Cavs oust Pistons in first round

Kyrie Irving scored 20 of his 31 points in the second half, and the Cleveland Cavaliers finished off a four-game sweep of the Detroit Pistons, holding on for a 100-98 victory at Auburn Hills, Mich. The Cavs advance to the second round to play either Atlanta or Boston. LeBron James had 22 points for Cleveland, but it was Irving who made the biggest shots all night. His midcourt buzzer beater put the Cavs up 81-78 after the third quarter, and with Cleveland clinging to a one-point lead in the final minute, he calmly sank a 3-pointer from the right wing with 42 seconds remaining. Detroit still had a chance at the end, but Reggie Jackson’s wild shot at the buzzer was off the mark. At Boston, Isaiah Thomas scored 28 points, hitting a corner 3-pointer with 30 seconds left in overtime and then adding a pair of clinching free throws as the Boston Celtics beat the Hawks 104-95 to send their firstround playoff series back to Atlanta on Tuesday tied two games apiece. Paul Millsap scored 45 for the Hawks and added 13 rebounds. Marcus Smart scored 20 points — including 11 straight for Boston in the fourth quarter — and Jonas Jerebko had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Game 5 is Tuesday night in Atlanta. The Celtics led by four with under a minute to play in regulation when Jeff Teague hit back-toback 3-pointers to give Atlanta the lead. But Thomas drove for a layup to tie it 92-92 with 15 seconds left. The Hawks had a chance to win in regulation before Teague dribbled out the clock without getting off a clean shot.)