NBA: The Boston Celtics capped off a four-game sweep of the New York Knicks with a 101-89 victory Sunday behind Kevin Garnett's 26 points and 10 rebounds. The Celtics became the first team to advance to the second round. ... The Philadelphia 76ers avoided a sweep, beating the Miami Heat 86-82 on Sunday. Miami, still up 3-1 in the series, held a six-point lead with 1:35 remaining. However, Philadelphia scored 10 unanswered points to close out the game, including a go-ahead 3 from Lou Williams with 8.1 seconds left on the clock. ... The two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers fell to the New Orleans Hornets 93-88 Sunday night, knotting up that first-round series at two games apiece. Chris Paul picked up his first triple-double of the season, racking up 27 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds. ... The Atlanta Hawks are one game away from advancing to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs after grabbing a 3-1 series lead by beating the Orlando Magic 88-85 on Sunday.
The Western Conference's top seed, the San Antonio Spurs, trail 2-1 in their opening-round series after losing to the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies 91-88 Saturday. Memphis, who won a playoff game on its home court for the first time in franchise history, is trying to become just the fourth team beat a No. 1 seed. ... The Indiana Pacers earned their first playoff win since 2006 with an 89-84 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. The Pacers managed to avoid a sweep and shrunk the Bulls' series lead to 3-1. Chicago, which has started slow in every game of this first-round series, never led in Saturday's contest. The NBA-best Bulls have yet to hold a halftime lead in any of the four games. ... The Dallas Mavericks built a 23-point lead but couldn't hold on Saturday, falling to the Portland Trail Blazers 84-82 to tie their series 2-2. Portland overcame an 18-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter, tying for the second-largest comeback in playoff history. Brandon Roy, who had 18 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, hit the go-ahead shot with 39.2 seconds remaining. In the final quarter, the Blazers shot 75 percent from the field, didn't commit a single turnover and outscored Dallas by 20 points.
NHL: After falling into a 3-0 hole in their opening-round series, the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks have won three straight games over the Vancouver Canucks. Their latest victory, a 4-3 overtime win Sunday night, forced a Game 7 in Vancouver Tuesday against the top seed out of the West. ... The Philadelphia Flyers also needed overtime Sunday to force a Game 7. The Flyers, who beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-4 to tie the series at 3 apiece, trailed heading into both the second and third periods. ... The Nashville Predators won a playoff series for the first time, beating the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 Sunday to close out the series in six games. The Predators, who are headed for the Western Conference semifinals, previously failed to win opening-round series in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010.
The top seed in the East, the Washington Capitals, eliminated the New York Rangers from the playoffs in five games with a 3-1 victory on Saturday.
NFL: Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall was stabbed by his wife with a kitchen knife in a domestic-violence incident in the Miami area on Friday, according to police. He underwent emergency surgery Saturday morning, league sources told Adam Schefter, and was released later in the day. He's "expected to make a full recovery," said his publicist Denise White. Marshall's wife, Michi Nogami-Marshall, was arrested by the Broward County Sheriff's Office on Friday on a domestic-violence charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon but was released from jail Saturday on a $7,500 bond.
