The Cleveland Cavaliers ended a three-year losing streak in Boston with a 108-88 rout over their Eastern Conference rivals on Thursday.
LeBron James scored 36 points and dished out nine assists to help the Cavaliers snap a nine-game losing run at the TD Garden with their first road win over the Celtics since 2007.
Cleveland (45-14) dominated the second half by a 60-32 margin despite losing Shaquille O’Neal in the second quarter, when the starting center sprained his thumb and did not return.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“There was no panic among our guys, they stayed with it,” Cavaliers coach Mike Brown told reporters. “We knew 24 minutes [in the second half] is a lot of time left in a game and we started chipping away at it.”
Boston played without leading scorer Paul Pierce, also nursing a thumb injury, but Ray Allen picked up the slack with a team-high 21 points, and Rajon Rondo recorded 19 points and 11 assists to lead the home team.
The Celtics (36-20) led for most of the first three quarters, but struggled to just 40 percent shooting from the field and managed only 14 points in the final period.
Cleveland used a 20-5 run midway through the fourth quarter to turn a one-point deficit into a 97-83 lead with 4 minutes, 26 seconds to play.
Guard Mo Williams made three three-pointers in a row during the run and scored 14 of his 19 points in the last period.
Anderson Varejao added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who shot 52 percent from the field.
“We play faster without Shaq in the lineup,” James said. “He’s going to take as much time as he needs to get healthy, but we need him out there because in the playoffs you can’t play fast all the time.”
After a three-game losing skid, NBA leaders Cleveland have won their last two. They had lost their last five regular season games in Boston and four others during the 2008 playoffs.
NUGGETS 127, WARRIORS 112
In Oakland, California, Denver overcame Golden State in the Nuggets first game without coach George Karl since he revealed he has throat cancer.
Chauncey Billups had 37 points and nine rebounds and Carmelo Anthony added 27 points for Denver, who moved clear top of the Northwest Division, breaking a tie with Utah.
Karl stayed in Denver to receive treatment, but was expected back last night at home against Detroit. Assistant Adrian Dantley directed the team against the Warriors.
The Nuggets set a season high with 16 three-pointers.
Stephen Curry had 30 points and 13 assists for Golden State, who twice whittled big deficits down to single digits, only for Denver to reply each time.
BUCKS 112, PACERS 110
In Indianapolis, Indiana, Milwaukee extended their winning streak to five games, edging Indiana.
John Salmons scored 20 points, while Brandon Jennings had 18 points and seven assists for the Bucks, who are 3-0 against the Pacers this season and now only one game off second place in the Central Division.
Danny Granger had 21 points for Indiana, who have dropped seven of eight.
Milwaukee had a 16-point lead in the third quarter, but that was cut to six with four minutes left in the game and then to just two with 31 seconds on the clock.
Granger converted two free-throws with 10 seconds left and Milwaukee hung on.
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