NBA play-offs: Paul George lifts Pacers while Beal, Nene help Wizards bury Bulls in 2-0 hole

In Tuesday night's NBA play-offs action, Indiana and Toronto rebounded with wins over Atlanta and Brooklyn, respectively, to even their series at 1-1 while Washington made it two losses in two home games for Chicago.

Paul George had 27 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals for the Pacers on Tuesday night. Andy Lyons / Getty Images / AFP / April 22, 2014

Pacers 101, Hawks 85 (Series tied 1-1)

When the Indiana Pacers needed a lift. Paul George stepped up. All over the court, over and over again.

George had 27 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and the Pacers used a big second-half run to rally for a 101-85 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night in Game 2 of their first-round play-off series.

George Hill scored each of his 15 points in the second half, helping top-seeded Indiana earn a split of the first two post-season games at home. George also had four steals and blocked a shot while helping keep Hawks point guard Jeff Teague in check.

“That’s why he was in the MVP conversation early,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “He always does those types of things, guarding the best perimeter player, rebounding the ball, deflecting the ball. His hands were all over the place. It makes him one of the most complete players in the game when he plays like he did tonight.”

The Pacers sure needed it.

For seven weeks, Indiana heard everyone question their fortitude, team chemistry, even whether they were worthy of a No 1 seed. The complaints grew louder after Saturday’s 101-93 loss. George and his teammates spent the next 72 hours seeking solutions and defiantly insisting they would be OK.

On Tuesday, they finally reverted to their early season from.

Indiana limited the Hawks to 33 second-half points and dominated the third quarter. Next up is Game 3 on Thursday in Atlanta, where the Pacers have only two wins since December 2006 – though one of those closed out last year’s first-round play-off series in six games.

“We want to build on what we’ve got going,” Indiana forward David West said. “We want to continue to be aggressive. We know they’re going to play better at home, but we’re going down there to get back in charge of this series.”

George was 9-for-16 from the field, including a 5-for-7 performance from 3-point range. He also went 4-for-4 at the line.

Perhaps more importantly, he managed to contain Teague after he burned Indiana for 28 points in Game 1. George wanted the responsibility of guarding Teague, who had seven points in the first quarter and seven more for the rest of the game.

“I sat down and it was homework for me, just locking into his tendencies and figuring out where I will get beat or where I’m vulnerable against him,” George said. “It’s a challenge.

“If that’s what it took for everyone to understand how close this team is, that’s what it was. We’ve got each other’s back and that’s what it felt like.”

Wizards 101, Bulls 99 (OT, Wizards lead series 2-0)

Bradley Beal came on strong late in regulation to finish with 26 points, Nene scored six of his 17 in overtime and the Washington Wizards beat the Chicago Bulls 101-99 on Tuesday to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.

Washington rallied from 10 down in the fourth quarter after blowing a 17-point first-quarter lead.

Nene scored the first six points in overtime after being held in check by Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah in regulation, and the Wizards hung on after Kirk Hinrich failed to convert at the foul line in the closing seconds.

Noah had just hit two free throws when Beal missed a jumper with 18 seconds left. Jimmy Butler got the rebound and Chicago called time.

Hinrich, a 76-per cent free throw shooter this season, had a chance to tie it after getting fouled by Nene on a drive with 2.4 seconds left. But his first attempt hit the rim. He deliberately missed the second, and Trevor Ariza grabbed the rebound to seal the win for Washington.

DJ Augustin led Chicago with 25 points. Taj Gibson had 22 points and 10 rebounds. Noah added 20 points and 12 boards, but the Bulls will have to dig themselves out of a huge hole after dropping two at home.

John Wall had 16 points and seven assists for Washington.

Raptors 100, Nets 95 (Series tied 1-1)

DeMar DeRozan put his play-off jitters aside and turned in an All-Star performance for the Toronto Raptors.

DeRozan scored 30 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 15 points and 14 rebounds and the Raptors beat the Brooklyn Nets 100-95 on Tuesday night, evening their first-round play-off series at one game apiece.

A first-time All-Star this season, DeRozan struggled in his post-season debut on Saturday. He went 3-for-13 from the field and scored 14 points in Toronto’s 94-87 loss.

On Tuesday, DeRozan eclipsed that total in the fourth quarter alone, scoring 17 of Toronto’s 36 points.

“We knew he was going to bounce back from the first game,” Brooklyn’s Deron Williams said. “He took over the game, hit some crucial shots, some tough shots. We’ve got to do a better job of stopping him, especially late.”

DeRozan made 9-of-21 shots and went 12-for-14 at the free-throw line, hitting 9-of-11 attempts in the final quarter.

“He bounced back, refocused,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “Making those free throws down the stretch was huge. For him to come through after a tough first game and everyone doubting him, I was really happy with that.”

So was Raptors guard Kyle Lowry.

“Tonight he showed what he can do,” Lowry said of DeRozan. “He did an unbelievable job of attacking, being aggressive.”

Amir Johnson scored 16 points and Lowry had 14 for the Raptors, who outrebounded the Nets 52-30. It was Valanciunas’ second straight play-off double-double.

“There was no way we were going to lose that game,” Amir Johnson said. “It was a must-win for us.”

Joe Johnson scored 18 points, Williams had 15 and Mirza Teletovic 14 for the Nets, who will host Game 3 on Friday night.

“There’s a lot of positive things that we’ve done in these first two games,” Nets coach Jason Kidd said. “Now we’ve got to go home and protect home.”

Hampered by foul trouble throughout the game, Brooklyn’s Paul Pierce went 2-for-11 from the field, including 0-for-6 from three-point range. He finished with seven points.

Pierce was upset that the Nets failed to take a 2-0 stranglehold on the series.

“We had them on the ropes,” Pierce said. “Definitely.”

Kevin Garnett scored 13 points and Shaun Livingston had 12 for the Nets, who led 66-64 heading into the fourth and couldn’t take advantage of 21 Toronto turnovers.

“They did a better job of executing and we just couldn’t stop them,” Williams said.

“It’s everything you dream about, especially when you become a professional athlete, to be at the highest level and have the trust of your coaching staff and your teammates to have the ball in your hands and win a game for them,” DeRozan said. “That’s big.”

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