Chicago, IL (My Sportsbook) - Ben Gordon made a game-tying three-pointer near the end of the first overtime and John Salmons provided two key free throws and a block down the stretch in the second, as Chicago evened its Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with a 121-118 win over Boston in Game 4. Gordon finished with 22 points and Salmons had 20 -- making 9-of-9 free throws -- for the Bulls, who won the first game of this matchup in overtime before dropping the next two. With the series knotted at two games apiece, it heads back to Boston for Tuesday's Game 5. Derrick Rose led seven Chicago players in double figures with 23 points. The rookie guard also had 11 rebounds and nine assists, with seven turnovers. Paul Pierce had 29 points and Ray Allen added 28, which included a game-tying three near the end of regulation. Rajon Rondo recorded a triple-double of 25 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for the Celtics, who were coming off a 107-86 blowout of Chicago in Game 3.
Final Score: Cleveland 99, Detroit 78
Auburn Hills, MI (My Sportsbook) - LeBron James' near triple-double helped the Cavaliers show Detroit, the premier Eastern Conference franchise over the past decade, a quick exit from the postseason, as Cleveland completed a sweep of the Pistons with a 99-78 triumph in Game 4 of their quarterfinal series. James led the top-seeded Cavaliers with 36 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. Cleveland will now have plenty of rest before the conference semifinals, where it will face the winner of the Atlanta-Miami series. The Heat currently lead the matchup, 2-1. The MVP candidate James also made 16 free throws, as the Cavs sank 23-of-24 from the line overall in the win, their eighth straight over Detroit in the playoffs dating back to the 2007 conference finals. Mo Williams, coming off a 1-for-11 effort from the field in Game 3, chipped in 24 points, while Delonte West added 12 and five assists. The Pistons, meanwhile, had their streak of six straight trips to the East finals snapped in embarrassing fashion. Playoff heroes of past, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace, combined to go 3-for-24 from the field and totaled eight points, with none from Wallace. Antonio McDyess and Will Bynum paced eighth-seeded Detroit with 26 and 22 points, respectively.
Final Score: Orlando 84, Philadelphia 81
Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - Hedo Turkoglu drilled the game-winning three-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining, helping the Magic even their Eastern Conference quarterfinals series with an 84-81 Game 4 triumph over the 76ers, the third game in the series to come down to the final possession. The Sixers came storming back from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to tie it on Samuel Dalembert's dunk with 14.8 seconds remaining. Orlando called timeout and drew up a play for Turkoglu, who missed an off- balanced trey at the buzzer in a Game 1 loss. The Turkish sharp-shooter didn't let history repeat itself, shaking Andre Iguodala thanks to a pick from Rashard Lewis and rising at the left wing over Thaddeus Young for the dagger with just over a second left. Iguodala's heave from well beyond the three-point line glanced off the side of the rim, heading the series back to Orlando on Tuesday knotted at two games apiece. Turkoglu made 8-of-11 from the field for 17 points, while Dwight Howard recorded 18 points and 18 rebounds for the third-seeded Magic, who made just 6-of-20 from three-point range and 12- of-20 from the line in the win. Andre Miller paced Philly with 17 points, while Iguodala and Young chipped in 15 and 13 points, respectively. The Sixers shot better from long distance (8-of-19, 42.1 percent) than from two- point range (23-of-61, 37.7 percent).
Final Score: Houston 89, Portland 88
Houston, TX (My Sportsbook) - Yao Ming stepped up after two lackluster performances to lead the Rockets with 21 points and 12 rebounds, as Houston took a commanding 3-1 series lead with a hard-fought 89-88 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 4 of their Western Conference quarterfinals matchup. Yao, coming off mediocre 11 and seven-point efforts in Game 2 and 3, respectively, has Houston one game away from winning its first playoff series since 1997, a span of six straight first-round exits. Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday night in Portland, where the Rockets split the first two games before pulling out Game 3 at home. Luis Scola continued his solid playoff stretch with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Shane Battier ended with 14 points, eight boards and six assists, including a pair of big three-pointers in the fourth. Houston recorded 28 second-chance points, compared to 11 for Portland. Portland's Brandon Roy led all scorers with 31 points but was called for charging while attempting for the tying bucket late in the contest. LaMarcus Aldridge ended with 19 points and 10 rebounds for Portland, which has dropped 12 of its last 13 trips to Houston. The Trail Blazers made all 17 of their free throws in the setback.
