One team is stocked with veterans who have been there before, while another is a group of upstarts looking to make their mark in the NBA postseason.
Both left the court Wednesday night with blowout wins and control of their playoff series.
San Antonio crushed the Jazz 114-83 to go up 2-0, and the Indiana Pacers took one in Orlando from the hometown Magic to jump ahead in that matchup 2-1.
Meanwhile, out West, the Clippers were unable to force another comeback victory as Rudy Gay and the Grizzlies pulled out a 105-98 win to even the series at 1-1.
Here are the recaps from the games that took place Wednesday, May 2. Be sure to check out more of our in-depth Associated Press recaps and previews.
San Antonio Spurs 114, Utah Jazz 83
SAN ANTONIO — Tony Parker shooed away the NBA coach of the year. The San Antonio Spurs were ahead 36 points, and he didn't want Gregg Popovich to end his night just yet.
"To stay in shape," Parker said.
That's how bad it got for the Utah Jazz. It was the third quarter of a playoff game, and Parker by then was practically treating it as just another workout.
Pummeling the Jazz in a fashion not seen since Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls humiliated them in the 1998 NBA Finals, San Antonio handed Utah its second-worst playoff loss, winning 114-83 on Wednesday night to take 2-0 lead in the first-round series. Read the complete story here.
Indiana Pacers 97, Orlando Magic 74
ORLANDO, Fla. — Danny Granger had 26 points and nine rebounds, Roy Hibbert added 18 points and 10 boards, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Orlando Magic 97-74 on Wednesday night to a take a 2-1 lead in the first-round series.
The Pacers regained home-court advantage with the victory, riding good shooting early and building a 29-point lead in the fourth quarter. Read the complete story here.
Memphis Grizzlies 105, Los Angeles Clippers 98
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — O.J. Mayo scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, and the Memphis Grizzlies bounced back to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 105-98 on Wednesday night.
The Grizzlies blew a 27-point lead in losing Game 1 on Sunday night and letting the Clippers grab home-court advantage in the best-of-seven, first-round Western Conference series. They got back to their physical style and evened the series. Read the complete story here.