BASKETTBALL

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Golden State Warriors battled past the Houston Rockets 109-106 to move to the brink of a series victory. Jimmy Butler made a dazzling return from injury for Golden State in a pulsating Warriors victory over Houston in San Francisco.

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The Los Angeles Clippers bounced back from a game-one defeat, beating the Nuggets 105-102 in Denver behind a brilliant 39-point performance from Kawhi Leonard. Leonard made 15 of his 19 shot attempts and the Clippers withstood NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic's triple-double of 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to level their Western Conference series at 1-1.

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The Oklahoma City Thunder, fueled by 38 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, held off the Memphis Grizzlies 117-115 on Saturday to complete a 4-0 sweep in their NBA Western Conference playoff series and become the first team to reach the second round.

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Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has been listed as "doubtful" for game two of defending champion Boston's NBA playoff first-round series against the Orlando Magic with a bone bruise in his right wrist. Tatum was injured late in the Celtics' game-one victory, coming down hard under the basket after he was fouled in the air by Orlando guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

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The Orlando Magic held off the defending champion Boston Celtics to cut the deficit in their playoff series to 2-1 as the Milwaukee Bucks clawed back a game against the Indiana Pacers. The Bucks, who, like the Magic, had dropped the first two games of their series on the road, also turned the tables upon returning home for game three with a victory over the Pacers.

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Nikola Jokic (30) scored 29 points and Aaron Gordon (29) added 25 as the Denver Nuggets edged the Los Angeles Clippers 112-110 in an overtime thriller to open their NBA playoff series on Saturday - but Russell Westbrook (36) 'stole' the show towards the end of the game.

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The Detroit Pistons snapped their NBA-record 15-game playoff losing streak with a 100-94 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday to level their Eastern Conference first-round series at one game apiece. Cade Cunningham scored 33 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Dennis Schroder added 20 points off the bench - including a go-ahead three-pointer with 55.7 seconds left as the Pistons thwarted the Knicks' rally bid.

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The Indiana Pacers seized control early and powered to a convincing 117-98 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday as the NBA playoffs first round got underway. Pascal Siakam scored 25 points to lead six Pacers players to score in double figures as Indiana took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series.