Boston fans left grumpy in rout by new-look Cavs
LeBron James led the newlook Cavaliers to a blowout in Boston with an individual performance reminiscent of the rivalry’s heyday.
And this time, Paul Pierce was sitting courtside in street clothes, unable to help.
With the former Celtics swingman waiting to see his No. 34 raised to the TD Garden rafters, James shook off a firstquarter leg injury to score 24 points with 10 assists and eight rebounds to give Cleveland a 121-99 victory Sunday.
In their first appearances since being acquired at the trade deadline Thursday, Jordan Clarkson scored 17 points, Rodney Hood had 15, George Hill had 12 and Larry Nance Jr. scored five. They practiced with the Cavs for the first time Saturday.
“I know the guys that are here are very excited about this opportunity,” James said. “It’s my job as the leader of this team to make sure that I acclimate the new four guys to be around a culture that’s built around winning.”
James scored 13 in the second quarter — eight during a 13-2 run that turned a one-point deficit into a double-digit lead. The Celtics made it 64-55 on the first basket of the third quarter but did not get within 10 again.
As the Cavaliers opened a 27-point lead midway through the fourth, the crowd began chanting, “We want Paul Pierce!” Pierce remained in his baseline seat as he and the restless fans awaited the postgame ceremony that would raise his No. 34 to the rafters — the 23rd person in the history of the franchise to be so honored.
“It definitely gave me chills, especially with LeBron out there,” Pierce told reporters. “I wanted to be out there.”
Terry Rozier scored 21 with nine assists and Kyrie Irving scored 18 against his former team before sitting out the fourth quarter.
The Cavaliers, who have won three straight, are 5½ games behind Boston. To help make a push for their fourth straight NBA Finals, Cleveland traded six players and acquired four at the deadline.
“All of our new guys performed and played well,” head coach Tyronn Lue said. “So that’s a good sign.”
Thunder George scored 110, Grizzlies 33 points 92: and Paul host Oklahoma City prevailed without Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony, who were both out with sprained ankles. George responded by making 10 of 24 shots and adding eight assists. Marc Gasol scored 18 points for Memphis.
Rockets 104, Mavericks 97: James Harden scored 27 points, Chris Paul added 25 and host Houston routed Dallas. The Rockets have won eight straight and 12 of 13. Yogi Ferrell scored 20 points for the Mavericks. They have lost eight of 10.
Timberwolves 111, Kings 106: Karl-Anthony Towns scored 29 points, Jeff Teague added 12 points and 10 assists and Minnesota overcame an uncharacteristic sloppy performance at home to beat Sacramento, which was led by De’Aaron Fox’s 23 points.
Jazz 115, Trail Blazers 96: Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points and newcomer Jae Crowder had 15 in his Utah debut to help the visiting Jazz win their ninth straight game. Joe Ingles added 24 points for the Jazz, who were playing without Ricky Rubio because of a sore hip. Damian Lillard, coming off a 50-point game against Sacramento on Friday night, had 39 points for Portland.
Hawks 118, Pistons 115: Dewayne Dedmon gave host Atlanta the lead with a three-point play and padded
the margin with a three-pointer in a win over Detroit. Dedmon matched his career high with 20 points and had 13 rebounds in his matchup with Andre Drummond, who had 25 points and 15 rebounds for Detroit.
Raptors 123, Hornets 103: DeMar DeRozan had 25 points and eight assists, C.J. Miles had 24 points and visiting Toronto routed Charlotte. Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 23 points and nine assists as Charlotte lost its fourth straight game.
Pacers 121, Knicks 113: Victor Oladipo had 30 points, nine assists and eight rebounds as host Indiana won for the sixth time in eight games. New York has lost six straight.
Kings waive Joe Johnson: Three days after being acquired at the trade deadline, Joe Johnson was waived by the Kings. Johnson, 36, was acquired along with guard Iman Shumpert, a 2020 second-round pick, the rights to forward Dimitros Agravanis and cash in a three-team trade with the Cavaliers and Jazz. The Kings sent guard Hill to Cleveland in the deal.