Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry shoots past New Orleans Pelicans' Tyreke Evans (L), Quincy Pondexter (2nd R) and Anthony Davis during Game 1 of their NBA playoffs in Oakland Saturday. — AP OAKLAND — The Golden State Warriors powered to a big lead Saturday, but had to battle late to hold off the New Orleans Pelicans 106-99 in the first game of the NBA Western Conference playoffs. Stephen Curry scored 34 points and the Warriors looked like living up to their status as the top team in the regular-season with a blowout. But the battle-hardened Pelicans, who didn't lock up the last playoff berth in the West until the final night of the regular season, just wouldn't go away. New Orleans put together a 14-0 scoring run bridging the third and fourth quarters, trimming a 25-point deficit to 11. Curry and Klay Thompson responded for Golden State, draining back-to-back three-pointers to launch a 7-0 run for the hosts. The Pelicans fashioned a 7-0 run of their own to pull within 93-83 with less than four minutes to play. New Orleans trimmed the deficit to four in the final minute, but couldn't get any closer. Rockets 118, Mavericks 108: James Harden and the Rockets got some much-needed help off their bench from Corey Brewer, who tallied a dozen fourth-quarter points as Houston beat Dallas at Toyota Center in Game 1. Brewer nailed three three-pointers during a three-minute stretch in the fourth to help carry the Rockets to a 1-0 series lead. The Rockets held on despite center Dwight Howard being plagued by fouls. He compiled 11 points, five rebounds and five blocks in just 17 minutes. Howard picked up his fifth foul at the 8:08 mark of the fourth, but instead of folding like they did without Howard in the second quarter, the Rockets rallied. Harden finished with 24 points and 11 assists while Brewer added 15 points in 23 minutes off the bench. Rockets forwards Trevor Ariza (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Terrence Jones (19 points, nine rebounds) contributed to the scoring balance, keyed in part by former Mavericks guard Jason Terry, who nailed four three-pointers and had with 16 points. Bulls 103, Bucks 91: Jimmy Butler scored 25 points, Derrick Rose had 23 as Chicago overcame 19 turnovers in a win over Milwaukee in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference at the United Center. The series resumes Monday night in Chicago. Despite the struggles with turning the ball over, the Bulls — who also got 13 points from reserve forward Aaron Brooks — maintained a double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter. The Bucks struggled from the field, shooting only 39.3 percent. Wizards 93, Raptors 86: Visiting Washington outscored Toronto 11-4 in the overtime in winning the opener of their first-round playoff series. Forward Paul Pierce started the overtime with a three-pointer and scored 20 points to lead the Wizards, who let a 15-point lead slip away in the fourth quarter before winning. Guard Bradley Beal added 16 points for Washington and forward Nene contributed 12 points and 13 rebounds. Forward Amir Johnson came off the bench to lead the Raptors with 18 points and guard DeMar DeRozan added 15 points. — Agencies
