Cavs still scuffling, but slide past Pacers in opener
CLEVELAND — Their regular-season issues followed the Cavaliers into the playoffs. They didn’t win their postseason opener as much as survive it. The champions remain puzzling. LeBron James scored 32 points and Cleveland, looking to flip a switch after a shaky-and-streaky regular season, began the postseason by escaping with a 109-108 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.
C.J. Miles could have won it for Indiana, but a player whom Cleveland’s players and coaches call a “Cavs killer,” missed a 14-foot jumper just before the horn.
Following the game, Miles sat silently at his locker in full uniform for 30 minutes before Larry Bird, the team’s president of basketball operations, came in and patted him on the shoulder.
James refused to acknowledge how different things would be if Miles’ shot had dropped.
“He missed,” James said. “We won.” James added 13 assists and six rebounds.
However, it was anything but easy as the Cavs, who had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, had to withstand a strong comeback by the Pacers.
After a foul, Indiana inbounded with
10 seconds left and tried to run a play for star Paul George. But James came over to help J.R. Smith and double-teamed George, who passed to Miles. His jumper was on line, but short.
BUCKS 97, RAPTORS 83: In Toronto, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points, rookie Malcolm Brogdon had 16 and Milwaukee beat Toronto in Game 1 of a first-round playoff series.
“Our second half was just abysmal,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “We didn’t play with any pace, any rhythm, any movement. You keep playing that way, it’s always going to bite you in the behind and that’s what happened to us tonight.”
The Raptors have lost the opening game in eight consecutive playoff series.
SPURS 111, GRIZZLIES 82: In San Antonio, Kawhi Leonard matched his postseason high with 32 points and San Antonio rolled over Memphis in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points, and Tony Parker added 18 to help San Antonio win its ninth straight over Memphis in the postseason.
Marc Gasol had 32 points, but only seven in the second half as the Grizzlies fell behind by as many as 36 points. Mike Conley was the only other Grizzlies player in double figures, finishing with 13.
Memphis was without defensive linchpin Tony Allen. He’s out indefinitely with a calf injury.
JAZZ 97, CLIPPERS 95: In Los Angeles, Joe Johnson drove the lane and lifted in a shot at the buzzer, and Utah overcame the loss of Rudy Gobert 17 seconds into the game to beat LA in their playoff opener.
Johnson had 21 points, including when he was left isolated against Jamal Crawford on the final play. He powered his way inside and lofted a shot over Crawford and DeAndre Jordan that bounced around the rim before falling in.
Gobert sprained his left knee on the game’s first play when he banged knees with Clippers forward Luc Mbah a Moute, leaving the Jazz without their 7-foot-1 center.