NBA highlights: Cavaliers takes 2-0 lead against Celtics

Highlights from National Basketball Association playoff game on Friday.

Published : May 20, 2017 09:38 IST

LeBron James scored 30 points for Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.
LeBron James scored 30 points for Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.
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LeBron James scored 30 points for Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.

Cavaliers 130, Celtics 86

The defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers exploded to a 72-31 halftime lead - the largest halftime advantage in playoff history -- and cruised to 130-86 blowout of Boston Celtics to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. It was the biggest playoff win for the Cavaliers and the Celtics' worst home playoff loss.

The series now shifts to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4 on Sunday and Tuesday with outmanned Boston just trying to bring it back home for Game 5 next Thursday. The win was the 13th straight playoff victory for Cavaliers, which has not lost since Game 4 of last year's NBA Finals. The streak tied an NBA record.

LeBron James scored 22 of his 30 points in the first half.

James, the first player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1970) with eight straight 30-point playoff games, and the rest of the Cleveland starters were pulled with 1:47 left in the third quarter. To make things worse for Celtics, Isaiah Thomas was lost to a right hip strain at halftime. He assisted on six of his team's 11 baskets in the half.

James dished out seven assists and added four rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots, while Kevin Love had 21 points and 12 rebounds and Kyrie Irving 23 points. The trio went a combined 11 of 21 from three-point range. Rookie Jaylen Brown led Celtics with 19 points and Avery Bradley had 13.

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