Los Angeles Lakers advanced to their first NBA final four since the Kobe Bryant-led Lakers beat Phoenix for the conference title and then defeated Boston for the 2010 NBA championship.

LeBron James was the hero for Los Angeles Lakers, as they defeated Houston Rockets in the NBA playoffs. New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham took to Twitter to hail the all-time great.

The backlash in China against Daryl Morey's comments has cast a cloud over the NBA's lucrative broadcasting, merchandising and sponsorship interests in the country, where it has legions of fans.

Paul Pierce had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Avery Bradley scored 22 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a 109-101 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.

By the time Avery Bradley, who is recovering from a dislocated shoulder, sank a free throw to give the Boston Celtics a 37-point lead early in the third quarter, Paul Pierce was done for the night, riding a stationary bicycle under the stands and trying to keep his sore left knee from stiffening up.

Paul Pierce battled through another tough game to score 36 points and the Boston Celtics wiped out Atlanta's 11-point lead in the second half even without Rajon Rondo, stunning the Hawks 87-80 on Tuesday in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Joe Johnson scored 30 points while Josh Smith had 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Hawks, who are in line to be the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, with Celtics No. 5.

Paul Pierce scored 27 points, Kevin Garnett added 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Celtics made their first eight shots of the fourth quarter to hold off the Heat 115-107 on Tuesday.

Luol Deng scored 18 of his 26 points in the second half and Joakim Noah added 17 points and nine rebounds to rally the Chicago Bulls to a 93-86 win over the Boston Celtics on Thursday.

Paul Pierce scored 10 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, Kevin Garnett added 21 points and eight rebounds, and the Boston Celtics made an impressive late rally for a 94-85 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.

Paul Pierce and Ray Allen each scored 22 points and the Boston Celtics rebounded from a lopsided loss and handed one to Portland on Friday, beating the Trail Blazers 104-86.

Kevin Garnett grabbed 13 rebounds to pass Shaquille O'Neal and move into 12th on the NBA's career list, and Paul Pierce scored seven of his 30 points in overtime on Tuesday to lead the Boston Celtics to a 97-92 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Paul Pierce had 27 points and eight assists, and the Boston Celtics got back above .500 with their third straight win, beating the New Jersey Nets 107-94 on Friday.

Boston downed Eastern Conference rivals Orlando 91-80 Sunday as the Celtics' Ray Allen continued to close in on the NBA record for three-point shots.