Oklahoma City Thunder Eliminate Mavericks While Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers Go Ahead in First-Round Series

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May 5, 2012

Oklahoma City Thunder Eliminate Mavericks While Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers Go Ahead in First-Round SeriesMay Madness has made an appearance.

The intrigue returned to the NBA playoffs in a set of close games on Saturday.

The Thunder did their part to contribute to the drama again, knocking the defending champion Dallas Mavericks out of the postseason with a come-from-behind win.

In the early contests, the Indiana Pacers gave up a huge lead only to bat off the surging Orlando Magic in the end, and the Los Angeles Clippers just held on to their home-court edge with a one-point win over the Grizzlies.

San Antonio continued its dominance against the Utah Jazz and now leads 3-0 in the series.

Here are the recaps from the games that took place Saturday, May 5. Be sure to check out more of our in-depth Associated Press recaps and previews.

Oklahoma City 103, Dallas Mavericks 97

DALLAS — James Harden scored 15 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter as Oklahoma City rallied for a 103-97 victory Saturday night to sweep the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks out of the playoffs. Read the complete story here.

Los Angeles Clippers 87, Memphis Grizzlies 86

LOS ANGELES — Chris Paul had 24 points and 11 assists, and high-flying Blake Griffin added 17 points for the Los Angeles Clippers, who beat the Memphis Grizzles 87-86 Saturday only after Rudy Gay missed a jumper just before the buzzer. Read the complete story here.

Indiana Pacers 101, Orlando Magic 99

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Indiana Pacers have looked like a team with enough talent to win in the playoffs. After wasting a big lead in Game 4 against the Magic, the Pacers showed they have the late-game toughness to win as well.

George Hill hit a pair of free throws with 2.2 seconds left in overtime to help Indiana survive squandering a 19-point fourth quarter lead and beat the Orlando Magic 101-99 on Saturday to take a 3-1 lead in the first-round series. Read the complete story here.

San Antonio Spurs 102, Utah Jazz 90

SALT LAKE CITY — Tony Parker scored 27 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter, as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Utah Jazz 102-90 Saturday night to take a 3-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series. Read the complete story here.

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