CAVALIERS

referees. Some jawing continued briefly before James stepped in to pull Thompson away.

Smart and Thompson were called for double technical on the play, but got tangled again a few minutes later. This time, Smart fell to the floor during that exchange, drawing a foul on Thompson.

The Celtics found some energy after the incident,

closing the third quarter on an 11-3 run to pull to 92-75.

It didn’t last long, though, as the Cavs quickly got the lead back up to 20.

James picked apart every defender that the Celtics threw at him in the first half.

He backed down defenders to set up 15-foot fade away jumpers. Other times, he simply took defenders off the dribble or sliced through double-teams on the way to layups.

Boston also seemed content to make every switch

created by Cleveland screens, leading to some awkward matchups for James in the first half. In one such instance, Olynyk found himself one-on-one with James, who promptly drove past him and drew a foul at the rim.

The Celtics couldn’t get anything working when they had the ball, held to just 35 percent from the field in the first half and 2 for 16 from beyond the arc.

The Cavs also held Thomas at bay offensively. He was 3 for 11 overall and

1 for 4 from the 3-point line after 24 minutes.

TIP-INS

Cavaliers: Since Game 5 of NBA finals, Cleveland has won a franchise-record 12 straight playoff games . ... The Cavs hold a 33-4 playoff record against Eastern Conference opponents (16-3 on the road)

Celtics: Finished with 14 turnovers, and were outrebounded 32-27 . ... Lost at home for the first time since Game 2 of first round against Chicago.