SCOREBOARD
Friday, May 4
Toronto at New Jersey (8 p.m. EDT). The Nets can advance to the second round with a win.
STARS
Thursday
– Stephen Jackson, Warriors, scored a playoff career-high 33 points, including a franchise playoff-record seven 3-pointers to lead Golden State to a 111-86 victory over Dallas.
UPSET
Golden State became the first No. 8 seed to capture a best-of-seven playoff series with a 111-86 victory over the NBA-best Dallas Mavericks in Game 6 on Thursday night. The Warriors became only the third eighth seed to upset the No. 1 and the first since the opening round went from best-of-five to the current format. The Denver Nuggets (1994) and the New York Knicks (1999) are the only other teams to win a series.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Houston Rockets lost to the Utah Jazz 94-82 Thursday night, forcing a Game 7 in Houston. The home team has won every game in the Western Conference first round.
TEAM PLAYER
Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng won the NBA’s sportsmanship award Thursday, edging Shane Battier and four others in a vote by players. Deng received 52 first-place votes and 2,027 points – 22 more than Battier of Houston. Utah’s Derek Fisher (1,953) was third, followed by the Los Angeles Clippers’ Elton Brand (1,935), Atlanta’s Joe Johnson (1,737) and Toronto’s Anthony Parker (1,611).
CHARGED
Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest pleaded no contest Thursday to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge stemming from a March 5 dispute with his wife. Artest was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and a 10-day work project through the county sheriff’s department. Artest also was fined $600 and ordered to get extensive counseling.
FINED
Golden State’s Jason Richardson was fined $35,000 by the NBA on Thursday for improper interaction with a fan during a playoff game in Dallas. Richardson had a heated verbal exchange with the fan after missing a shot and falling out of bounds with 21.9 seconds left in the Warriors’ 118-112 loss in Game 5 of the first-round series.
SPEAKING
“This is a great feeling, to make history, to upset a No. 1 seed and do it on our home floor. We came here and handled our business in the second half.” – Baron Davis after leading Golden State to a 111-86 victory over Dallas on Thursday night. The Warriors became the first No. 8 seed to win a best-of-seven playoff series.