NBA ROUNDUP
Cavaliers 123, Knicks 109
LeBron James had 26 points and 11 assists, Kevin Love scored 28 points, and Cleveland got its 50th win and another Central Division title by beating New York on Monday night. The Cavaliers pulled within a half-game of Philadelphia for the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference, bouncing back from their loss to the 76ers on Friday and winning for the sixth time in seven games. They reached 50 wins for the fourth time in four seasons since James returned from Miami and the 11th time in franchise history. J.R. Smith and Jordan Clarkson added 16 points apiece for the Cavaliers, who made 19 3-pointers and won for the ninth straight time at Madison Square Garden. Michael Beasley scored 20 points for the Knicks in their final home game of the season, which opened a home-and-home series. Rookie Frank Ntilikina added a career-high 17 and Courtney Lee also had 17. The Knicks remained without injured starters Tim Hardaway Jr. and Enes Kanter. Wearing black sneakers that read “I’m” on the left shoe and “King” on the right, James also had six rebounds and a few of his usual powerful dunks, including one where he broke in with a head of speed and Beasley appeared in position to stop him before seeking safety and running by him out of the way.
Nets 114, Bulls 105
Allen Crabbe scored 20 of his career-high 41 points in the first quarter and Brooklyn beat Chicago for its first three-game winning streak this season. D’Angelo Russell had 21 points and 11 assists, and Spencer Dinwiddie scored 20 points for the Nets, who had not won three straight since April 1-4, 2017. Former Net Sean Kilpatrick was one of seven players for the Bulls to score in double figures, tallying 16 points. Cameron Payne had 15 for Chicago. Brooklyn hit 18 3-pointers in its first game since falling one shy of the NBA record with 24 in a rout of Chicago on Saturday. Crabbe celebrated his 26th birthday by going 8 of 11 from deep Monday. He scored 14 straight points during his first quarter outburst and finished the first half with 29 points, including 6 of 6 from deep. The Nets led 62-55 at the break.