LeBron James carries Cavaliers past Celtics

LeBron James tallied 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics 99-91 April 21 to seize a 2-0 lead in their first round playoff series.

James committed six of Cleveland's 18 turnovers but came through down the stretch.
 
"I've been in this moment before and a lot of our guys haven't," said James, who also passed Jerry West for seventh on the NBA's all-time playoff scoring list.
 
"I felt like it was important for me to put a staple on the game the best way I know how and that's to be aggressive. It's very important for me to be there for my team when needed."    

In the other Eastern Conference game April 21, John Wall scored 26 points as the Washington Wizards surprised the Toronto Raptors 117-106 to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven series.
 
The Houston Rockets beat the Dallas Mavericks 111-99 to take a 2-0 series lead in the only Western Conference playoff game.    

Kyrie Irving followed up his 30-point playoff debut in game one with 26 points for the Cavaliers, while Timofey Mozgov and Kevin Love chipped in 16 and 13 points, respectively.
 
Isaiah Thomas once again led the Celtics with 22 points. But it wasn't enough for the underdogs to grab homecourt advantage in the series. They will host game three on April 23.
 
Boston didn't get the victory but they did give the Cavs a scare. They led in the last minute of the opening half and were within four points with just over three minutes to go.
     
"We made those guys earn everything they got," said Boston coach Brad Stevens. "I think that is a step in the right direction."  

Boston led at the end of one quarter 26-25 and used a 12-2 run in the middle of...