NEW YORK — If Stephen Curry and Derrick Rose are tired after working overtime, now is the chance to earn some rest.

The Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls, following exhausting victories, can become the first teams to reach the second round of the NBA playoffs if they finish off sweeps Saturday.

The Warriors visit New Orleans, the Bulls are back in Milwaukee, and two other teams take 2-0 leads on the road as part of a four-game slate. Atlanta is at Brooklyn after two tough victories at home, while the Grizzlies easily handled Portland in Memphis.

No NBA team has blown a 3-0 lead, so the Warriors and Bulls figure to end up in the conference semifinals at some point. But clinching their spots on the first opportunity would guarantee at least a week off, with the next round not scheduled to begin until at least May 2.

“We want to get some rest. We don’t want to play any extra games we don’t have to play, especially with some guys banged up right now,” Warriors center Andrew Bogut said Friday. “If we get a couple extra days rest it will help us, but they’ll come out tomorrow the same way they did yesterday, and we have to make sure we blow them out.”

Rose had 34 points and eight assists in 48 minutes of Chicago’s 113-106 double-overtime victory on Thursday. After missing most of the last two seasons with knee injuries and making a late-season return from another surgery this season, the former MVP has shown some of his old explosiveness in this series.

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“Feeling good. Just happy we got the victory,” Rose said. “We know that the game and the performance is behind us and we’ve just got to keep things going.”

Curry made the tying 3-pointer in regulation and finished with 40 points and nine assists as the Warriors charged back from 20 down in the fourth quarter for a 123-119 victory over the stunned Pelicans.

He logged 44 minutes, getting plenty of help before providing the highlight.

“That’s what the playoffs are all about,” he said. “Everybody can tune into that one shot. Obviously we’re not sitting 3-0 without it, but everybody on the court had a good part in that win.”

Here’s a breakdown of Saturday’s games, all times EDT:

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Hawks at Nets, Atlanta leads 2-0, 3 p.m., TNT

Deron Williams used to be in the Rose-Curry category of point guards, but his decline has rarely seemed steeper than in this series. He finished a 1-for-7 performance in Game 2 by missing an open jumper in the final seconds that would have tied it.

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Bulls at Bucks, Chicago leads 3-0, 5:30 p.m., TNT

Rose isn’t Milwaukee’s only problem. Jimmy Butler is averaging 26.7 points to Rose’s 24, and the starting guards have combined to make nearly half their shots.

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Warriors at Pelicans, Golden State leads 3-0, 8 p.m., ESPN

Anthony Davis and the Pelicans likely blew any chance they had of advancing, but are trying to keep their spirits up.

“It hurts us right now. We are down 3-0, but we have to bounce back tomorrow,” guard Eric Gordon said. “It’s a tough task, but we’re still fighting. We’re not giving up.”

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Grizzlies at Trail Blazers, Memphis leads 2-0, 10:30 p.m., ESPN

Portland held Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph to 9-of-31 shooting in Game 2 yet lost by 15 because Mike Conley and Courtney Lee each scored 18 points. Conley and backup Beno Udrih are averaging 32 points between them, Lee shot 8 of 11 in Game 2, and that’s been too much for Portland to handle.



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