Cavaliers complete sweep
Thomas scores 33 as Celtics beat Bulls to even series at 2-all.
LeBron James stuck to the old script Sunday.
Again, he bailed out the Cleveland Cavaliers. And again, he sent the Indiana Pacers home for vacation.
On yet another milestone day for basketball’s king, James’ crowning achieveme n t wa s t h e g o - a h e a d 3-pointer with 1:08 to play that helped the defending champions hold on for a series-clinching 106-102 victory at Indiana.
“You have to mentally challenge yourself every year and go out and try to do what’s right — putting your body on the line,” James said, who scored 33 points.
By winning his 21st consecutive first-round game, James broke a tie with Michael Coop e r, Magi c Jo h n s o n a n d 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.
Celtics 104, (at) Bulls 95: Isaiah Thomas scored 33 points as Boston evened the first-round playoff series at 2-all.
Boston blew a 20-point lead, but Thomas keyed a third-quarter run that put the Celtics back on top after Chicago briefly went ahead.
Gerald Green made four 3-pointers on his way to 18 points. Al Horford added 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Game 5 is Wednesday in Boston. Jimmy Butler car- ried the Bulls with 33 points and nine assists.
Rockets 113, (at) Thunder 109: Nene scored 28 points on perfect shooting from the field, and the Rockets took a 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series.
Nene made all 12 of his shots and had 10 rebounds. Game 5 is Tuesday night in Houston.
Oklahoma City star Russell Westbrook had a triple-double by halftime and finished with 35 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists. The Thunder said Westbrook joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to claim three consecutive playoff triple-doubles.
(At) Jazz 105, Clippers 98: Joe Johnson scored a game-high 28 points as Utah won a home playoff game for the first time since April 30, 2010. The series is tied 2-2; Game 5 is Tuesday night.
Late Saturday
Warriors 119, (at) Trail Blazers 113: Stephen Curry scored 34 points — including a 3-pointer with just about a minute left that all but sealed the victory as the Warriors took a 3-0 lead in their firstround playoff series.
Playing without both Kevin Durant and coach Steve Kerr, the Warriors came back from a first-half 17-point deficit. Golden State can clinch the series with a win tonight in Game 4 at the Moda Center.
The reigning NBA coach of the year still experiences lingering symptoms from complications following two back surgeries after the franchise’s run to the 2015 title.
(At) Grizzlies 110, Spurs 108: Marc Gasol hit a 12-foot floater with 0.7 seconds left in overtime to tie the firstround series at 2-all.