NBA Today
Washington at Cleveland (6 p.m. EDT). The Cavaliers look to oust the Wizards from the first round for the third straight season.
STARS
- Chris Paul, Hornets, had 24 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds to lead New Orleans to a 99-94 victory over the Dallas Mavericks to win the first-round series in five games.
- Tony Parker, Spurs, scored 31 points in San Antonio's 92-87 win over the Phoenix Suns to win the first-round series in five games.
SURVIVE AND ADVANCE
Byron Scott accepted his NBA coach of the year award, then guided his team to the second round of the playoffs. Chris Paul had 24 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds, and the New Orleans Hornets held on for a 99-94 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night to win their first-round series in five games. ... Tony Parker scored 31 points, Tim Duncan added 29 points and 17 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with a 92-87 Game 5 victory over the Phoenix Suns. The third-seeded Spurs will meet the No. 2 seed Hornets in a second-round series that begins Saturday at New Orleans.
INCHING CLOSER
Chauncey Billups scored 21 points, Richard Hamilton had 20 and Rasheed Wallace added 19 to lift the Pistons to a 98-81 victory over the 76ers on Tuesday night and a 3-2 lead in the first-round series. Detroit leads in the series for the first time after being the first team to win consecutive games. If the Pistons win Game 6 on Thursday night in Philadelphia or Game 7 at home, they will advance in the playoffs for the seventh year in a row.
HANGING ON
Tracy McGrady scored 29 points, Luis Scola added 18 points and 12 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets avoided elimination Tuesday night by routing the Utah Jazz 95-69 in Game 5 of their first-round series. Dikembe Mutombo grabbed 10 rebounds as the Rockets cut their series deficit to 3-2 and forced Game 6 at salt Lake City on Friday night.
NEXT STOP
Larry Brown was announced as the new coach of the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday - his ninth NBA coaching job. The 67-year-old Brown agreed to a four-year contract, returning to the state where his nomadic coaching journey began. Brown's nine NBA teams are three more than any other coach - Kevin Loughery and Lenny Wilkens each coached six.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Byron Scott has been voted NBA coach of the year after leading the New Orleans Hornets to their first playoff appearance in four years. Scott coached the Hornets to a 56-26 record, a franchise high for wins. New Orleans won the Southwest Division crown and defeated Dallas 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs.
SPEAKING
``How are you going to say no to Michael (Jordan). I've known him a long time. The things he stands for have made our game better. There's no way I could say no to him. It was a pretty easy decision once my wife said yes.'' - Larry Brown, who was hired as coach of the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday - his ninth NBA coaching job. He joins fellow North Carolina alumnus Jordan, who is a Bobcats executive.