James leads Cavaliers to series sweep

LeBron James stuck to the old script Sunday. Again, he bailed out the Cavaliers. And again, he sent the Pacers home for vacation.

James hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1 minute, 8 seconds to play to help the defending champions hold on for a series-clinching 106-102 victory in Indianapolis. James finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks.

By winning his 21st consecutive first-round game, James broke a tie with Michael Cooper, Magic Johnson and James Worthy for the longest streak under the NBA’s current playoff format. By sweeping a series for the 10th time, James broke a tie with Tim Duncan for the most in a career, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

The Cavs will play either the Bucks or Raptors in the conference semifinals.

Rockets 113, Thunder 109: Nene scored 28 points on perfect shooting from the field, and the Rockets beat the Thunder in Oklahoma City to take a 3-1 series lead.

Nene made all 12 of his shots and had 10 rebounds. He helped the Rockets overcome an off night by James Harden, who finished with 16 points on 5-for-16 shooting.

Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook had a tripledouble by halftime and finished with 35 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists.

Game 5 is Tuesday in Houston.

Celtics 104, Bulls 95: Isaiah Thomas scored 33 points, and the Celtics beat the Bulls in Chicago to tie their first-round series at 2-all.

The Celtics blew a 20-point lead, but Thomas keyed a third-quarter run that put the Celtics back on top after the Bulls briefly went ahead.

Gerald Green made four 3-pointers on his way to 18 points. Al Horford added 15 points and 12 rebounds. Jimmy Butler carried the Bulls with 33 points. Game 5 is Wednesday in Boston.

Layups: Warriors coach Steve Kerr announced he won’t be on the sidelines for Game 4 on Monday against the Trail Blazers. Kerr, who also missed Game 3 Saturday, is dealing with back pain. … The Trail Blazers announced center Jusuf Nurkic (leg) won’t play in Game 4.