John Bagley went to the Boston Celtics' training camp overweight and overlooked. Saturday, he was overwhelming, especially in overtime.
Given little chance to make the team after missing last season with a knee injury, he gave the Indiana Pacers little chance of playoff survival.Bagley matched his career high of 35 points, had 15 assists and led the Celtics from a 108-104 overtime deficit to a 119-112 win and a 2-0 series lead.
"Bags," Boston's Kevin McHale said. "He was bigger than Alaska today."
"What can you say about Bags?" Boston coach Chris Ford said. "He was playing so well, I couldn't find the time to take him out. He's been our lifesaver. Today he had one of the best games of his career."
The Celtics can clinch the best-of-5 Eastern Conference quarterfinal series by winning Monday or Thursday night at Indiana.
Bagley made all 12 of his free throws and had four rebounds, two steals and three turnovers while running the offense for 43 minutes. Of Boston's six overtime baskets, Bagley scored two and assisted on the last three.
"The offense had to come from the point guard position because they were double-teaming everything else," Bagley said. "I was able to make the penetration. I just took advantage of what (the Pacers) gave me."
In training camp, Boston had Brian Shaw and Dee Brown at point guard. But a knee injury to Brown left a vacancy, and the trade of Shaw to Miami put Bagley in a key role.
Saturday, "John Bagley was making us look like fools," Indiana coach Bob Hill said.
The Celtics won their 10th straight game and 17th of 18 while pushing their winning streak at Boston to 19 games. They played their 10th straight game without Larry Bird, suffering from back pain, and seventh in a row without Brown, sidelined with acute viral syndrome.
"Bags is leading us now just like Larry did when he was healthy," Rick Fox said.
Bagley's other 35-point game was Feb. 4, 1985, against Washington. His playoff high had been 22. Robert Parish had 23 points and Kevin Gamble 19.
Reggie Miller had 20 points and Detlef Schrempf 19.
Trail Blazers 101, Lakers 79
At Portland, for most of this NBA season, Kevin Duckworth felt unappreciated and unhappy.
All that insecurity evaporated with a 19-point, nine-rebound playoff performance against the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday.
"Double-zero was the man," Clyde Drexler said after Duckworth led the Blazers to a blowout that gave Portland a 2-0 lead in their first-round series. "The big fella is really playing well."
The 7-foot, 280-pound center had a miserable series against the Lakers in last year's Western Conference finals. And he's been lackluster most of this year, complaining about his perceived lack of respect from his teammates and coaches. But he's improved steadily in recent weeks.
"He's working much harder than he was earlier," Drexler said. "In the last month, there are not many centers who have played better. When Duck is that aggressive, it really makes our team very good."
Duckworth, whose team can sweep the best-of-5 series with a victory Wednesday on the Lakers' homecourt, said the frustration he felt earlier has almost vanished.
But the memories of his difficult year linger.
"You saw my stats from the regular season. It wasn't normal," he said. "I was on the All-Star team last year and this year I couldn't even make waterboy."
Now, though, he said, "I feel great."
A 15-1 run over the final 41/2 minutes of the third quarter put Portland on top 78-55. The Blazers led by as many as 27 as they cruised to victory.
Drexler had 15 points and 10 rebounds, but was only 7 for 20 from the field. Terry Porter also scored 15 for the Blazers.
Warriors 115, SuperSonics 101
At Oakland, Calif., Mario Elie's up-and-down season is on the rise again, along with the Golden State Warriors' chances against the Seattle SuperSonics.
Elie ignited Golden State with 17 second-half points in a victory over the SuperSonics in their first-round playoff game.
Elie, who played just five minutes in Game 1 and no minutes in the first half Saturday, scored 12 third-quarter points and got the Warriors into a gear they had been unable to find.
"It's been a yo-yo season for me," Elie said. "I play one game, sit the next. I got my chance tonight and just tried to make the best of it."
By winning the emotionally charged and physical game, the Warriors evened the best-of-5 series at one game apiece. Game 3 is scheduled Tuesday in Seattle.
"Now it's our turn to check our intensity, our courage, and our attitude," Seattle coach George Karl said.
Eddie Johnson scored 22 points and Shawn Kemp had 17 points and 19 rebounds for the Sonics, who were outrebounded 48-41 by the smaller Warriors. The SuperSonics outrebounded Golden State 54-32 in their 117-109 victory in Game 1.
"They took our strength and turned it against us," Karl said. "They outrebounded us."
Tim Hardaway scored 23 points, Chris Mullin 20 and Sarunas Marciulionis 18 for Golden State, which trailed most of the first half before outscoring Seattle 30-18 in the third quarter.
A full-scale brawl nearly broke out early in the third period after Alton Lister committed a flagrant foul against Kemp, who retaliated by wrestling Lister to the floor under the Golden State basket. Four other players - two from each team - joined the altercation, and all were sent sprawling as Lister and Kemp fell.
Cavaliers 118, Nets 96
At Richfield, Ohio, Mike Sanders hit six straight shots in the first quarter and Brad Daugherty took over from there as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the New Jersey Nets for a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.
Cleveland, which hasn't won a playoff series since 1976, sent the Nets to their 10th consecutive playoff loss. New Jersey has lost its last 16 games at Richfield.
Daugherty made 8 of 11 shots and 13 of 14 free throws for 29 points, giving him 69 in the two playoff games. Larry Nance scored 19 points and Mark Price had 15 points and 15 assists.
Derrick Coleman had 24 points and Drazen Petrovic 23 for the Nets, who play host to the Cavaliers in Game 3 of the best-of-5 series Tuesday night.
Sanders, scoreless in Thursday night's playoff opener, scored 12 points in the first quarter to help Cleveland build an early double-digit lead, and the Nets got no closer than nine in the final three periods. The Cavaliers shot 74 percent from the floor to New Jersey's 30 percent in the first period en route to a 36-20 advantage.
The Nets made a modest run in the fourth quarter, closing to 99-89 when Rafael Addison's 3-pointer with six minutes left capped an 11-2 flurry. Cleveland's John Williams stopped the run with a tip-in, and the Cavs finished the game with a 16-5 spurt that gave them their biggest lead.
Cleveland made its first 21 foul shots before Daugherty missed one late in the third quarter. Over two games, the Cavs sank 47 consecutive foul shots.
Price also saw his playoff foul-shooting streak end at 50 when he missed in the third quarter. It was his first miss in the playoffs since a 1989 game against Chicago.