Cavs beat Celtics 121-99 amid Pierce’s celebration
BOSTON—LeBron James quieted a Celtics crowd that came to celebrate Paul Pierce on Sunday, finishing with 24 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds to give newlook Cleveland a 121-99 victory over Boston in an individual performance reminiscent of the rivalry’s heyday.
And this time, Pierce was sitting courtside in street clothes, unable to do anything about it.
James shook off a first-quarter leg injury to score 13 in the second quarter—eight of them during a 13-2 run that turned a one-point deficit into a double-digit lead. The Celtics made it 64-55 on the first basket of the third quarter but never got within 10 again.
As the Cavaliers opened a 27-point lead midway through the fourth, the crowd began chanting “We want Paul Pierce!” But he remained in his baseline seat, awaiting the postgame ceremony that would raise his No. 34 to the TD Garden rafters.
Terry Rozier had 21 points and nine assists, and Kyrie Irving had 18 points against his former team before sitting out the fourth quarter.
PACERS 121, KNICKS 113
INDIANAPOLIS—Victor Oladipo had 30 points, nine assists and eight rebounds to help Indiana beat New York.
Bojan Bogdanovic made four 3-pointers and finished with 20 points and Thaddeus Young added 18 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. The Pacerso have won six of eight.
Enes Kanter and Tim Hardaway, Jr. each scored 17 points, and Michael Beasley had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks. They have lost six in a row.
RAPTORS 123, HORNETS 103
CHARLOTTE, N.C.—DeMar DeRozan had 25 points and eight assists, C.J. Miles added 24 points and Toronto routed Charlotte for its fifth straight victory.
Jonas Valanciunas added 21 points and nine rebounds for Toronto, sparking the Raptors’ pivotal run in the third quarter. Dwane Casey earned his 300th victory as head coach of the team.
Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 23 points and nine assists.
HAWKS 118, PISTONS 115
ATLANTA—Dewayne Dedmon gave Atlanta the lead with a threepoint play and then padded the margin with a 3-pointer, lifting the Hawks past Detroit.
Dedmon matched his career high with 20 points and had 13 rebounds in his matchup with Andre Drummond, who had 25 points and 15 rebounds for Detroit. Dennis Schroder had 23 points, including six free throws in the final 20 seconds, for Atlanta.
Blake Griffin had 23 points for Detroit. The Pistons have lost two straight after winning five in a row, including four with the newly acquired Griffin.