Jayson Tatum scored 25 points and Gordon Hayward scored 18 points off the bench to lead the visiting Boston Celtics to a 103-96 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.
Marcus Smart added 17 points and Jaylen Brown 13 and seven rebounds for Boston, which won its fifth straight game.
Rookie Collin Sexton led the Cavaliers with 27 points. Alec Burks added 21 points for Cleveland, which lost for the eighth time in 10 tries.
Both teams played short-handed. The Celtics were without Kyrie Irving, who sat out with a hip strain. Boston also did not have Marcus Morris(right knee) and Aron Baynes(foot).
Cedi Osman was held out after injuring his ankle in Cleveland's loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.
Sexton was in attack mode all night, pushing the ball and helping the Cavaliers turn an eight-point halftime deficit into a four-point lead with 5:11 left in the third.
Smart tied the score when he completed a four-point play. Tatum scored the next four points and Boston went on a 13-5 run to take an eight-point lead.
The Cavaliers cut the deficit to 90-87 on a long 3 by Matthew Dellavedova with just under 10 minutes to go. But another dry spell doomed the Cavs as the Celtics went up 101-91.
The Cavs took advantage of Boston's lack of depth in the middle, outrebounding the Celtics 48-42 and recording 22 second-chance points. Boston had just four second-chance points.
Cleveland grabbed a 30-28 lead after one period. Sexton led the way with nine points while Tatum paced the Celtics with 10.
The Celtics outscored the Cavs 31-21 in the second period to take a 59-51 lead into intermission. Boston went on a 12-0 to turn a six-point deficit into a six-point lead.
Boston took advantage of the Cavs' soft interior defense, scoring on a Brown floater and three straight dunks midway through the period.
Then like he did in Boston's win over Cleveland on Jan. 23, Terry Rozier connected from beyond the 3-point line as time expired to put Boston up by eight.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo matched a career-high 44 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and had eight assists on Friday as the visiting Milwaukee Bucks led wire-to-wire and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-102.
Antetokounmpo was coming off his lowest scoring game of the season -- 12 in a loss Wednesday to Indiana. On Friday, he went 14-for-19 from the field and made 16 of 21 free-throw attempts.
Cleveland, which had trailed 94-80 early in the fourth, cut the deficit to 102-97 with 4:20 to go. But the Bucks went on a 9-2 run to put the game out of reach.
Brook Lopez scored 19 on 7-for-15 from the field and Eric Bledsoe added 16 points for the Bucks.
For the second time in a week Milwaukee and Cleveland played, and the Bucks had to again jump out to a big lead and hold on for the win.
On Monday, the Bucks led by 18 at halftime and by as many as 26 in the second. Cleveland cut the deficit to 13 before faltering in a 108-92 loss.
Antetokounmpo did not play in Monday's game because of a sore neck. Milwaukee starters Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon sat out Friday's game.
Tony Snell, getting the start for Brogdon, connected early on two 3-pointers -- his only points of the game -- as Milwaukee scored the game's first nine points.
Rodney Hood finally got the Cavs on the board with a pair of free throws with just under nine minutes to go in the quarter. Cleveland did not score its first field goal until a Hood tip-in at the 7:01 mark -- but by then, Milwaukee already had built a double-digit lead.
The Bucks, who came into the game averaging 40 3-point shots per game, made 5 of 11 in the first quarter. Milwaukee's defense held Cleveland to just 27.7 percent from the field as the Bucks took a 27-16 lead after one.
The Bucks extended the lead to 15 on a Lopez 3-point jumper in the second period. Cleveland would slice the lead to seven at 44-37 on a Jordan Clarkson 3, but that's the closest the Cavaliers would get late in the fourth.
Clarkson led the Cavaliers with 23 points off the bench. Hood added 19 for Cleveland.
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Stephen Curry bombed in 42 points, and Kevin Durant saved 15 of his 25 for the third quarter Wednesday night as the Golden State Warriors surged from behind to topple the host Cleveland Cavaliers 129-105 in a rematch of June's NBA Finals.
The Warriors, who swept the Cavaliers in the Finals for a second consecutive title, trailed 64-58 at halftime before exploding for 37 points in the third quarter en route to a nine-point lead.
Durant hit three 3-pointers in his personal flurry, while Curry also drained a trey as part of his big night that included 25 first-half points.
With Curry adding a four-point play with 6:26 to go in the game, Golden State won going away for its second straight road win after opening a five-game trip with a pair of losses.
Durant completed a double-double with 10 rebounds and added a game-high nine assists for the Warriors, who also swept the two-game season series from the Cavaliers last season.
In his third game following an 11-game absence, Curry shot 9-for-14 on 3-point attempts to account for a majority of his points. He also had nine rebounds and seven assists.
Klay Thompson (16 points), Jonas Jerebko (11) and Quinn Cook (10) also scored in double figures for the Warriors, who wrap up their trip Friday night at Milwaukee.
The Warriors shot 18-for-34 from 3-point range.
Rookie Collin Sexton had a team-high 21 points, Jordan Clarkson 17 and Cedi Osman 16 in a balanced attack for Cleveland, which was opening a three-game homestand after having won at Brooklyn on Monday night.
