CHICAGO -- Playoff appearances were rare enough for the Washington Wizards let alone series victories. Never mind all that now. John Wall finished with 24 points, Nene scored 20, and the Wizards beat the Chicago Bulls 75-69 on Tuesday night to clinch their first-round series in five games. Bradley Beal scored 17 points, and the fifth-seeded Wizards advanced in the post-season for just the third time since the 1970s. They will meet Indiana or Atlanta in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Hawks lead the series 3-2. Its a huge step for a franchise that hadnt been to the post-season since 2008, but with Wall and Beal leading the way, they won 44 games during the regular season. "It just shows our continued growth," Beal said. "We played great basketball in this series and we can only continue to get better and better." As for the Bulls? "It is real disappointing," Taj Gibson said. "We put so much work into the season, came out of countless holes." The Wizards turned a halftime tie into a nine-point lead heading into the fourth quarter and hung on down the stretch. Chicagos comeback chances took a big hit early in the final quarter when Gibson crumbled to the court clutching his left ankle after he tried to block a layup by Wall with the Wizards up by six points. He had to be helped off the court and did not return. The Bulls got within three points in the closing minutes but couldnt grab rebounds when they needed them, particularly after D.J. Augustin hit two free throws to make it 72-69 with 2:18 left. The Wizards grabbed three offensive rebounds while whittling more than a minute off the clock before Beal threw the ball away with a minute left in the game. Carlos Boozer missed on a drive, but the Bulls couldnt convert after a shot-clock violation by Washington with 22.4 seconds left. Chicagos Jimmy Butler missed on a layup off the inbounds, and the Wizards caught a break after Andre Miller missed two free throws. Nene tracked down the loose ball and Beal hit the first free throw to make it 73-69 with 14.6 seconds left before missing the second. But Nene got another rebound, and that led to two free throws by Wall with 7.8 seconds remaining. Nene was back to wreaking havoc after serving a one-game suspension for grabbing Butlers head, whether he was knocking down jumpers or scoring inside. He hit 10 of 17 shots and grabbed seven rebounds. Wall also had seven boards and hit 9 of 11 free throws. Marcin Gortat grabbed 13 rebounds, and the Wizards did something they have rarely done the past three-and-a-half decades -- they moved on. The playoffs have mostly been one-and-done affairs for them -- with a few exceptions -- since they lost to Seattle in the 1979 Finals. They knocked off New Jersey 2-0 in the first round in 1982 and took out Chicago in six games in 2005. In this series, they showed a resolve and killer instinct that wasnt always there in the regular season. "The main thing is to focus in and know what this team is capable of," Wall said. "I just give a lot of credit to my teammates and the coaching staff and the great game plan and making adjustments and committing ourselves to play on every given night." For the Bulls, a season that unfolded in ways they never envisioned is finally over. They expected to challenge Miami for supremacy in the Eastern Conference with Derrick Rose back after sitting out last season, only to lose their star to another season-ending knee injury. As if that wasnt enough, they traded away one of their top remaining players in Luol Deng yet somehow squeezed out 48 victories. No team in the East won more games after New Years Eve, either, but slow starts and poor shooting plagued them in this series. Butler and Kirk Hinrich scored 16 points each and Gibson had 12 for the Bulls. Joakim Noah, whose left knee has bothering him the past few months, added 18 rebounds and seven assists. Boozer, a candidate to be amnestied, added 10 points and nine rebounds in what might have been his final appearance for Chicago. The Wizards outscored the Bulls 20-11 in the third quarter to turn a 41-41 halftime tie into a 61-52 lead going into the fourth. "I