Cavaliers 109, Celtics 99 (Series tied 3-3)
This was more than a great player having a great game with the season on the line. LeBron James simply put the Cleveland Cavaliers on his back Friday night to force a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
LeBron was dominant. He scored 46 points to go with 11 rebounds and nine assists in the 109-99 win over the Celtics, setting up what should be a memorable evening Sunday night in Boston.
Jaylen Brown scored 15 of his 27 points in the first quarter as the Celtics looked like they might be able to grab the first road win for either team in this series. Boston led 25-20 after one.
That’s when James got going. He scored 17 in the second quarter, including eight in the final three minutes, as Cleveland outscored Boston 34-18 to take a double-digit lead into halftime.
LeBron can just leave it up there for him. (via @cavs) pic.twitter.com/3kNyojOS8g
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) May 26, 2018
LeBron’s outburst helped mask what could have been a devastating moment for the Cavs early on, when Kevin Love went down with an apparent head injury. The team later revealed that he is being evaluated for a concussion and he did not return to the game after playing only five minutes.
The two teams played nearly even in the third quarter before the Celtics began to chip away in the fourth. They pulled to within seven points on multiple occasions before James took over again and put the game away. His defining stretch came in a 42-second span in the final three minutes with Boston threatening, as he knocked down a pair of contested jumpers.
SAME SPOT. SAME RESULT!
LeBron in the clutch! #WhateverItTakes pic.twitter.com/lsBhNvCgK9
— NBA (@NBA) May 26, 2018
As a team, Boston shot better, and got a team-high 28 points from Terry Rozier. The Celtics just couldn’t stop LeBron when it mattered most. Not that any team can, really.
The Cavs also got 20 from George Hill and 14 from Jeff Green, but make no mistake about it: this was LeBron’s night. Game 7 is set for Sunday night at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
CHASE. DOWN. 🚫 pic.twitter.com/kjwRNGbMS2 (via @cavs)
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) May 26, 2018