Tristan Thompson pulled a game-high 19 rebounds to complement 14 points for the Cavaliers, while Rodney Hood added 15 points and Larry Nance Jr. 11.
Cleveland, which built a six-point halftime lead largely on the strength of 10-for-20 shooting on 3-point tries, went just 1-for-12 from beyond the arc in the second half.
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Dennis Schroder scored a season-high 28 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder picked up their sixth consecutive win, a 95-86 decision over the host Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
Oklahoma City was playing without point guard Russell Westbrook, who turned his left ankle Monday in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Missing their playmaker, the Thunder struggled to put away the struggling Cavaliers until an 11-2 run in the final 4:35.
Alex Abrines, who struggled from the field, took a feed from Paul George and hit a corner 3-pointer to break an 84-84 tie and give Oklahoma City some momentum with 4 1/2 minutes left.
George finished with 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting, and Jerami Grant scored 12 points. The Thunder were just better than 25 percent from behind the 3-point arc (7 of 27).
With Westbrook sidelined, Oklahoma City managed just 10 assists.
The Thunder hadn't had fewer than 18 assists in any game this season, and it was the fewest since Dec. 29, 2016, when they managed just nine in a loss to Memphis.
The last time Oklahoma City had 10 or fewer assists in a win was Oct. 30, 2013, at Utah.
Rookie point guard Collin Sexton scored 15 points to lead Cleveland, which dropped its fourth game in a row.
Playing without forward Kevin Love for the seventh consecutive game, the Cavaliers were also without George Hill.
The starting point guard was a late scratch because of shoulder soreness, two days after scoring 22 points in a defeat at Orlando. Then the Cavs lost forward Cedi Osman after less than six minutes due to lower back spasms.
Oklahoma City led 48-40 at halftime after George's 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Thunder then doubled their lead with eight consecutive points to start the third quarter before Cleveland started chipping away.
The Cavaliers hit four of five shots during a 2:40 span early in the fourth quarter -- including a pair of 3-pointers from Kyle Korver. The 13-0 run gave Cleveland its first lead since a couple of very brief one-point leads in the second quarter.
However, Oklahoma City started its late push with Abrines' 3-pointer, and the Thunder settled down and once again took control of the game.
The contest was the first of a back-to-back for the Thunder, who will host Houston on Thursday. Westbrook made the trip to Cleveland and isn't expected to be out long term.
Cleveland plays Saturday at Chicago.
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LeBron James' 46 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists Friday night carried the Cavaliers to a 109-99 win over the Boston Celtics at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, tying the Eastern Conference finals at 3-3.
Game 7 of the series is Sunday night in Boston, with the winner meeting either Houston or Golden State in the NBA Finals.
The Rockets take a 3-2 series lead into Game 6 of the Western Conference finals in Oakland.
George Hill enjoyed his best game of the series for the Cavaliers with 20 points, while reserve Jeff Green chipped in 14 and Larry Nance Jr. hit for 10 points.
They helped make up for the loss of forward Kevin Love, who lasted five minutes before leaving with a possible concussion after a collision with Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum. Love's status for Game 7 is uncertain.
Terry Rozier pumped in six 3-pointers and led Boston with 28 points while Jaylen Brown gunned in 27. Tatum finished with 15 but was largely a non-entity during the first half.
Reserves Marcus Morris and Marcus Smart scored 10 points each.
Cleveland led for most of the last 2 1/2 quarters, although the Celtics made things interesting in the fourth quarter when they cut the deficit to seven on multiple occasions.
But James drilled back-to-back 3-pointers in a 43-second span to up the lead to 107-96 and quash remaining suspense.
The Cavaliers also dominated the glass and reaped the benefits of the foul line. Cleveland finished with a 44-31 advantage in rebounding, including 15-5 on the offensive boards, and went 18-of-22 at the stripe. Boston was a poor 11-of-20 at the line.
The Celtics actually got off to a good start, unlike one-sided Game 3 and 4 losses in Cleveland. Brown lit it up with 15 first-quarter points, converting a pullup with 8.3 seconds remaining that put Boston ahead 25-20.
Things turned for good in the second quarter, when the Celtics could only manage 18 points.
James' floater with 21.8 seconds remaining wrapped up a 25-point half and helped usher the Cavaliers into the locker room with a 54-43 advantage.
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LeBron James scored 44 points on 17-of-28 shooting to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 111-102 victory over the visiting Boston Celtics on Monday night at Quicken Loans Arena to even the Eastern Conference finals at two games apiece.
Kyle Korver scored 14 points (all in the first half) for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers. Tristan Thompson recorded 13 points and 12 rebounds, George Hill scored 13 points and Kevin Love collected 11 rebounds while scoring nine points.
Jaylen Brown scored 25 points and Jayson Tatum had 17 for the second-seeded Celtics, who dropped to 1-6 on the road this postseason. Terry Rozier notched 16 points and 11 assists, Al Horford tallied 15 points and Marcus Morris scored 10.
Game 5 is Wednesday in Boston and James is already gearing up for the contest.