am proud of this team," Noah said. "I am proud of the way we competed all year. We dealt with a lot. Whenever a season is over it is always tough." NOTES: The Wizards outrebounded the Bulls 49-43 overall and 15-8 in the fourth quarter. ... Nene declined comment about his suspension at the Wizards shootaround, saying, "I dont want to talk about that." ... Gibson on his injury: "Real painful. I got to see what they (the medical staff) say tomorrow." [url=https://www.cheapcustomjerseysonline.com/custom-paris-saint-germain-jerseys/]Custom Paris Saint-Germain Jerseys[/url] . -- EJ Manuel followed the worst game of his career with the best. [url=https://www.cheapcustomjerseysonline.com/custom-atlanta-falcons-jerseys/]Custom Atlanta Falcons Jerseys[/url] .com) - John Wall supplied 24 points and 11 assists in leading the Washington Wizards to a 102-91 win over the New York Knicks on Christmas Day. https://www.cheapcustomjerseysonline.com/custom-chicago-bulls-jerseys/. Top-seeded Djokovic, who is making only his second appearance this year after reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, was a 6-3, 6-3 winner over 54th-ranked Istomin of Uzbekistan. "It wasnt as easy as the scoreline indicates," said Djokovic, who has won in Dubai on four occasions. [url=https://www.cheapcustomjerseysonline.com/custom-iceland-soccer-jerseys/]Custom Iceland Soccer Jerseys[/url] . The Los Angeles Clippers showed them just how ugly that life could be. Jared Dudley scored a season-high 21 points, Chris Paul added 16 points and 17 assists, and the Clippers jumped all over the Bulls in Roses absence for a 121-82 victory Sunday. [url=https://www.cheapcustomjerseysonline.com/custom-wales-jerseys/]Custom Wales Jerseys[/url] .In the Football Money League compiled by accountancy firm Deloitte, German champion Bayern Munich remained third but Barcelona dropped from second to fourth during its trophyless 2014.In the 2013-2014 financial year, Real generated 549.DRUMMONDVILLE, Que. -- Once the Drummondville Voltigeurs started scoring they couldnt stop. Jerome Verriers power-play goal in the second period kicked off a six-goal scoring run by Drummondville in a 7-2 victory over the Val-dOr Foreurs on Saturday. Verrier scored twice for the Voltigeurs (2-0-0), while Mitch Graham, Georgs Golovkovs, Alexandre Roy, Cameron Askew and Giovanni Fiore also scored. Pierre-Maxime Poudrier and Guillaume Gelinas replied for Val-dOr (0-2-0). Drummondville goaltender Joe Fleschler made just 16 saves for the win, while at the other end Keven Bouchard allowed all seven goals on 31 shots. --- Oceanic 4 Drakkar 3 (SO) BAIE-COMEAU, Que. -- Left-winger Anthony DeLuca had two power-play goals and an assist, and Alexis Loiseau set up a pair of goals and had the only goal in the shootout for Rimouski. Samuel Laberge also scored for the Oceanic (2-0-0). Julien Lepage, Alexander Ranger and Gabryel Paquin-Boudreau replied for the Drakkar. Olivier Tremblay was busy in the Rimouski net making 44 saves, including 19 in the opening period. Philippe Cadorette made 24 saves for BBaie-Comeau (0-1-1).dddddddddddd --- Armada 2 Huskies 1 (OT) BLAINVILLE, Que. -- Christopher Clapperton scored a power-play goal 4:38 into overtime to lift the Armada. Maxime St-Cyr opened the scoring for the Huskies, and Danick Martel tied it for Blainville-Boisband (2-0-0) with a short-handed goal nine seconds into the third period. Carl Hozjan made 38 saves, including 19 in the second period, for Rouyn-Noranda (0-1-1). Armada goalie Guillaume Decelles stopped 27 shots. --- Islanders 3, Screaming Eagles 2 (SO) CHARLOTTETOWN -- Bradley Kennedy scored the only goal in the shootout as the Islanders won their second straight game to start the season. Matthew Bursey, with a short-handed goal, and Anthony Cortese scored in regulation for Charlottetown (2-0-0). Jason Bell opened the scoring for Cape Breton (0-1-1) 2:58 into the first on a power-play, while Julien Pelletier also scored. Islanders goaltender Antoine Bibeau made 39 saves in regulation and stopped all four shooters in the shootout, while at the other end Maxime Lagace stopped 30 shots for the Screaming Eagles. ' ' '