WASHINGTON — Mike Dunleavy scored 35 points, one shy of his career high, Jimmy Butler hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 24 seconds remaining, and the Bulls held on Friday night for a 100-97 win over the Wizards, trimming their deficit to 2-1 in the Eastern Conference first-round series.
Dunleavy went 12-for-19 from the field, including a career-high eight 3-pointers on 10 attempts, for the Bulls, who are attempting to become only the fourth NBA team to win a seven-game series after losing the first two at home.
Game 4 will be played Sunday in Washington.
Bradley Beal scored 13 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter for the Wizards, who wasted an opportunity to grab a 3-0 lead in the series.
Nets 102, Raptors 98
NEW YORK — Joe Johnson scored 29 points, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett brought a charge to their first playoff game in Brooklyn, and the Nets held off the Raptors for a 2-1 lead in their series.
Johnson made the clinching free throws with 3.1 seconds left after the Nets blew almost all of a 15-point, fourth-quarter lead. Playmaking guard Deron Williams added 22 points and eight assists for the sixth-seeded Nets, who host Game 4 on Sunday night.
Pierce, who contributed 18 points, and Garnett provided the game’s signature plays late in the second quarter — a reminder that the Nets acquired the veterans as much for their bravado as for their basketball talent.
But all of that experience almost didn’t matter after the Nets made a series of mistakes down the stretch.
DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points for the Raptors, who have lost 13 straight road playoff games.
