Curry and record-setting Warriors headed back to NBA Finals

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry knocked down yet another 3-pointer in the waning moments, pulled his jersey up into his mouth and yelled to the rafters in triumph once more.

A special, record-setting season saved for the defending champs, with a memorable comeback added to the long list of accomplishments.

Splash Brothers Curry and Klay Thompson carried the 73-win Warriors right back to the NBA Finals, as Golden State rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 96-88 on Monday night in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals.

Now, Curry and Co. are playing for another NBA title — just as they planned since Day 1 of training camp in September.

Bring on LeBron James again.

"You appreciate how tough it is to get back here," Curry said. "You've got to be appreciative of this accomplishment, and look forward to getting four more wins."

The MVP scored 36 points with seven 3-pointers to finish with an NBA-record 32 in a seven-game series, and also had eight assists. Thompson added 21 points and six 3s, two days after his record 11 3-pointers led a Game 6 comeback that sent the series home to raucous Oracle Arena for one more.

The Warriors became the 10th team to rally from a 3-1 deficit and win a postseason series. They return to the NBA Finals for a rematch with James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who lost the 2015 title in six games as Golden State captured its first championship in 40 years.

Game 1 is Thursday night in Oakland.

"We survived by the skin of our teeth," coach Steve Kerr said. "We were able to pull it out, and we're moving on."

His signature mouthpiece dangling out and the game ball cradled in his left hand, Curry pumped his right arm as yellow confetti fell through Oracle Arena once the final buzzer sounded.

With the Thunder trailing 90-86, Serge Ibaka fouled Curry on a 3-point try with 1:18 to go and the shot clock running out. Curry made all three free throws, then that 3-pointer to seal it.

"This is who he is. Having a clutch performance in a Game 7, that's Steph Curry," Kerr said.

And Golden State's beloved "Strength In Numbers" catchphrase coined by Coach of the Year Kerr was needed in every way.

"No one ever had any doubt that we could get this done," Draymond Green said. "People have seen teams down 3-1 before but they ain't seen many. They've definitely never seen a 73-win team down 3-1."

Andre Iguodala joined the starting lineup for just the second time all season and the 2015 NBA Finals MVP hung tough against Kevin Durant, who scored 27 points on 10-for-19 shooting. Shaun Livingston's breakaway, one-handed dunk late in the third provided a big lift off the Warriors bench.

Oklahoma City won Game 1 108-102 at deafening Oracle Arena, so Golden State never envisioned this one coming easily. Russell Westbrook had 19 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds for the Thunder.

"It hurts losing, especially being up 3 games to 1," Durant said.

It took a quarter and a half for Thompson to warm up after his 41-point performance in a 108-101 win Saturday at Oklahoma City that sent the series back to the East Bay.

He missed his initial seven shots before hitting a 3 6:02 before halftime, energizing the Warriors in their first Game 7 at home in 40 years.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Thompson and Iguodala pulled the Warriors within 54-51 with 7:57 left in the third. They tied it on Curry's 3 at 7:21 and he followed with another 3 to give his team the lead.

Curry and Thompson each topped the previous record for 3s in a seven-game series, 28 by Dennis Scott and Ray Allen. Curry hit one over 7-foot Steven Adams in the third, and Thompson wound up with 30 3s.

Iguodala replaced Harrison Barnes in the starting lineup and what a move by Kerr, who did the same thing last year in crunch time. Iguodala made a pretty bounce pass through the paint to Green for Golden State's first basket, and his smothering defense on Durant kept the Thunder star without a shot until his 3 at the 5:45 mark in the first. Durant had just nine points on five shots in the first half.

But Oklahoma City dictated the tempo with snappy passes and the hard, aggressive rebounding that had been such a part of its success this season. The Thunder couldn't sustain it.

"They won a world championship last year, and they've broken an NBA record, and people are already talking about it before the playoffs started, this may be the greatest team to ever lace them up in the history of the NBA," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said.

The Warriors, who fell behind 35-22, lost their last Game 7 at home: 94-86 to Phoenix in the Western Conference finals on May 16, 1976.

TIP-INS

Thunder: The Thunder's 12 third-quarter points were the fewest allowed by Golden State in a playoff third quarter during the shot clock era. ... Durant took nine shots in the first 33:25. ... Oklahoma City led by as many as 13 in the first half. ... Donovan celebrated his 51st birthday. ... The Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State's opponent the previous round, are the only teams to beat the Warriors twice this season.

