NBA Playoffs 2015: Hawks beat the Nets, Grizzlies advance to the second round

Happy Thursday, let's get to your Wednesday NBA Playoff scores, from the Wizards fan perspective.

Hawks beat the Nets, 107-97, get to a 3-2 series lead

DeMarre Carroll led all scorers with 24 points and also scored 10 points in the first quarter when the Hawks raced to a 33-16 lead. The Nets were able to chip away at the lead throughout much of the middle part of the game. They eventually made it a 90-89 game with 4:41 left thanks to Jarrett Jack, who scored 12 points in the fourth quarter.

Brooklyn was down by just two points after Joe Johnson made a three-pointer with just over two minutes left. However, Al Horford made a shot on the next possession and Jeff Teague score the Hawks' next six points to close the game out.

Deron Williams, who scored 35 points for the Nets in Game 4 last Monday, only scored 5 points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field in Game 5. Brooklyn will need him to have a more efficient scoring night the rest of the way if they want to force a Game 7, let alone win the series.

Game 6 is on Friday at 8 p.m. ET in Brooklyn. At this point, I'll be shocked if the Hawks lose this series.

Grizzlies win Game 5 vs. the Trail Blazers, 99-93, earn second-round date with the Warriors

CJ McCollum scored 33 points on 12 of 20 shooting and drained seven three-pointers for the Blazers. But the rest of the team didn't have a particularly good night. Meanwhile, Marc Gasol had a monster game with 26 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies to their first second-round playoff appearance since 2013 when they made the Western Conference Finals.

Just one more thing to note. When the Grizzlies made the Western Conference Finals in 2013, they were a number 5 seed. They defeated the #4 seed Clippers, 4-2 in the first round and then defeated the #1 Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1 in the second round. Maybe the #5 is Memphis' lucky number? They did beat the Warriors once this season in the three regular season matches they had. Hmmm...

Injury News: Kevin Love has shoulder surgery, will miss the rest of the playoffs

The Cleveland Cavaliers forward had surgery on Wednesday night to repair his dislocated left shoulder. He will be out for four to six months. Cleveland's NBA title hopes are still alive and well given that LeBron James and Kyrie Irving are still a scary duo. But this is a big blow for them nevertheless against whichever team they play in the second round. J.R. Smith's two-game suspension in the second-round won't make things any easier, so could the Cavs be vulnerable to a second-round exit?

Thursday NBA Playoff Games

Two NBA games are on tonight. All games are on TNT nationally, and local broadcasters will also have coverage if you live or are near the area.

• The Chicago Bulls will face the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 of their series. Chicago leads 3-2 and just needs one more game to set up their second-round date against the Cleveland Cavaliers. But the Bucks have won two straight games in gritty fashion, so they may have enough to muster up a third. Game time is at 7 p.m. ET.
• The Los Angeles Clippers will play the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6 of their series. With the Defending Champions leading 3-2 in their series -- and with this game back in San Antonio -- I think the Spurs will close things out tonight. Game time is 9:30 p.m. ET.