James, Cavaliers seize control
Irving isn’t missed as Cleveland heads home with 2-0 lead.
LeBron James scored 30 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers took total command of the Eastern Conference final even without injured star Kyrie Irving, routing the Atlanta Hawks 94-82 on Friday night for a 2-0 lead with the series heading to Ohio.
The Cavaliers made it a blowout with a dominating third quarter. James scored 11 points, the Hawks shot just 32 percent (7 of 22), and Cleveland led by as many as 20 before settling for an 8466 lead heading to the final period.
Irving was scratched before the game because of an ailing left knee. He wasn’t missed a bit.
James assumed many of the ballhandling duties, taking advantage of DeMarre Carroll clearly not being at 100 percent after he sustained a knee injury late in Game 1. Carroll started after being carried off the court just t wo nights earlier but clearly was limited.
He wasn’t the only one struggling. The Hawks looked totally outclassed for one of the few times all season.
The Cavaliers can wrap up the best-of-seven se- ries simply by winning at home. The next two are in Cleveland, beginning with Game 3 on Sunday night.
Tristan Thompson led another dominating performance on the boards. He had 16 rebounds, and Cleveland finished with a 47-39 advantage.
When Thompson dunked off a pass from James with just under five minutes remaining, the Cavaliers led 93-74 and many Atlanta fans began heading for the exits, perhaps knowing they had seen their team for the last time in this most unexpected season. Atlanta won a franchise-record 60 games to claim the top seed in the East, but the Hawks were picked apart by the best player in the world.
The Hawks had hoped Carroll would provide an emotional boost. An apparent serious injury turned out to be only a sprain, and he drew a big cheer during the opening introductions.
But at less than full speed, Carroll had no chance trying to guard James, who made 10 of 22 shots, including a pair of 3-pointers. He also had 11 assists.
Late Thursday: James Harden had Game 2 on his fingertips — and then he didn’t.
Now the Golden State Warriors have the Western Conference finals in their grasp.
Stephen Curry scored 33 points before Harden lost the ball in the final seconds to end a spectacular duel between the NBA MVP and runner-up, and the host Warriors held off the Houston Rockets 99-98 on Thursday night to take a 2-0 series lead.
Harden rallied the Rockets from 17 points down in the second quarter and had a chance to finish the comeback in the fourth. Instead, Klay Thompson and Curry trapped Harden, who lost the ball as time expired.