Warriors: The Warriors are 4-4 all-time in Game 7s — 3-1 at home. ... Iguodala earned his first since Jan. 2 against Denver. ... Golden State wasn't whistled for its first foul until 2:34 in the first. ... The Warriors' 42 first-half points were their fewest at home this season. ... Curry hit a 3 in his 51st straight playoff game.

Grizzlies name David Fizdale Head Coach

Statement from the Grizzlies website.

Memphis Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace today named David Fizdale as the team’s new head coach. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Considered one of the rising stars in NBA coaching ranks, Fizdale comes to Memphis after spending eight seasons (2008-16) with the Miami Heat, including the last two as the assistant head coach and the previous six as an assistant coach under Erik Spoelstra. During that time, Fizdale’s assistance in game preparation, involvement in player development and rapport with the roster played a major role in the Heat’s championship success. Dating back to his first season on the Heat sidelines in 2008-09, Miami won more playoff games (70) and playoff series (15) than any team in the NBA and compiled the league’s second-best regular season (.623) and fourth-best postseason (.619) winning percentages.

Before his tenure in Miami, Fizdale spent four seasons (2004-08) as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks, where he was instrumental in the development of their young players. The Hawks increased their win total in each of his final three seasons and in 2007-08 earned the franchise’s first postseason appearance since 1999. He began his NBA coaching career as an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors for one season (2003-04).

Prior to joining the Warriors, Fizdale spent five seasons coaching in the college ranks. After one year (1997-98) in the Heat video department, he started his coaching career as an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of San Diego. After four seasons (1998-2002) with the Toreros, he spent one season (2002-03) as an assistant coach at Fresno State University.

A three-year starter at point guard while playing at the University of San Diego, Fizdale was selected to the All-West Coast Conference team after his senior season in 1996.

The Los Angeles native earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in sociology from San Diego in 1996.

Thompson's 41 points, 11 3s save Golden State's season

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Stephen Curry turned things over to Klay Thompson, and his Splash Brother delivered.

And when Curry came on late, the Golden State Warriors were assured at least one more game in their record-setting season.

Thompson made a playoff-record 11 3-pointers and scored 41 points, and the defending champions forced a seventh game in the Western Conference finals with a 108-101 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night.

Curry bounced back from a slow start to finish with 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. The Warriors, who set the NBA regular-season record with 73 wins, will host Game 7 on Monday. They'll try to become the 10th team to overcome a 3-1 deficit and earn the right to play Cleveland in the NBA Finals.

"We've got a lot of belief and a lot of heart, and we've given ourselves a chance to win this series," Curry said. "That's all we could ask for. There's obviously a lot of excitement, but we still have one job to do."

Thompson scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to help the Warriors overcome an eight-point deficit.

"Steph told me before I went out in the fourth, 'This is your time,'" Thompson said. "'You know, put on a show out there and have fun.' I took those words to heart, and I just tried to be aggressive."

Oklahoma City dominated Games 3 and 4 at home, but the Warriors made 21 of 44 3-pointers on Saturday, while Oklahoma City was 3 of 23.

Kevin Durant scored 29 points and Russell Westbrook added 28 for the Thunder. But Durant made just 10 of 31 shots and Westbrook was 10 of 27.

The Thunder, who blew a number of fourth-quarter leads during the regular season but had been better in the playoffs, fell apart in the final minutes after Golden State had finally gone ahead for good. The Thunder committed six turnovers in the final 2:55, and Westbrook had three in the last 55 seconds.

"That really wasn't — hasn't been us in the last month and a half," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. "I thought we got a little stagnant coming down the stretch."

Thompson's barrage was similar to Curry's performance in Oklahoma City during the regular season. Curry scored 46 points and tied and NBA record with 12 3-pointers to help the Warriors beat the Thunder in overtime.

Thompson kept the Warriors in it with four 3-pointers in just over seven minutes to start the fourth quarter. Curry then hit two 3s, the second of which tied the game at 99 with 2:47 to play.

Thompson's 3 with 1:35 remaining put the Warriors up 104-101.

Westbrook lost control of the ball, and after Thompson missed a 3, Westbrook turned the ball over again, leading to a layup by Curry. Westbrook turned it over one more time, and Golden State was in the clear.

"They switched everything and kind of closed the game up, and we missed some shots and they got hot from the 3," Durant said.

