James, Love key Cleveland rout as Cavs lead 2-0
Watching LeBron James at shootaround, Cavaliers teammate 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 visiting Cleveland beat the Toronto Raptors 128-110 on Thursday to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal 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 triple-double, and connected on 19 of 28 attempts in a performance so dominant that 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 11for-21 and missed matching his career playoff high by one point.
“It was great to see that performance out of him,” James said. “He’s our All-Star power forward. That’s a huge game for him.”
J.R. Smith scored 15 points, Jeff Green had 14 and George Hill 13 as the Cavaliers posted their eighth consecutive postseason victory over the Raptors and halted Toronto’s four-game winning streak in Game 2s. The Raptors entered 6-1 all-time when playing Game 2 at home.
“Love got going on us and that was a difficult matchup for us,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “We have some matchup issues all over the court.”
DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points and Kyle Lowry had 21 for the Raptors. Toronto won a team-record 59 games and finished as the top-seeded team in the East this season, but was easily shoved one step closer to a third straight postseason exit at the hands of James and the Cavs.
Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points and 12 rebounds and Fred VanVleet scored 14 points, but the Raptors lost back-toback home games for the first time all season.
The series shifts to Ohio for Game 3 on Saturday night. Toronto was 0-5 in Cleveland in the previous two postseasons, losing by an average of 24.2 points per game.
“Sometimes when you’re put in tough situations, that’s what brings the best out of you,” DeRozan said. “That’s what point we’re at now.”
Unfortunately for the Raptors, James insisted the Cavs aren’t satisfied with their 2-0 lead.
“We will not let our guards down,” James promised.
Celtics 108, 76ers 103: Rookie Jayson Tatum scored 21 points, two coming on free throws in the closing second, and host Boston beat Philadelphia to take a 2-0 lead in the East semifinal series.
The 76ers’ rookie star, Ben Simmons, missed all four shots he took and had just one point.
Terry Rozier added 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for the Celtics, who overcame a 22-point deficit. Marcus Smart finished with 19 points and five rebounds as the Celtics improved to 6-0 at TD Garden this postseason. They have never blown a 2-0 lead.
Game 3 is Saturday in Philadelphia.
J.J. Redick had 23 points for the 76ers, making five threepointers. Robert Covington added 22 points and nine rebounds. Joel Embiid finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.
The Sixers looked rejuvenated early in Game 2, using a 14-2 run to begin the second quarter on their way to building a 48-26 lead.
The Celtics responded by ending the half on a 25-8 run. It included three straight threepointers and a tip-dunk by Cal alum Jaylen Brown, who returned to action after sitting out the series opener with a strained right hamstring. He came off the bench and played 25 minutes, scoring 13 points and grabbing four rebounds.
Welcome to New York: David Fizdale is the latest pick of the Knicks to turn around their franchise, with the team agreeing to hire him as coach, a source said. The former Memphis Grizzlies coach will replace Jeff Hornacek, who was fired last month after two seasons.