Celtics rout Cavs in rematch of Eastern Conference finals

He scores 20 points vs. Cleveland, which has lost four of five

Terry Rozier scored 20 points in 20 minutes, stealing the spotlight from LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas in a rematch of the Eastern Conference finals and leading the host Boston Celtics to a 102-88 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

Rozier scored the last eight Boston points of the first quarter to give the Celtics an 11-point lead, and had another eight in a row midway through the fourth when they expanded the lead to 21. Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum had 15 points apiece, and Irving and Al Horford each had 11 points and nine rebounds to help Boston to its fourth straight win.

James had 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Tristan Thompson had 10 points and 10 rebounds for Cleveland, which lost for the fourth time in five games. Playing on back-to-back nights, the Celtics had been preparing for them since New Year’s Eve. Cleveland shot 34.8 percent.

It was the first time the teams had played since the season opener, when top Boston free agent Gordon Hayward broke his leg in a gruesome injury that reshuffled the Eastern Conference playoff race.

76ERS 112, SPURS 106 >> Joel Embiid shook off a sprained right hand that nearly kept him out of the lineup to score 21 points, grab 11 rebounds and lead Philadelphia past visiting San Antonio.

The 76ers snapped a 12game losing streak to the Spurs. They needed all 35 minutes from Embiid to knock off short-handed San Antonio.

Embiid was injured in a hard fall Saturday against the Suns. Philadelphia’s leading scorer and rebounder sat at his locker before the game and said his hand was swollen and he couldn’t shoot. THUNDER 133, LAKERS 96 >> Russell Westbrook had 20 points and 12 rebounds in a successful return home and rookie Terrance Ferguson scored 24 in his first career start as Oklahoma City routed the Lakers, handing Los Angeles its eighth consecutive defeat.

Paul George also scored 24 points and Carmelo Anthony added 21 for the Thunder to complement Westbrook, who was born in Long Beach and went to college at UCLA. The Lakers were led by rookie Kyle Zuzma’s 18 points. ROCKETS 116, MAGIC 98 >> Gerald Green scored 27 points, Clint Capela had 21 points and eight rebounds and Houston got by without NBA scoring leader James Harden, routing host Orlando. Harden was sidelined by a strained left hamstring.

Aaron Gordon led the Magic with 16 points after missing his first eight shots. PELICANS 108, JAZZ 98 >> Anthony Davis had 29 points and 15 rebounds, and visiting New Orleans beat Utah. Jrue Holiday carried the offense early with 18 first-half points and finished with 24 for the Pelicans.

Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz with 24 points, and Joe Johnson scored 20 off the bench.

WIZARDS 121, KNICKS 103 >> Bradley Beal scored 27 points, John Wall added 25 with nine assists and Washington beat visiting New York. Playing for the first time since he was selected Eastern Conference player of the week, Beal followed his 39-point outburst on Sunday by hitting 11 of his 14 field goal attempts for Washington, which was won five of six.

Michael Beasley had 20 points to lead the Knicks, who have lost six of seven. HEAT 111, PISTONS 104 >> Kelly Olynyk scored 25 points, including a big layup with 39 seconds left, and Goran Dragic added 24 as host Miami held off Detroit.

Olynyk finished with 13 rebounds and Dragic had 13 assists for the Heat, which is three games over .500 for the first time since April 2016.

NETS 98, TIMBERWOLVES 97 >> Spencer Dinwiddie made the go-ahead jumper with 9.7 seconds left and tied his career high with 26 points, leading Brooklyn over Minnesota. Jimmy Butler missed at the buzzer as the Timberwolves lost for just the second time in nine games.

NUGGETS 134, SUNS 111 >> Gary Harris scored 28 of his 36 points in the first half and host Denver used a big third quarter to beat Phoenix. RAPTORS 124, BULLS 115 >> DeMar DeRozan had 35 points and Delon Wright set career highs with 25 points and 13 rebounds as visiting Toronto beat Chicago. BUCKS 122, PACERS 101 >> Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points and 10 rebounds, Khris Middleton added 27 points and Milwaukee pulled away from visiting Indiana.