"It's a hostile environment, we understand that," James said in a postgame television interview on ESPN. "There is no love in there. If you don't have on green, if you don't play for that team, if you don't bleed green, they've got no love for you.
"So we've got to come out with a bunker mentality and understand it's just us. It's going to be a great atmosphere."
Cleveland shot 50.6 from the field on Monday and had a 47-37 rebounding edge. Boston shot 41.2 percent from the floor.
Hill's basket gave the Cavaliers a 96-81 lead with 9:53 remaining in the contest before the Celtics rattled off eight straight points.
Love and James responded with back-to-back baskets to increase the Cleveland margin to 100-89.
Boston again was within seven after Marcus Smart's bucket with 4:29 left, but Thompson and James scored consecutive baskets to again push the Cavaliers' lead to 11. Hill followed with a 12-foot floater to give Cleveland a 106-93 advantage with 2:36 left.
James drained a 3-pointer with 1:43 left to record his sixth 40-point outing of this postseason and give the Cavaliers a 109-95 lead. Philadelphia's Allen Iverson (2001) is the most recent player to have six 40-point performances in a single playoff year.
"I put the work in day in and day out on my body, working on my game every day to try to put myself in the best condition I can be in the postseason," James told ESPN afterward.
"My teammates, my coaching staff allow me to go out and do the things to try to help us win and trust me.
"And besides the seven turnovers tonight, I think I earned their trust a little bit more."
Cleveland led by 15 at halftime but saw Love head to the bench with this fifth foul with 7:40 left in the third quarter as Boston crept within 11.
The Celtics later trailed 80-72 after Tatum's basket with 3:40 remaining in the quarter before the Cavaliers answered with a 9-2 surge to push the lead back to 15.
Tatum's dunk with 1.7 seconds to play moved Boston within 89-76 entering the final stanza.
James scored 22 points in the first half as the Cavaliers led 68-53 at the break.
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LeBron James finished with 27 points and 12 assists as the host Cleveland Cavaliers sprung to life with a 116-86 win against the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night.
Kyle Korver had 14 points and Kevin Love added 13 with 14 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who lost the first two games of the series on the road in Boston. George Hill totaled 13 points, JR Smith had 11 and Tristan Thompson scored 10.
"I have a huge responsibility for this team," James told the ABC broadcast after the game. "I have to score, I have to rebound and defend, make sure guys get involved, and I'm OK with that. I'm absolutely OK with that.
"I also have to inspire my teammates to be better. They answered the call tonight, and they need to answer the call at another time (in Game 4) on Monday."
Jayson Tatum scored 18 points to lead Boston. Terry Rozier contributed 13 points and both Jaylen Brown and Greg Monroe finished with 10 for the Celtics, who dropped to 1-5 on the road this postseason.
Boston, which is a perfect 9-0 at home in the playoffs, was trying to become the third team ever to take a 3-0 series lead against a James-led squad, which has only been accomplished by the 2007 San Antonio Spurs and the 2017 Golden State Warriors.
"I don't want to take away from their performance by talking about us," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "They deserve all the credit. They deserve to be talked about, because they played great."
Cleveland shot 48.7 percent (37 of 76) for the game and 50 percent (17 of 34) from 3-point range while outrebounding the visitors 45-34. Boston was limited to 39.2 percent (29 of 74) shooting, going 6-for-22 (27.3 percent) from 3.
The Cavaliers led 61-41 at halftime.
Boston, which never led, fell behind by as many as 30 after that. Cleveland's lead never shrank below 19 in the second half.
Terry Rozier's layup with 9:26 left in the first quarter had the Celtics within three, but James' layup at the 9:03 mark sparked a 13-0 run that put Cleveland ahead 20-4. The Cavaliers were up 32-17 after the first.
James improved to 13-0 in the playoffs when his team has led by 15 or more after one quarter.
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LeBron James scored 45 points as Cleveland beat Indiana 105-101 in the decisive seventh game of their first-round playoff series Sunday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
The Cavaliers will meet the host Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
James, who hit 16 of 25 shots and 11 of 15 free throws, contributed nine rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
"I'm burnt right now," he told reporters postgame. "I'm not thinking about Toronto right now until tomorrow. I'm ready to go home. Can we? I'm tired. I want to go home."
Tristan Thompson, making his first start of the series, delivered a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Kevin Love scored 14 points, hitting four 3-pointers, for the Cavs.
Cleveland point guard George Hill, who missed the last three games with back spasms, didn't play in the first half but scored 11 points in the final two quarters.
Victor Oladipo topped the Pacers with 30 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Point guard Darren Collison added 23 points for the Pacers and forward Thaddeus Young had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
"Nobody thought we were going to be here," Oladipo said. "I feel like we've earned our respect from everyone."
Oladipo's driving layup cut the Cavaliers' lead to 100-96 with 50.1 seconds remaining. James' layup pushed the lead to 102-96. After Oladipo's miss, James hit two free throws with 23 seconds left to seal it.
The Pacers shot 45 percent while the Cavaliers hit 43.2 percent. The Cavs had a 44-37 rebounding edge for the game.
