike Conley added 17 points. Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook tallied 30 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds but made just 10 of 31 shots. — Agencies
