INDIANAPOLIS — LeBron James made a 3-pointer with 68 seconds left Sunday and the Cleveland Cavaliers hung on for a 106-102 series-clinching victory at Indiana.
James finished with 33 points and 10 rebounds as he became the first player under the current playoff format to win 21 straight first-round games. He also set a league record with his 10th career playoff sweep.
It sure wasn’t easy. After taking a 96-83 lead with 9:29 to go, the Cavs found themselves in a 102-100 deficit with 1:31 left.
But James answered with the go-ahead 3-pointer and Cleveland sealed the win on James’ free throw with 1 second left.
Lance Stephenson scored 22 points and Paul George added 15 but missed a 3-pointer that could have forced overtime in the closing seconds. It’s the first time the Pacers have lost a series 4-0 in their NBA history.
Kyrie Irving added 28 points for the Cavs, who await the winner of the Bucks-Raptors series.
Indiana got back into the game with a 7-0 spurt early in the fourth, then methodically continued chipping away at the lead until Thaddeus Young tied the score at 100 with a short jumper and broke the tie on a tip-in with 1:31 left.
But James, whose teams were 51-0 when starting the fourth quarter with double-digit leads in the postseason, made sure the perfect record remained intact.
ROCKETS 113, ROCKETS 109: Nene scored 28 points on perfect shooting from the field, and Houston won in Oklahoma City to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round series.
Nene made all 12 of his shots and had 10 rebounds. He helped the Rockets overcome an off night by James Harden, who finished with 16 points on 5-for-16 shooting.
Eric Gordon and Lou Williams each scored 18 points for the Rockets. Trevor Ariza had 14.
Oklahoma City star Russell Westbrook had a triple-double by halftime and finished with 35 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists. The Thunder said Westbrook joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to claim three consecutive playoff triple-doubles.
NOTES
WARRIORS: Coach Steve Kerr says he won’t be on the sidelines for Game 4 on Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Kerr stayed behind at the team hotel for Saturday night’s Game 3 at Portland’s Moda Center. Assistant Mike Brown took over and the Warriors overcame a 17-point first-half deficit to win 119-113 and go up 3-0 in the first-round series.
Golden State can sweep with a victory Monday night.
The reigning NBA coach of the year still experiences lingering symptoms from complications following two back surgeries after the franchise’s run to the 2015 championship.
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