After leading by 11 at halftime, Cleveland's lead was cut to 76-74 after three quarters. James, experiencing some cramping, had gone to the locker room with one minute left in the third quarter. He didn't return until 8:04 left in the fourth quarter with the Cavaliers leading 86-78.
"It felt like a Game 7," James said. "It was like, your mind is thinking like, 'OK, besides the two I played in the Finals, you start thinking like, is this it? Could this be it?' That's just human nature. And then the other side of my brain was like, 'Let's go make something happen. Let's go, that's what you here for. You're here to make plays, you're the leader.'"
Indiana used an 18-2 run to take a 61-58 lead in the third quarter. Bojan Bogdanovic's 3-pointer gave the Pacers their first lead at 59-58 with 7:13 to go in the quarter.
James scored 26 points to propel the Cavaliers to a 54-43 halftime lead.
The Pacers sank 54.8 percent from the field in the first half compared to 43.8 percent for the Cavaliers. However, Indiana had eight turnovers while Cleveland had zero in the first half. The Cavs scored 10 points off those turnovers. Cleveland had an 11-2 edge in offensive rebounds, 24-17 in overall rebounds.
For the game, the Cavaliers had 12 turnovers, one more than the Pacers.
The Pacers used a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to 35-31 in the second quarter before Cleveland rebuilt the advantage.
James hit all five of his shots in the first quarter to help Cleveland to a 31-19 advantage after the opening 12 minutes.
Thompson had six points and seven rebounds in 11 minutes in the first quarter to give the Cavs a lift.
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LeBron James scored 46 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers evened the first-round Eastern Conference playoff series at one game apiece with a 100-97 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.
Game 3 is set for Friday night in Indianapolis.
James hit 17 of 24 shots and 10 of 13 free throws while pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds. Cleveland's Kevin Love, who left the game with a hand injury with 3:43 left in the fourth quarter, scored 15 points, and Kyle Korver added 12.
Head coach Tyronn Lue said after the game that Love jammed a thumb but should be able to play Friday.
The Cavaliers shot 50.7 percent while the Pacers were at 52.6 percent. However, Indiana was 6 of 22 on 3-point attempts while Cleveland was 11 of 28.
Victor Oladipo topped the Pacers with 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting. Myles Turner was right behind with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, and Darren Collison added 16 points for Indiana.
Collison scored to trim the Pacers' deficit to 90-86 with 3:43 remaining.
After Cleveland rebuild the lead to 95-89, Collison sank a 3-pointer with 51.2 seconds left, cutting the margin to three.
After Cleveland's George Hill turned it over with an offensive foul, Oladipo missed a potential 3-pointer. James was fouled and sank both free throws to push the lead to 97-92 with 22.2 seconds to go. Oladipo missed another 3-point shot with 19.2 seconds to go.
Oladipo hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to provide the final three-point margin.
Cleveland held a 74-67 lead after three quarters. The Pacers, who trailed 68-52 with 8:36 remaining in the third, cut the deficit to 72-67 with 2:59 left in the period. Indiana held a 21-16 edge in the third.
Cleveland, which struggled shooting in Game 1, shot 52.5 percent in the first half to take a 58-46 lead into halftime. Indiana shot 48.7 percent before intermission. The biggest first-half difference was the Cavaliers sank 8 of 18 3-point tries while the Pacers were 2 of 11.
The Pacers, who trailed by as many as 18 points, cut the deficit to 39-35 with a 15-3 run in the second quarter. However, the Cavaliers were able to rebuild the lead to 12 at halftime.
James scored 20 on 9-of-12 shooting in the opening quarter as the Cavaliers grabbed a 33-18 lead. James scored all 16 points as the Cavaliers got off to 16-1 lead. His first 13 points were unanswered.
The Pacers were hurt by the fact Oladipo picked up two fouls in first 62 seconds and had to go to the bench for the rest of the quarter. Oladipo picked up his third foul with 4:47 left in the second quarter, but he wasn't whistled for another foul in the game.
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LeBron James had 33 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers prevailed in Tyronn Lue's return as coach with a 119-115 victory over the visiting Washington Wizards on Thursday at Quicken Loans Arena.
Jeff Green scored 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting as Cleveland overcame a 17-point, fourth quarter deficit to post its fifth straight win and 10th in the past 11 games.
Kevin Love scored 16 points, Kyle Korver added 13, Rodney Hood tallied 11 and Jordan Clarkson had 10 for the Cavaliers.
John Wall had 28 points, 14 assists and three steals and Bradley Beal contributed 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, but Washington fell for the seventh time in the past nine games.
Otto Porter Jr. recorded 18 points and eight rebounds, Markieff Morris had 15 points, Mike Scott tallied 12 and Marcin Gortat had 10.
Green calmly knocked down two free throws to give Cleveland a 116-115 lead with 21.4 seconds left. James split two free throws with 8.8 seconds to go, leaving the Wizards in position to play for either the tie or the win.
Wall drove into the lane but committed his sixth turnover when his pass was intercepted by Cedi Osman, who was fouled and made two free throws with 2.5 seconds left to seal it.
Lue was back on the sidelines after missing nine games because of health issues that included chest pains and sleep deprivation.
