Cavaliers deliver in Boston
Take lead in East, set tone for later
LeBron James had 36 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists and the Cleveland Cavaliers ran past the Boston Celtics, 114-91, Wednesday night to move back into first place in the Eastern Conference.
The teams had identical records entering their final regular-season matchup, but Cleveland (51-27) now has a one-game lead over Boston (50-28) with only four games to play.
Cleveland also holds the tiebreaker with the Celtics for the top seed, if needed.
Kyrie Irving added 19 points and five assists.
The Cavaliers played without starting center Tristan Thompson, who was out with a sprained right thumb. But they made due without him, surging at the start of the second quarter and taking as much as a 29-point lead in the third quarter.
They also outrebounded Boston, 51-38. Isaiah Thomas led the Celtics with 26 points.
Other games
Heat 112, Hornets 99: Goran Dragic scored 33 points, and visiting Miami made 21 3-pointers to beat Charlotte and pull back into a tie for eighth place in the East. James Johnson shot 6 of 7 from 3-point range and had 26 points.
Raptors 105, Pistons 102: Kyle Lowry had 27 points and 10 assists in his return from a wrist injury as Toronto rallied for a win in Detroitt. Back in the lineup after missing 18 games, Lowry helped the Raptors overcame a 20-point first-half deficit.
Rockets 110, Nuggets 104: James Harden scored 31 points and Houston squandered a big early lead, but held on to outlast visiting Denver for a win that secured the third seed in the Western Conference. The Nuggets cut the lead to two points on a layup by Nikola Jokic with 1:20 remaining. A 3-pointer by Harden a few seconds later pushed the lead to 106101 and brought the crowd to its feet.
Lakers 102, Spurs 95: Tyler Ennis had 19 points in place of injured starter D'Angelo Russell and Los Angeles never trailed in a victory at San Antonio. The Lakers led by as many as 26 points in snapping an eight-game skid against the Spurs.
Thunder 103, Grizzlies 100: Russell Westbrook fell a rebound short of an historic triple-double, but he scored 45 points, including a late 3pointer that helped seal visiting Oklahoma City’s victory in Memphis. Westbrook’s two free throws in the final second gave the Thunder their