Cavaliers 128, Raptors 110 (Cavs lead series 2-0)
When LeBron James decides he’s taking over a game, you might as well just get out of his way. He scored 15 points in the third quarter and 43 in the game to lead the Cavs to a dominant second half and a second consecutive win on the road in this series. He also came close to a triple-double, adding 14 assists and eight rebounds to his effort. Now, the series shifts to Cleveland, leaving the Cavs in full control as they look to take down the 1 seed.
LBJ fades and gets the bounce!
39 PTS, 13 AST, 8 REB for James on @ESPNNBA #WhateverItTakes 109 | #WeTheNorth 96 pic.twitter.com/zxpzaOOqeF
— NBA (@NBA) May 4, 2018
But this game didn’t belong solely to LeBron. Kevin Love had a great game as well, tallying 31 points and 11 rebounds to bounce back from a rough Game 1. For the Raptors, DeMar DeRozan had 24 points and Kyle Lowry, who started red-hot from the field, had 21. Game 3 will trip off Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Raptors are 0-5 in Cleveland during that last two postseasons.
That look to Kevin Love 👌 (via @cavs) pic.twitter.com/9k8ijsSH9L
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) May 3, 2018
Celtics 108, 76ers 103 (Celtics lead series 2-0)
Jayson Tatum scored 21 points and Terry Rozier had 20 more as the Celtics stormed back from a 22-point deficit to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Boston is still unbeaten at home in the playoffs, but on Thursday, it was not easy.
The Sixers jumped out to an early lead thanks to a scorching start from JJ Redick. He scored the first eight Philadelphia points and shot 5-9 from three for the game. He finished with a team-high 23. Philly eventually wen tup 48-26 near the midway point of the second quarter before Boston woke up. The Celtics closed the half on a 17-3 run to pull to within five at the break.
In the second half, they picked up where they left off. What didn’t help the Sixers’ cause was that Ben Simmons scored just one point. All game. He went 0-4 from the field and 1-2 from the line in 31 minutes, though he did manage seven assists and five rebounds. As a team, the Sixers shot 44 percent and 39 percent from three. Game 3 will tip at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday evening in Philadelphia.
TATUM AGAIN! 🔨
All the momentum with the home squad (via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/iayjiB5vJN
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) May 4, 2018