Thursday's victory puts Cleveland in third place in the Eastern Conference by a half-game over the Philadelphia 76ers. The two teams face one another Friday in Philadelphia.
Washington knocked down 15 of 23 shots in the third quarter while outscoring the Cavaliers 36-23 to turn a five-point halftime deficit into a 90-82 lead.
Wall hit a 3-pointer to cap a 13-4 run and give the Wizards a 67-65 edge with 8:02 remaining in the third.
Cleveland recovered to take a 76-71 advantage before Washington went on a 19-4 surge to take a 10-point lead on a dunk by Kelly Oubre Jr. with 1:07 left.
The Wizards increased their lead to 104-87 with 7:35 remaining in the contest after 3-pointers by Tomas Satoransky and Beal.
The Cavaliers ripped off a 23-6 surge, including 10 straight as Hood hit two free throws to tie it at 110 with 1:50 to go.
Love scored all 16 of his points in the first half as Cleveland held a 59-54 lead at the break.
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LeBron James broke the NBA record for consecutive games scoring at least 10 points and added 17 more as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the New Orleans Pelicans, 107-102, on Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
It was the 867th consecutive regular-season game in which James has scored at least 10 points, breaking a tie with Michael Jordan for the longest such streak in NBA history. The streak began Jan. 5, 2007. The record will stand for at least several years because the next closest active streak belongs to Houston's James Harden (258 after Friday's game against Phoenix ).
Jordan Clarkson added 23 points and Rodney Hood scored 16 for the Cavaliers, who maintained their hold on third place in the Eastern Conference. They stayed a half-game ahead of Philadelphia, which beat Atlanta, 101-91, and moved a game in front of idle Indiana.
Jrue Holiday led New Orleans with 25 points, Nikola Mirotic added 20, Anthony Davis scored 16 and Darius Miller had 11.
The Cavaliers cut the Pelicans' 10-point halftime lead to five during the first two minutes of the third quarter, but Mirotic answered with back-to-back 3-pointers.
The lead reached 13 before Clarkson made two 3-pointers and Jeff Green added a three-point play during a 20-6 run that gave Cleveland a 78-77 lead.
Ian Clark made a jumper for New Orleans , but Green answered with a jumper that gave the Cavaliers an 80-79 lead after three quarters.
Mirotic and Miller each made a 3-pointer to give the Pelicans an 85-82 lead before Cleveland made another run.
J.R. Smith, Clarkson and Jose Calderon each made a 3-pointer and Cleveland built a 95-88 lead midway through the quarter.
Holiday scored six straight New Orleans points, but James countered with eight straight for the Cavaliers to give them a 105-98 lead with 1:59 remaining.
Baskets by Solomon Hill and Holiday got the Pelicans within three and they had a chance to tie, but Holiday's 3-pointer missed with 18 seconds left.
Smith made a free throw and Holiday missed another shot before Clarkson made a free throw for a five-point lead with eight seconds left.
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JR Smith hit consecutive 3-pointers during a 20-2, second-quarter flurry Friday night that sent the Cleveland Cavaliers on to a 120-95 victory over the Phoenix Suns at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
LeBron James had a game-high 27 points in just 29 minutes as the Cavaliers won their fourth straight game while sending the Suns to their 10th consecutive defeat.
Troy Daniels had a team-high 20 points for the Suns, who remained tied with Memphis for the fewest wins in the NBA with 19.
Phoenix led by as many as four points in the first quarter and was up 33-29 in the third minute of the second period before two free throws apiece by Jordan Clarkson and Smith started Cleveland on its decisive run.
Jeff Green and Kevin Love buried 3-pointers to help make it a 12-0 spree, and after Tyler Ulis dropped in a layup for the Suns, Smith began another burst of eight straight Cleveland points with his two 3-pointers.
The Cavaliers led 49-35 after the run and went on to hold a 62-45 advantage at the half. A layup by James extended the margin to 21 early in the third quarter, and the Suns never threatened after that.
James, who made 11 of his 16 shots, also found time for nine assists and six rebounds for the Cavaliers, who completed a 3-0 homestand.
Love finished with 20 points, Larry Nance Jr. 15, Clarkson 13 and Smith 11 for Cleveland, which retained third place in the Eastern Conference with the win.
Nance shared team-high rebound honors with Tristan Thompson with 10.
The Cavaliers shot 49.5 percent for the game.
Daniels connected on six of 12 from 3-point range to account for all but two of his points for Phoenix, which has lost its last five games by an average of 23.4 points.
Daniels' teammates combined to shoot just 1-for-16 on threes, with the Suns finishing at 25 percent (7 of 28).
Marquese Chriss had a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Josh Jackson added 17 points and Ulis 11 for the Suns, who were beaten 129-107 at home by the Cavaliers last Tuesday.
Ulis also chipped in with a team-high nine assists.
The Suns finished at 43.7 percent from the field.
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LeBron James hit two free throws with 7.8 seconds left and finished with 35 points, 17 assists and seven rebounds to lead the host Cleveland Cavaliers to a 132-129 win over the Eastern Conference-leading Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night at Quicken Loans Arena.
