LeBron buries Raptors with buzzer-beater
CLEVELAND — The moment required brilliance. LeBron James delivered again.
James banked in a running one-hander at the buzzer, giving the Cleveland Cavaliers a 105-103 win over Toronto on Saturday night in Game 3 and shoving the Raptors to the edge of their most devastating playoff exit.
After the Raptors tied it on rookie OG Anunoby’s 3-pointer with eight seconds left, James took the inbounds pass, dribbled the length of the floor and rose off the floor on the left side of the basket just feet from Toronto’s bench. Glass. Bucket. Bedlam. “I live for those moments,” James said. “Be able to go out and come through for my team. My guys, they trust me. I was able to go out and do it.”
As the noise level in Quicken Loans Arena rose to jet-engine levels, the Cavs sprinted from the other end of the court and mobbed James. After some tight hugs, he was back atop the scorer’s table — just like he did after a last-second 3-pointer to win Game 5 against Indiana — and celebrated a win that was up for grabs. “You just get the ball to Bron at the end of the game,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said.
James finished with 38 points, Kevin Love added 21 and 16 rebounds and Kyle Korver scored 18 for the Cavs, who have won nine straight postseason games over the Raptors and may sweep them for the second straight year.
Kyle Lowry scored 27 for Toronto, which clawed back in the fourth quarter while All-Star DeMar DeRozan was on the bench.
After winning the series’ first two games in Canada, the Cavs came home and won a brawl with the Raptors, who just can’t beat James. He’s 11-2 against Toronto in the past three postseasons.
CELTICS 101, 76ERS 98 (OT)
In Philadelphia, Al Horford had no use for the premature celebration that showered confetti all over the 76ers’ home court at the end of regulation, delaying overtime and prompting an impromptu cleanup job.
Turns out, Horford has the Celtics just a game away from a real sweep.
Horford scored the go-ahead basket for Boston late in overtime in a wild Game 3 where the Philadelphia 76ers were sloppy with the basketball and the confetti, leading the Celtics to a 101-98 victory and a 3-0 series lead on Saturday night.
“These are the kind of moments you want to be in as a basketball player,” Horford said.
He saw some wild ones down the stretch. Marco Belinelli had hit a buzzerbeater to end the fourth quarter that sent the Sixers into a wild celebration on the court as confetti shot out of a cannon that made it rain over chunks of the arena. Hold up. Game 3 was only headed into OT. The tale of the (ticker) tape shows the Celtics are still the team to beat.
The Celtics, who rallied from a 22-point deficit to beat the 76ers 108-103 in Game 2, can advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight season Monday.
The ending to regulation was about as wild as it gets for both teams. JJ Redick threw away the basketball on an errant pass to no one that was scooped by Terry Rozier who threw to Jaylen Brown for the basket and an 89-87 lead.
Seconds later, Belinelli stunned everyone with a falling 22-footer in front of the 76ers bench as time expired that sent the game into overtime -- and confetti mistakenly blasted from the cannon. There was about a seven-minute delay while team employees scrambled to clean up the mess on the court. Some players even scooped up confetti as everyone waited for the start of overtime.
Confetti Guy — wearing a “Breaking News: I Don’t Care” T-shirt — pushed the button too early and the rectangular pieces were soaring everywhere.
Confetti Guy — who declined to give his name — came over to press row and said the Sixers “better win or I’m done.”
They didn’t.