NBA Playoffs: Celtics Complete Sweep of Knicks; 76ers Avoid Sweep Against Heat; Hawks Go Up 3-1; Hornets Square Series With Lakers At 2-2

Four more games were played on Easter Sunday as the NBA Playoffs continued with first-round action.


Eastern Conference:


At New York:


26 points and 10 rebounds from Kevin Garnett along with 21 points and 12 assists from Rajon Rondo carried the Boston Celtics to a 101-89 road win over the New York Knicks to complete a four-game sweep of their conference quarterfinal series, spoiling a 32-point performance from the Knicks' Carmelo Anthony.


At Philadelphia:


Lou Williams, who scored 17 points, connected on the go-ahead three-pointer with 8.1 seconds remaining as the Philadelphia 76ers avoided a four-game sweep of their first-round series with a 86-82 game-four home win over the Miami Heat, cutting the series deficit to three games to one.  This after the 76ers were trailing by six points with 95 seconds left.


At Atlanta:


Jamal Crawford scored 25 points while Joe Johnson, who added 20, hit four key free throws in the final 20 seconds as the Atlanta Hawks again held off the Orlando Magic 88-85 in game four of their opening-round series to take a three-games-to-one series advantage.


Western Conference:


A triple-double for Chris Paul (27 points, 13 rebounds, and 15 assists), his first of the season, helped guide the New Orleans Hornets to a 93-88 home win in game four of their first-round series with the Los Angeles Lakers, squaring the series at two games apiece.