Kevin Love scored 23 points, including a 3-pointer with 27.5 seconds left to put Cleveland up 128-124, and added 12 rebounds. George Hill had 22 points on 10-of-11 shooting for the Cavaliers, who won their third straight and posted a fourth victory in five games.
"I told you guys how much I missed him, how much this team missed him," James said on ESPN of Love and his big 3-pointer off a James assist. "Somebody I can always rely on because of all of the things that we've been through.
"So when I drove the lane, I seen Serge (Ibaka) ... knowing Serge's tendency is to come block shots, I knew that I was going to have (Love) in that short corner, and he knocked it down."
Kyle Lowry had 24 points and DeMar DeRozan had 21 to lead the Raptors, who came into the game winners of 19 of 21 but have now lost two of three.
After a high-scoring first quarter in which the teams combined for 80 points, with Cleveland claiming a 42-38 lead, the Raptors dominated the second frame, 41-22, to take a 79-64 halftime lead. Just when Toronto thought it had the game in the bag, though, the Cavaliers owned the third quarter, 34-20, and went into the fourth trailing 99-98.
The teams traded leads in the fourth quarter but Cleveland seized control late and DeRozan missed a long 3-point attempt as time expired to give the Cavaliers an important win.
Cleveland relied heavily on its offense in the win, shooting 60 percent from the field, 63 percent from 3-point range and 82 percent on free throws to outmatch a Raptors squad that shot 54 percent.
James was asked if he knows what the roster is capable of.
"No, I don't," he said. "But we're working our tail off to keep this ship above sea level, above the water.
"If we continue to play like we did tonight, even with all the injuries, even with all the adversity, even with the lost ones of some of our brothers' family, we'll be OK."
Cleveland was without Kyle Korver, whose brother Kirk died at age 27 on Tuesday after an illness.
The Cavaliers' starting five shot a combined 38 of 61 from the field, with Jeff Green adding 15 points and Jose Calderon chipping in 14. And James didn't commit a turnover to go with his 17 assists.
Toronto got a big game from its bench, which combined to score 48 points. Jakob Poeltl had 17 points and eight rebounds, Fred VanVleet added 16 points, and Delon Wright scored 12 points.
After their brief two-game road trip, the Raptors return home for three games, starting Friday with a matchup against the Brooklyn Nets.
Cleveland concludes its three-game homestand on Friday against the NBA's worst team, the Phoenix Suns, before heading on the road for three.
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LeBron James racked up 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in three quarters, and the Cleveland Cavaliers pounded the struggling Detroit Pistons 112-90 on Monday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
Larry Nance Jr. supplied 22 points and 15 rebounds after being inserted into the starting lineup. He replaced starting center Tristan Thompson, who suffered an ankle sprain against Denver on Saturday that will sideline him for multiple games.
Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue also made another lineup switch, inserting shooting guard Rodney Hood in place of Cedi Osman. Hood tossed in 13 points, while Osman added 12 points off the bench. Two other reserves, Kyle Korver and Jordan Clarkson, chipped in 11 points apiece.
Cleveland outscored Detroit 58-41 after halftime. Overall, the Cavaliers shot 48.9 percent from the field while holding the Pistons to 39.1 percent shooting. Cleveland also dominated on the boards, outrebounding Detroit 53-40.
Blake Griffin led the Pistons, who have lost three straight and nine of their last 11 games, with 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Andre Drummond contributed 15 points and nine rebounds, and Reggie Bullock tossed in 11 points for Detroit.
Nance and James carried the Cavs to a 54-49 halftime lead, combining for 34 points and 15 rebounds. A 14-5 run gave Cleveland a nine-point lead late in the half before Detroit cut it to five with a 6-2 spurt. Griffin led the Pistons with 15 first-half points.
Cleveland outscored Detroit 36-21 in the third quarter.
James erupted for 13 points in the first 4 1/2 minutes of the second half to give Cleveland a commanding 71-54 lead. He drained a trio of 3s during that 17-5 run, including a pullup in transition to finish it off.
Detroit scored the next six points, but its frustration mounted as Drummond and Griffin were both whistled for technicals. The Cavaliers scored eight of the last 10 points in the quarter.
Korver opened the fourth with a 3-pointer, and Lue was able to rest his starters in the lopsided game.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
LeBron James recorded his 13th triple-double of the season with 31 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers withstood a stiff challenge from the Brooklyn Nets and posted a 129-123 victory Tuesday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
James shot 13 of 25 and became the 11th player to reach 8,000 career assists and, also recorded his 67th career triple-double as Cleveland beat the Nets for the 10th straight time at home since April 2, 2013.
Despite James' latest big game, the Cavaliers needed others to make big plays on both ends in a game that featured 25 lead changes and was tied nine times.
Rodney Hood converted the go-ahead 3-point play, hitting a tough mid-range baseline jumper while being fouled by rookie Jarrett Allen and then sinking the free throw for a 123-121 lead with 40.2 seconds left.
After taking the lead for good, George Hill trapped D'Angelo Russell along the sideline. Russell then misfired badly on an off-balance 3-pointer, Larry Nance Jr. grabbed the rebound and James sank two free throws to complete his 21st 30-point game of the season.