The Thunder led 23-20 after one quarter, then seized momentum early in the second. Steven Adams' powerful one-handed dunk on Warriors All-Star Draymond Green drew a roar from the crowd and gave Oklahoma City a 37-28 lead. Green, who had hit Adams in the groin area twice during the series, was a constant target for the vocal Thunder fans.

Thompson opened the second half with back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Warriors a 54-53 edge, but the Thunder closed the quarter strong and led 83-75 heading into the fourth.

The Warriors held the Thunder to 18 points in the fourth quarter to stay alive. They expect another tough battle in Game 7.

"To be in this situation — people were doubting us," Green said. "It will be the hardest game of our lives. It will be way harder than this game. Going back home, everybody will think, 'Oh, it's done.' It will be way harder. But if we come out and do what we did and stick to the game plan, we'll be fine."

___

STAT LINES

Westbrook had 11 assists and one turnover in the first three quarters and zero assists and four turnovers in the fourth.

QUOTABLE

Durant: "We know we've got another game to play. We're excited about that. We've got another opportunity. We can't hang our heads. We've got another game to play."

TIP-INS

Warriors: Curry went 0 for 3 from the field and didn't score in the first quarter. ... Green committed three fouls in the first half and finished with five. ... The Warriors made just 15 of 43 shots inside the 3-point line. ... Green had 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Thunder: Serge Ibaka had 12 points in the first half on 5-for-8 shooting, but he committed three fouls. ... Durant shot 6 for 19 in the first half. ... Ibaka scored 13 points and Andre Roberson added 11. ... Westbrook has 24 steals in the series.

___

(via Cliff Brunt of the Associated Press)

Police: Pelicans guard Dejean-Jones fatally shot in Dallas

By AP via NBA.com.

DALLAS (AP) — New Orleans Pelicans guard Bryce Dejean-Jones was fatally shot after breaking down the door to a Dallas apartment, authorities said Saturday.

A man living at the apartment was sleeping when he heard his front door kicked open, Dallas Police Senior Cpl. DeMarquis Black said in a statement. When Dejean-Jones began kicking at the bedroom door, the man retrieved a handgun and fired.

Officers who responded found Dejean-Jones collapsed in an outdoor passageway, and he later died at a hospital. He was 23.

"We are devastated at the loss of this young man's life," the Pelicans said in a statement.

It is legal in Texas for someone to use deadly force in order to protect themselves from intruders.

"I just lost my best friend/cousin last night enjoy life because you never know if tomorrow is guaranteed," Shabazz Muhammad of the Minnesota Timberwolves wrote on Twitter.

Julie Keel, a spokeswoman for Camden Property Trust, the real estate company that owns the apartment complex in Dallas, confirmed that the complex's apartment manager had sent out an email to residents saying that the person who had been shot had been trying to break into "the apartment of an estranged acquaintance" and that this person had "inadvertently" broken into the wrong apartment.

Black said he could not confirm that Dejean-Jones was trying to access an acquaintance's apartment.

In Dejean-Jones' only NBA season, which ended in February because of a broken right wrist, the 6-foot-6 guard started 11 of 14 games and averaged 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called it a "tragic loss."

"Bryce inspired countless people with his hard work and perseverance on his journey to the NBA, and he had a bright future in our league," Silver said in a statement issued Saturday.

Dejean-Jones was part of the 2014-15 Iowa State team that went 25-9, captured a Big 12 title and made a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. He was fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 10.5 points in 33 games. He shot a career-best 47.6 percent in his lone season as a Cyclone. He also played at Southern California and UNLV and was signed by the Pelicans last summer after not being selected in the 2015 draft.

"Bryce's dedication and hard work on his journey to the NBA will forever serve as an inspiration to us all," said National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts, who had posted a link to the story of Dejean-Jones' death on Twitter and wrote that it was "The news I pray every day I never have to hear."

Dejean-Jones was suspended late in the 2013-14 season from UNLV for conduct detrimental to the team, and announced that he was leaving USC midway through the 2010-11 season.

"This is a very, very sad and tragic day for everyone that's a part of the Cyclone basketball family," Iowa State coach Steve Prohm said.

Former Cyclones coach Fred Hoiberg, now the coach of the NBA's Chicago Bulls, added in a statement that Dejean-Jones was a "passionate and talented player that lived out his dream of playing in the NBA through hard work and perseverance."
Besides Muhammad, several NBA players reacted on Twitter on Saturday.

"Crazy how life is man," wrote Brooklyn Nets guard Shane Larkin. "Prayers out to Bryce Dejean Jones and his family."

