Raptors regain home court advantage
MILWAUKEE DeMar DeRozan scored 33 points, and the Toronto Raptors beat the Milwaukee Bucks in an 87-76 defensive slugfest to tie their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series at two games apiece.
Kyle Lowry had 14 of his 18 points in the second half for the Raptors, who turned up their intensity before a hostile road crowd after getting embarrassed in a 27-point loss to Milwaukee in Game 3. Toronto’s tested backcourt reverted to its playmaking form, especially the resurgent DeRozan. He was 12 of 22 from the field after missing all eight of his attempts in Game 3.
The Raptors seized homecourt advantage back in the best-of-seven series. Game 5 is Monday at the Air Canada Centre.
The game was tied at halftime before Toronto slowly edged away in the second half, building a 10-point lead with 4 minutes left on Norman Powell’s 3-pointer.
Tony Snell led Milwaukee with 19 points.
CAVALIERS 106, PACERS 102
INDIANAPOLIS — LeBron James made a 3-pointer with 68 seconds left, helping the Cleveland Cavaliers sweep their playoff series against the Indiana Pacers with a victory on Sunday.
James finished with 33 points and 10 rebounds. He became the first player under the current playoff format to win 21 straight first-round games, and he also set a league record with his 10th career playoff sweep.
It sure wasn’t easy. After taking a 96-83 lead with 9:29 to go, the Cavs found themselves in a 102-100 deficit with 1:31 left.
But James answered with his big 3-pointer, and Cleveland sealed the win on James’ free throw with 1 second left.
Lance Stephenson scored 22 points for Indiana. Paul George had 15, but missed a 3-pointer that could have forced overtime in the closing seconds.
ROCKETS 113, THUNDER 109
OKLAHOMA CITY — Nene scored 28 points on perfect shooting from the field, and Houston grabbed a 3-1 lead in its first-round playoff series against Oklahoma City.
Nene made all 12 of his shots and had 10 rebounds. He helped the Rockets overcome an off night by James Harden, who finished with 16 points on 5-for16 shooting.
95 CELTICS 104, BULLS
CHICAGO — Isaiah Thomas scored 33 points, and the Celtics beat the Bulls to tie their first-round playoff series at 2-all.
Boston blew a 20-point lead, but Thomas keyed a third-quarter run that put the Celtics back on top after Chicago briefly went ahead.
Gerald Green made four 3pointers on his way to 18 points, helping the top-seeded Celtics return the favour in Chicago after dropping the first two games at home. Al Horford added 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Jimmy Butler carried the Bulls with 33 points and nine assists.
GRIZZLIES 110, SPURS 108
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Marc Gasol hit a 12-foot floater with 0.7 seconds left in overtime, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the San Antonio Spurs Saturday night to even up their first-round series at 2-2.
The Grizzlies won despite blowing a 10-point lead with 7:38 left in regulation and 23 turnovers that San Antonio turned into 31 points.
Mike Conley set a franchise post-season record with 35 points, and Gasol finished with 16 points after shooting 5 of 12 for the game.
WARRIORS 119, TRAIL BLAZERS 113
PORTLAND, Ore. — Stephen Curry scored 34 points, Klay Thompson added 24 and the short-handed Golden State Warriors overcame a slow start to take a 3-0 lead in their playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday.
The Blazers led by as many as 17 points in the first half, but couldn’t hold off the Warriors, who can clinch the series with a win Monday night in Game 4 at the Moda Center.
Golden State was without Kevin Durant, who was sitting for a second straight game cause of a left calf strain, and coach Steve Kerr stayed back at the team hotel because of illness.
HAWKS 116, WIZARDS 98
ATLANTA — Paul Millsap scored 29 points, Dennis Schroder had 27 and the Atlanta Hawks delivered an early knockout blow against Washington, cruising to a victory that sliced the Wizards’ lead to 2-1 in the openinground playoff series on Saturday.
After two tight losses in Washington exposed some bad blood between the teams, Atlanta returned home and built a 25-point lead by late in the first quarter.