Healthy ‘Big 3’ lift Cavs over Pistons
CLEVELAND — LeBron James isn’t all alone. One year after he carried the Cavaliers as far as he could in the postseason, James once again has Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love by his side.
Cleveland’s Big 3 is playoff healthy again.
Irving scored 31 points in his first playoff game since being injured last year in the NBA Finals and Love, who was knocked out in the first round by an injury a year ago, added 28 to lead the Cavaliers to a 106-101 victory over the young and confident Detroit Pistons in the opener of their first-round playoff series Sunday.
James added 22 points and 11 assists for the top-seeded Cavs. They are favored to win the Eastern Conference again but got all they could handle from the fearless Pistons.
Cleveland’s championship chances were dealt a major blow when Love’s shoulder was dislocated in just his fourth playoff game last year at Boston. The Cavs advanced to the Finals without him only to have Irving break his kneecap in Game 1 vs. Golden State, an injury that left James to fight the Warriors on his own.
As he sat between his teammates — who combined with him for 81 points, 24 rebounds and 18 assists — following the game Sunday game, James looked relieved. HEAT 123, HORNETS 91
MIAMI — Luol Deng scored 31 points on 11-for-13 shooting for his best game in a Miami uniform, Hassan Whiteside added 21 points and 11 rebounds in his postseason debut, and the Heat routed the Charlotte Hornets in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Miami scored 41 points in the first quarter. Dwyane Wade scored 16 points in 25 minutes for the Heat in their first playoff game since the 2014 NBA Finals. Joe Johnson and Amare Stoudemire each scored 11 points, and Goran Dragic had 10 assists.
SPURS 106, GRIZZLIES 74
SAN ANTONIO — Kawhi Leonard had 20 points and San Antonio handed Memphis its worst postseason loss in Game 1 of the Western Conference firstround series. LaMarcus Aldridge added 17 points, and Tony Parker had 15 points and six assists for San Antonio. The Spurs sat their starters in the fourth quarter to rest them for Game 2 on Tuesday night in San Antonio.
CLIPPERS 115, BLAZERS 95
LOS ANGELES — Chris Paul led the way with 28 points and 11 assists as Los Angeles took a 1-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series. Damien Lillard scored 21 for Portland.
CURRY QUESTIONABLE
Golden State is preparing to play without NBA MVP Stephen Curry Monday for Game 2 of their playoff series against Houston as he nurses an ankle injury. Even if they know he will beg and plead to play through pain.
As long as he can’t make it worse, Curry insists it will be hard to keep him off the court Monday.
“Oh, yeah, for sure,” coach Steve Kerr said of Curry campaigning to play. “When Steph’s out, our guys understand that he’s not there to count on, so they have to execute. If they don’t, we’re just not going to score enough points.”
Kerr called Curry’s status questionable again Sunday, when the point guard didn’t practice a day after hurting his right ankle in the first half of a win over the Rockets in the playoff opener.