Hill added 26 points for Cleveland, which shot 51.5 percent and scored at least 120 points for the 14th time.
Kyle Korver contributed 18 while Hood and Jordan Clarkson contributed 14 apiece in Cleveland's sixth win in eight games.
Russell scored 25 points, but it was not enough as the Nets lost for the 12th time in 14 games. Caris LeVert added 18 and DeMarre Carroll contributed 16 as Brooklyn shot 53.7 percent.
Before Hood's go-ahead shot, the Nets came back from a pair of six-point deficits and held a 121-120 lead on Crabbe's off-balance floater through the lane with 56.2 seconds left
The Nets held a 61-60 lead at halftime on Crabbe's shot before the buzzer and trailed 94-91 going into the fourth.
Russell hit consecutive baskets for a 101-99 lead with 8:16 left while James sat but the Cavs used an 8-0 run and appeared to take control over the next few minutes until the Nets briefly took the lead on six occasions in the final six minutes.
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LeBron James capped his 64th career triple-double with an 18-foot, fadeaway jumper at the buzzer to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 140-138 overtime victory over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena.
James finished with 37 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists, and he set the stage for his game-winner with a block on Jimmy Butler on the previous defensive possession, the first blocked shot of the game for the Cavaliers.
James followed by catching the inbounds pass from Jeff Green and nailing the jumper to send Cleveland to its first win on national television this season. The Cavaliers had been 0-8 in such games, losing by an average of 18 points per game.
Butler scored a team-high 35 points while Karl-Anthony Towns had 30 points and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves. Jeff Teague also recorded a double-double with 14 points and 15 assists.
Seven Cavaliers scored in double figures. J.R. Smith scored 20 points while hitting six 3-pointers.
The shootout featured 34 lead changes and 16 ties. The teams combined for an NBA-record 40 treys, with Cleveland finishing 21 of 41 from behind the arc and the Timberwolves 19 of 33.
Regulation closed with a flourish. After Minnesota opened the fourth quarter with consecutive 3-pointers to reclaim a 105-101 lead, Cleveland responded with five 3-pointers over the ensuing seven minutes to match its largest lead of the night at 124-116. Right on cue, the Timberwolves made an 8-0 run, and Minnesota moved ahead 129-126 when Towns drilled a 3-pointer with 54.3 seconds left.
James followed with a trey that tied the game but missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and overtime followed.
Cleveland made half of its eight 3-point attempts and shot 61.9 percent in the first quarter but led by just two points entering the second because Minnesota was up to the challenge from the perimeter, connecting on 5 of 8 long-distance attempts.
Momentum proved fickle until late in the second quarter when the Timberwolves rolled off a 10-0 run to claim a 66-62 lead. However, Cleveland opened the second half with an 8-0 run, and the pendulum started to swing again.
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The defending champion Golden State Warriors tightened the screws defensively in the second half Monday night, rallying from a halftime deficit to a 118-108 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA's marquee matchup on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Cleveland.
The Warriors' 13th consecutive road victory in a rematch of last June's NBA finals allowed them to sweep the season series from the Cavaliers for the second time in the last three seasons.
The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers, 99-92, at home on Christmas Day.
After giving up 64 points over the game's first 24 minutes, the Warriors held the Cavaliers to 44 in the second half, including 17 in the decisive fourth quarter.
The game was tied at 93-all after an Isaiah Thomas hoop in the first minute of the fourth quarter before the Warriors limited the Cavaliers to two field goals on their next 17 shots, allowing Golden State to run off to a 108-97 lead.
Kevin Durant had 32 points, Stephen Curry 23 and Klay Thompson 17 for the Warriors. They combined for 11 3-pointers as Golden State outscored the Cavaliers 36-21 from beyond the arc.
Draymond Green came one assist shy of a triple-double, finishing with 11 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists for the Warriors, who won for a third straight time on their five-game trip.
LeBron James had 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Cavaliers, but he also committed eight turnovers. He made 12 of his 18 shots.
Isaiah Thomas, despite 8-for-21 shooting, totaled 19 points, while Kevin Love had 17 and Dwyane Wade finished with 10 for Cleveland, which lost its fourth straight.
The Warriors outshot the Cavaliers 48.2 percent to 45.7.
James had 20 of his 32 points in the first half, during which the Cavaliers went up by as many as nine points en route to a 64-57 halftime advantage.
A tightly contested first half featured five ties and six lead changes.
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LOS ANGELES -- LeBron James posted his 60th NBA triple-double on Saturday, passing Larry Bird for fifth on the all-time list and leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 109-100 victory over the Utah Jazz.
James scored 29 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and handed out 10 assists. It was his third triple-double -- putting up double digits in three statistical categories -- in the four-game homestand that concluded Saturday.
His drive to the basket with one second left in the third quarter gave Cleveland an 80-73 lead going into the fourth, and he scored 10 points in the final period.
James had scored or assisted on Cleveland's first 13 points. He connected on nine of his 15 shots from the field and made all 10 of his free throws.
