Cavaliers:
LeBron James scored 39 points, moved past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the career playoff scoring list and pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 125-103 rout against the Toronto Raptors in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series Wednesday night.
Just like a year ago in the conference finals, the Cavs are up 2-0 on the Raptors, who must figure some things out or this series will be over quickly. Toronto was routed for the fifth straight time in Cleveland in the playoffs, losing each by an average of 24.2 points.
Game 3 is Friday night at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre.
James, who will aim to win a road game in his 27th consecutive series Friday, finished 10 of 14 from the field in Game 2.
Kyrie Irving had 22 points and 11 assists and Channing Frye scored 18 points for the reigning champions, who are 6-0 in this year’s playoffs. Cleveland is 9-0 since losing Game 4 of last year’s NBA Finals.
The Raptors didn’t start Jonas Valanciunas, but he led them with 23 points. Toronto only got five points from AllStar DeMar DeRozan, who didn’t make his first field goal until the first minute of the fourth quarter.
Of bigger concern might be guard Kyle Lowry, who sprained his left ankle in the third quarter. Lowry spent the fourth quarter in the locker room icing his ankle.
James came in needing 25 points to pass Abdul-Jabbar, and he overtook the Hall of Fame center with a 3-pointer in the third quarter, when he scored 17 points and helped the Cavs open a 26-point lead. James now only trails Michael Jordan (5,987), the player to whom he has been compared since he was a teenager, for the most points in postseason history.
Warriors 106, Jazz 94:
Stephen Curry’s 22 points led five double-digit scorers as host Golden State cruised past Utah to take a 1-0 lead in
LeBron James is in a bit of a brew-haha. On Monday, James jokingly swiped a beer bottle from a courtside server during the third quarter of Cleveland’s playoff game against Toronto and considered sipping it before handing it back. The exchange went viral on social media. James now said his agent and legal team are upset over Great Lakes Brewing Co.’s use of his image with the bottle. James told Cleveland.com that the brewery “is trying to benefit off me.”
Center Nene was fined $15,000 for escalating a fight with Spurs center Dewayne Dedmon in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Rockets:
The Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers and New York Mets could be without their injured aces for some time.
The Indians put Corey Kluber on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday with a lower back strain, meaning the right-hander will miss at least his next turn in the rotation. Kluber, 31, was removed from Tuesday night’s start at Detroit after three innings because of back discomfort. Kluber is 3-2 with a 5.06 ERA in six starts this season and has allowed at least five runs in three of his six starts.
The Rangers said lefthander Cole Hamels is expected to miss eight weeks because of a strained right oblique. The Rangers put Hamels on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday. Hamels, 33, was scratched from his scheduled start shortly before Tuesday night’s game at Houston. He said he felt discomfort in his right side while warming up. The four-time All-Star is 2-0 with a 3.03 ERA in five starts this season.
Mets ace Noah Syndergaard, 24, is headed to Los Angeles this week to seek a second opinion on his torn lat muscle. Initial estimates of Syndergaard’s absence is reported to be about three months.
Marlins:
Right-hander Edinson Volquez was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a right thumb blister, and right-hander Nick Wittgren was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans. Volquez is 0-4 with a 4.71 ERA in six starts this season.
Reliever Sean Doolittle was put on the 10-day disabled list with a strain of the left shoulder that has troubled him for three seasons. The left-hander, 30, has a 3.52 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 7⅔ innings over nine appearances this season.
Catcher Tony Wolters sustained a concussion in the seventh inning Tuesday when he was hit on the helmet on pinch-hitter Hector Sanchez’s backswing. Wolters left a few pitches later.
Athletics: Rockies: Cardinals:
Police said they were investigating after a woman attending Tuesday’s game was grazed in the arm by a stray bullet that apparently originated outside Busch Stadium. The victim, 34, was inside the ballpark when she felt pain in her arm. She went to a first-aid station for treatment and a bullet was later found near her seat. She had an abrasion on an elbow.
The victim could not be reached for comment. Her mother told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the victim had retained an attorney and they had been advised not to speak to the media.
Baltimore turned its 13th triple play and first since Sept. 1, 2000, on Tuesday night at Boston. With Mitch Moreland on second and Dustin Pedroia on first in the eighth inning, Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a pop-up and shortstop J.J Hardy called for the ball, but it dropped behind him in shallow left field.
The infield fly rule wasn’t called, and Hardy picked up the ball and threw to second, where Jonathan Schoop tagged Moreland and stepped on the base to force Pedroia. Schoop then threw to first to retire Bradley, who had peeled off and headed back to the dugout.
Orioles: