A rash of milestones for James as Cavaliers sweep away Pacers

A rash of milestones for James as Cavaliers sweep away Pacers

On yet another milestone day for basketball’s king, James’ crowning achievement was making the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:08 to play and helping the defending champions hold on for a series-clinching 106-102 victory at Indiana.

By winning his 21st consecutive first-round game, James broke a tie with the Lakers’ Michael Cooper, Magic Johnson and James Worthy for the longest streak since 1984, when the postseason was expanded to 16 teams.

James considered the milestones a footnote on a day the Cavs blew a 13-point lead and allowed the Pacers to come all the way back and take a 102-100 lead with 1:31 to go.

Joe Johnson scored 28 points, and host Utah won to tie the first-round playoff series 2-2.

Johnson, who hit the winning shot in Game 1, scored 11 straight Jazz points during a crucial stretch in the fourth quarter, including a pull-up jumper for a 91-90 lead with 3:55 remaining after Utah trailed by seven early in the period.

Nene scored 28 points on perfect shooting from the field, and visiting Houston grabbed a 3-1 lead in its first-round playoff series against Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City star Russell Westbrook had a triple-double by halftime and finished with 35 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists.

Isaiah Thomas scored 33 points, and visiting Boston beat Chicago to tie their first-round series 2-2.

Gerald Green made four treys on his way to 18 points, helping the top-seeded Celtics return the favor in Chicago after dropping the first two games at home.

The NBA fined Chicago Bulls guard Rajon Rondo $25,000 for attempting to trip Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder from the bench in Game 3 of their first-round series. ...