Kevin Love had 15 points and five rebounds, and rookie Cedi Osman scored a career-high 10 points for Cleveland, who are 17-1 since November 11 and notched an 11th straight home win.
Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue earned his 100th regular-season victory since being promoted to the job on January 22, 2016.
The Jazz were without French center Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors, who were both hurt in a win over Boston on Friday. Gobert is expected to miss up to a month with a sprained left knee, while Favors suffered an eye laceration.
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LOS ANGELES - Cleveland star LeBron James tied Larry Bird for sixth all time in NBA triple-doubles Thursday as the Cavaliers beat the Los Angeles Lakers 121-112.
"King" James scored 25 points with 12 rebounds and 12 assists for the 59th triple-double of his 15-season career.
Cleveland's Kevin Love led all scorers with 28 points, while Jose Calderon added a season high 17.
Lonzo Ball, the Lakers rookie playing against James for the first time, finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Brandon Ingram scored 26 points to lead the young, energetic Lakers, who seized an early lead before the Cavaliers found their range.
Cleveland scored 100 points for the 22nd consecutive game, winning for the 16th time in 17 contests.
James helped put the game away, his dunk with 2:20 remaining and short shot with 1:38 to play putting the Cavs up 117-108.
"Tonight the difficult challenge was the way they were kind of spreading the floor, running up and down," James said. "But if we defend, if we share the ball, move the ball, we're going to give ourselves a good chance to win every night."
In other early games, the New York Knicks lost star forward Kristaps Porzingis with a left knee injury in the third quarter but held on for a 111-104 victory over the Nets in Brooklyn.
Although they were just across town from their Madison Square Garden Arena, for the Knicks it was a much needed road win -- just their second of the season.
Courtney Lee scored a season high 27 points for the Knicks. Michael Beasley, who replaced Porzingis, added 15 points and Turkish center Enes Kanter added 13 points with nine rebounds.
The Detroit Pistons, called out by coach Stan Van Gundy after dropping their seventh straight game on Tuesday, snapped their skid with an emphatic 105-91 victory over Hawks in Atlanta.
Andre Drummond scored 12 points, pulled down 19 rebounds and handed out nine assists for the Pistons.
"It's a little less burdensome now," Van Gundy said of ending the losing streak that had stretched over the first two weeks of December. "Maybe we just get back to playing basketball."
bb/jm
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LOS ANGELES -- LeBron James posted his third triple double of the season and 58th of his career as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 105-98 on Saturday night.
James had a hand in Cleveland's final 22 points of the game as he finished with 30 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists in 39 minutes.
James' late-game productive streak is the most points scored or assisted on for any player this season to close out a game.
"That's a crazy stat," said James. "I didn't know that, that's for sure.
"I don't need to score to be productive and to help win a game. I just stay with it. I was able to get to the free-throw line tonight. I was able to get some rebounds and my teammates made some huge shots for me."
Jeff Green, Kyle Korver, and Dwyane Wade all came off the bench to score 13 points each. Jae Crowder tallied 12, including a clutch three-pointer from James with 40 seconds left for a 104-98 lead.
J.J. Redick and Robert Covington led Philadelphia with 19 points each. Covington was hurt trying to save the ball out of bounds with 68 seconds remaining and did not return.
J.R. Smith moved ahead of Kobe Bryant (1,827 three-pointers) for 12th place on the NBA's all-time three-point list by draining two from beyond the arc Saturday for Cleveland.
Elsewhere, Lou Williams' three-pointer was the final dagger in the Los Angeles Clippers' wild 113-112 triumph over the Washington Wizards.
A frenetic finish saw the lead change hands three times in the final 13 seconds, but Williams had the last word with a 30-foot jump shot made over the outstretched arms of Washington's Bradley Beal.
A potential game-winning basket from the baseline by Beal came just after the buzzer sounded.
- Wild ending -
Officials ruled the clock had, in fact, started too soon and replayed Washington's final possession -- on which Marcin Gortat's jump shot bounced off the front of the rim.
Williams scored 35 points for the Clippers, who snapped a three-game losing streak.
He leads the league in points off the bench at 17.8 per game and after becoming the 96th player to amass 1,000 three-pointers in his career on Thursday added four more to take his tally to 1,007.
Danilo Gallinari added 25 points in his second game since returning from a hip injury and Austin Rivers added 16 points for Los Angeles, who notched their first win since losing Blake Griffin to a knee injury in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
In Mexico City, Goran Dragic scored 20 points as the Miami Heat beat the Brooklyn Nets 101-89.
Tyler Johnson also scored 20 points for the Heat to follow up his season-high 25-point showing in Wednesday's loss at San Antonio. He helped Miami stay close by scoring 18 points in the first half.
James Johnson added 17 while Justise Winslow contributed a season-high 15 points and hit a career-best four three-pointers.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led the Nets with 18 points and Spencer Dinwiddie contributed 15 and nine assists, but it was not enough as Brooklyn appeared fatigued in the fourth quarter by Mexico City's 2,250 meter (7,382-foot) altitude.
The Nets were held under 100 points for the fourth time this season and finished with just 17 points in the final 12 minutes. Brooklyn also shot seven of 27 from three-point range.
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