NBA: record chasing LeBron drives Cavaliers win
LeBron James remains king of the road after the Cleveland Cavaliers grabbed victory in the NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Cav’s took it to the Toronto Raptors in the fourth quarter to take a 3-0 lead in the series and will need a win in Game 4 to progress with a sweep.
In the other game on Friday, the San Antonio Spurs made it two wins in a row with a 103-92 pasting of the Houston Rockets on the road. After tying the Western Conference Semifinals on Wednesday, the Spurs used this win to move 2-1 ahead.
Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 94-115
The Cavaliers travelled north of the border and came away with a victory after being run close by the Raptors for three quarters. As usual, LeBron James stepped up and stole the headlines. The four time NBA MVP took his Playoff series hit record on the road to 28. He has won at least one game away from home in every one of his last 28 series.
It was also his 90th Playoff game where he has scored at least 30 points. James also passed Shaquille O’Neal’s 2,041 Playoff field goals to move third on the all-time list for postseason points. After the game, LeBron said “I have nothing else to prove” and it was a statement that is completely true.
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In this game, James paced the Cavaliers with 35 points, 9-of-16 from the field and 15-of-16 from the charity strip. He also added 8 rebounds and 7 scoring passes. James’ form was needed as the Raptors pushed the reigning NBA champions for three frames. The hosts were two down at 77-79 through three quarters, but crumbled in the fourth act as Cleveland turned it on. The guests claimed a 17-36 fourth act to claim the win.
Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love followed James with 16 points apiece, while Love made his a double-double with 13 boards. Kyle Korver added 14 points in the win.
DeMar DeRozan took a game-high of 37 points for the losing effort, followed by Jonas Valaciunas grabbed 19 points and 8 rebounds.