UPDATE--- BULLS BEAT HEAT! Here's how they did it play by play.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers took charge on Sunday as they lead their respective series 1-0. The NBA Playoff standings are now in the second round of the postseason. Here are the matchups, results and upcoming games as the second round took off with fairly interesting results Sunday afternoon.
The Thunder had the honor of opening the second round of the NBA Playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies. It was definitely a game worth watching as the Grizzlies, though they picked up the loss, continue to impress and shock many around the NBA. The Thunder put away the Grizzlies 93-91 in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter. Kevin Durant, who finished with 35 points, hit the dagger giving the the Thunder a 91-90 lead late in the game.
Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph were big in the paint, but their contribution wasn't enough to win the game as they combined for 38 points in Game 1. With the victory, the Thunder take a 1-0 lead in their series. However, they must tighten things up and play with the lead as the Grizzlies proved they perform well under pressure and don't mind coming from behind as they did against the Los Angeles Clippers as they trailed the series 0-2.
Over in the East, the Pacers came to life and took advantage of the New York Knicks struggles beating them 102-95. The Pacers' starters were all in double figures and D.J. Augustin added 16 points from the bench. J.R. Smith struggled off the bench adding 17 points, but shooting 4-15 from the floor. The Knicks lost the battle of the boards 44-30 and many are wondering if they'd have to count on guys like Marcus Camby to come off the bench to give them length.
Amar'e Stoudemire is expected to return in Game 3 when the Knicks go on the road against the Pacers. The Knicks hope that they don't find themselves down 0-2 in the series, because this might spell trouble. Tyson Chandler looked slow and inactive next to Roy Hibbert who repeatedly kept sinking hook shots over the Knicks' center.
The other four teams idle in the second round are the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls.
Here are the current standings after the first two playoff games of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs.
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
Indiana Pacers 1-0 New York Knicks
Miami Heat 0-1 Chicago Bulls 5/6 UPDATE
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
Oklahoma City Thunder 1-0 Memphis Grizzlies
San Antonip Spurs 0-0 Golden State Warriors (Idle)
First Round Conclusions:
Thunder beat Houston Rockets 4-2
Spurs beat Los Angeles Laker 4-0
Warriors beat Denver Nuggets 4-2
Grizzlies beat Los Angeles Clippers 4-2
Heat beat Milwaukee Bucks 4-0
Knicks beat Boston Celtics 4-2
Pacers beat Atlanta Hawks 4-2
Bulls beat Brooklyn Nets 4-3