Kobe Has No Support in "Flu Game"; Celtics & 76ers Advance

Kobe put up 31 points in his
"Flu Game", but his Lakers fell
113-96 in Denver.

The NBA Playoffs are in full swing and tonight's lineup featured three decisive and entertaining Game 6's.  Three teams vied to close out their opening round series and advance to the Conference Semifinals, but only two were successful.  The night began in Philadelphia, as the 8th seeded 76ers were in position to knock off the top-seeded Bulls at home. It was a battle throughout and the beaten-up Chicago Bulls gave it their all to extend the series and force a Game 7 in Chicago on Saturday.  The teams traded baskets down the stretch, but Andre Iguodala converted on two late free throws to cap off a 20 point night and Philadelphia's 79-78 victory.  The 76ers won their first playoff series since 2003 and become only the fifth eighth seed in NBA History to eliminate the top seed of a conference.

The night's second match-up featured the Boston Celtics against the Atlanta Hawks at the TD Garden.  Like the 76ers, the Celtics were at home, trying to close out their series and advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.  Three Boston starters stepped up in the series finale.  Kevin Durant led the way with 28 points and 14 points, Paul Pierce added 18 points and 7 assists, and Rajon Rondo added 14 points and 8 assists.  Even with a solid performance from the Celtics tonight, Al Horford helped upstart his team.  He scored 11 of his 15 points in the final quarter as the Hawks went on a late 14-4 run in the fourth.  Atlanta held a 79-78 lead with two minutes to go, but it would not stand.  Boston's Big 3 scored five of the game's final six points as they eliminated Atlanta and advanced to their fifth consecutive Eastern Conference Semifinals.  This will be the 20th playoff match-up between the Celtics and 76ers.

The most intriguing game of the night was in Denver between the Nuggets and Lakers.  The Nuggets were coming off an impressive victory in Game 5 and had the momentum heading into tonight's Game 6.  They faced their second consecutive elimination game, but tonight was in front of a home crowd at the Pepsi Center.  Denver fed off the home crowd and used the momentum of Tuesday's victory in Los Angeles to dominate the Lakers from the get-go.  They began the game on a 13-0 run and built up a 28 point 4th quarter lead, before finishing off the Lakers 113-96 in Denver.  Ty Lawson's season-high 32 points help set the tone early for Denver as they forced the decisive Game 7 in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

The Lakers were in the worst shape as they game began because they failed to close out the series at home on Tuesday and Kobe Bryant was a game-time decision due to a pregame illness.  He played and finished with 31 points, a performance that resembled Michael Jordan's effort in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals (also known as the"The Flu Game").  Besides his effort, the Lakers had no answer for the feisty Nuggets and dropped their second consecutive game in the series.  Game 7 is a must-see game as the Nuggets try to become the ninth team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit and win the series.