James paces Cavs to 2-0 series edge

TORONTO — Watching LeBron James at shootaround, Kevin Love knew something special was in store.

Maybe not the fadeaway jumpers James kept making, each seemingly with a higher degree of difficulty than the last, but he was sure there would be something.

“This morning, you could just sense it,” Love said. “He knew what was at stake, he knew us getting another win here was going to be huge for us. He came out and he played that way from the jump. You could just sense that he was going to have a special night.”

James had 43 points and 14 assists, Love added 31 points and 11 rebounds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Toronto Raptors 128-110 on Thursday to take a 2-0 lead in their second-round playoff series.

James delivered the first 40-point, 14-assist game in NBA playoff history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He added eight rebounds, narrowly missing his second straight tripledouble, and connected on 19 of 28 attempts in a performance so dominant the beleaguered Raptors’ city was being called “LeBronto” by the time the night was over.

“He got it going and he was feeling it,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said.

James, meanwhile, gave credit to Love, who shot 11-for-21 and missed matching his career playoff high by one point.

“It was great to see that performance out of him,” James said. “That’s a huge game for him.”

DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points and Kyle Lowry had 21 for the Raptors. Toronto won a team-record 59 games and finished as the topseeded team in the Eastern Conference, but was shoved one step closer to a third straight postseason exit at the hands of the Cavs.

In Boston, rookie Jayson Tatum scored 21 points and hit a pair of free throws in the closing second, and the Celtics rallied from a 22-point deficit to beat Philadelphia and take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Terry Rozier added 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Marcus Smart finished with 19 points as the Celtics improved to 6-0 at TD Garden this postseason.

J.J. Redick had 23 points for the 76ers, and Robert Covington added 22 points and nine rebounds.