Warriors, Hawks win and move on

Stephen Curry scored 32 points, including a 62-footer to end the third quarter, and the Golden State Warriors advanced to their first Western Conference finals since 1976 by beating the Grizzlies, 108-95, on Friday night in Memphis, Tenn.

They advanced with some of the best shooting in the NBA postseason since 1985, becoming the first team since that year to hit 14 or more threes in three consecutive playoff games. Curry was 8 of 13 from beyond the arc as the Warriors knocked down a playoff-best 15 three-pointers, closing out Memphis with their third straight win.

Curry, who had 10 assists, had the shot of the night after Andre Iguodala blocked Jeff Green's shot near midcourt. Curry grabbed the loose ball and beat the buzzer from the Grizzlies' three-point line for a 76-68 lead. Klay Thompson had 20 points, Draymond Green added 16, Harrison Barnes 13 and Shaun Livingston 10.

The Warriors will play the winner of the Los Angeles Clippers-Houston Rockets series in the conference finals. The conference finals will start Tuesday night at Golden State.

Marc Gasol led Memphis with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Vince Carter added 16 off the bench, and Mike Conley 11.

Curry finished the series with 25 three-pointers, one more than the Grizzlies managed. When he beat the buzzer with that long three, he celebrated by bumping chests with Iguodala and David Lee.

Hawks 94, Wizards 91 - Avoiding overtime in Game 6 when Paul Pierce's potential tying three-pointer was released after the clock expired, Atlanta made it to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time by beating hos Washington.

The Hawks held on, thanks primarily to DeMarre Carroll's playoff career-high 25 points, including two layups in the last minute off assists from Jeff Teague.

After Al Horford went 1 of 2 from the free-throw line for a three-point lead, the Wizards inbounded the ball with 6.4 seconds left. They got the ball to Pierce, who won Game 3 on a banked-in buzzer-beater, then put Washington briefly ahead late in Game 5 with a three. This time, his three from the corner swished through, but after a couple of anxious minutes for both teams, a replay review determined it was too late.