Wizards coach Scott Brooks recognized the situation and knew his role. Let John Wall take over and stay out of the way. Washington's All-Star turned the game flow in the third quarter, preventing the Atlanta Hawks from wrestling away home-court advantage.

The NBA's highest scoring team reminded everyone Sunday why it is the top seed in the playoffs.

Flustered through the first three quarters, Jimmy Butler produced a breakout final period that was enough to carry the Chicago Bulls past the top-seeded Boston Celtics in the opener of a first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.

Postseason series tend to morph over time as teams scheme, adjust and then re-adjust to fit the terms of engagement. But what the Houston Rockets managed on Sunday night ran contrary to what anyone could have anticipated.