Russell Westbrook scored 28 points, Kevin Durant added 25 points and 10 rebounds, and the host Oklahoma City Thunder surged ahead in the second half to eliminate the Los Angeles Lakers from the playoffs with a 106-90 victory in Game 5 on Monday.
Westbrook had two three-point plays during a 14-3 burst that put Oklahoma City ahead to stay late in the third quarter, and Durant hit two 3-pointers as the Thunder scored the first 10 points of the fourth to push its lead to 93-77.
The Thunder opens the Western Conference finals Sunday at San Antonio.
Westbrook went running to the scorer's table and pumped his fist after his first energizing three-point play, when he was able to flip the ball in after Ramon Sessions fouled him on a fast break.
He converted another after banking in a jumper from the left side despite Sessions slapping him on the arm to make it 82-76 with 1:29 left in the third quarter.
Durant extended the lead with a 3-pointer in the opening minute of the fourth and then hit another 32 seconds later -- just after Kobe Bryant had stepped to the scorer's table to check in after a brief rest.
There was little Bryant, who scored 42 points, could do after he got back in.
After blowing a fourth-quarter lead in Game 4, Bryant had called out forward Pau Gasol to be more aggressive. Gasol took 14 shots, his most of the series, but made only five to finish with 14 points.
Celtics 101, 76ers
85: Brandon Bass scored 18 of his 27 points in the third quarter as host Boston pulled away from Philadelphia to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals."We've got a few good players on the team that they had to focus on," said Bass, who left the game to a standing ovation with two minutes left and Boston leading by 18. "That left me open, and I was able to take advantage of my opportunity."
Kevin Garnett added 20 points and Rajon Rondo had 13 points and 14 assists for the Celtics, who can advance to the East finals with a victory in Philadelphia in Game 6 on Wednesday.
Boston closed out the third with a 10-2 run over the final three minutes and outscored the Sixers 28-16 in the period. The Celtics also scored 16 of the first 22 points in the fourth quarter -- seven from Rondo -- to put away the game.
Magic: Orlando fired coach Stan Van Gundy and split with general manager Otis Smith, the culmination of a season in which the team was ensnared in a long-running soap opera with star center Dwight Howard and made another first-round playoff exit.
Van Gundy coached the Magic for five seasons. He finished with a 259-135 record, going 31-28 in the playoffs.
In early April, Van Gundy said top-ranking team officials had told him that Howard asked management to fire the coach as a condition for the center signing a long-term contract. Howard denied it.
Smith, a former Warriors player, departs after six years. He was the architect of Magic teams that made it to the playoffs in each of those seasons, winning the Eastern Conference title in 2009.
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