Added Quincy Pondexter, one of Dejean-Jones' teammates with the Pelicans: "This Can't be real life... Rest easy lil bro."

James scores 33, Cavaliers reach second straight NBA Finals

Game Recap by Ian Harrison of AP via NBA.com.

TORONTO (AP) For LeBron James, it's six straight trips to the NBA Finals.

Maybe this one will end Cleveland's long wait for a championship.

James scored 33 points, Kevin Love had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and the Cavaliers advanced to their second straight finals by beating the Toronto Raptors 113-87 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals Friday night.

The Cavs will be seeking to end Cleveland's 52-year championship drought, the longest by any city with at least three professional teams. No Cleveland team has won it all since the Browns blanked Baltimore 27-0 to win the NFL championship in 1964.

''This city has been craving a championship,'' coach Tyronn Lue said. ''We have the right team and we have the right talent.''

James, who grew up in nearby Akron, is well aware of what a championship would mean to Cleveland.

''I know our city deserves it, our fans deserve it,'' James said. ''But that gives us no sense of entitlement. We've still got to go out and get it. We've still got to go out and prove ourselves.''

Kyrie Irving had 30 points and J.R. Smith added 15 for the Cavaliers, who will face the winner of the Golden State-Oklahoma City series on Thursday.

Cleveland would open at home against the Thunder but would be on the road against the 73-win Warriors, who trail 3-2 against Oklahoma City heading into Saturday's Game 6.

''We're still not satisfied at all,'' Irving said. ''There's still a goal at hand that we have to accomplish and I know these guys are going to be ready for it.''

It's the third finals appearance in team history for the Cavaliers. Cleveland lost to Golden State in six games last year and got swept by San Antonio in 2007.

James broke the 30-point barrier for the first time this postseason and finished with 11 rebounds and six assists.

''We needed LeBron to set the tone for us early and I thought he did that,'' Lue said.James played in four straight finals with Miami before returning to Cleveland. He will be the eighth player in NBA history to appear in six consecutive finals and the first who didn't play for the Boston Celtics.

''He's just a great player,'' Lue said. ''He's a proven winner. He's always won over the course of his career. To go to six straight finals is unbelievable.''

James got there by taking down a Toronto team that set a franchise record with 56 wins and reached the conference finals for the first time in 21 seasons.

After a second-quarter dunk, James shared some verbal barbs with rapper Drake, the Raptors' global ambassador and the man who popularized the nickname `6ix' for Toronto.

Kyle Lowry scored 35 points and DeMar DeRozan had 20 as the deepest playoff run in Raptors team history ended, much to the disappointment of a sellout crowd of 20,605 dressed in red and white T-shirts that formed a maple leaf pattern on either side of the court. Fans stood and cheered ''Let's go, Raptors! Let's go, Raptors!'' throughout most of the final three minutes.

Raptors coach Dwane Casey said reaching the conference finals was ''a tremendous learning experience'' for his young team, one that's ''a step ahead'' in its process of becoming a championship contender.

''We're learning,'' Casey said. ''We're not where (the Cavaliers) are right now. We're going to be.''

A dejected Lowry said it was hard to see the positive side of Toronto's best season ever.

''Of course you're going to look back at some point but right now I'm disappointed,'' he said. ''Simple as that, I'm disappointed.''

Toronto prolonged the series with back-to-back home wins in Games 3 and 4 but never mounted much of a challenge to the conference champions in Game 6, falling behind by 21 in the third quarter.

The Cavaliers came in 0-4 at Air Canada Centre counting the regular season and playoffs, but looked much more like the team that handed the Raptors a trio of lopsided losses in Cleveland this series.

The Raptors trailed 88-78 on a jumper by DeRozan with 10:23 remaining but James scored six points in a 14-3 run that gave the Cavs a 102-81 lead with about 6 minutes left.

James scored 14 in the first and five of Cleveland's nine field goals were from long range as the Cavaliers led 31-25 after one.

After video review, the officials waved off a basket by Biyombo with 3:18 left in the period and gave him a flagrant foul for knocking down Love.

Tempers flared again early in the second when Richard Jefferson reacted angrily to catching an elbow from Jonas Valanciunas as the two battled for a rebound. Patrick Patterson came over and shoved Jefferson out of the way. Both Patterson and Jefferson were given technical fouls.

The Cavaliers made 10 of 15 3-point attempts in the first half, while Toronto was 2 of 12.

The Cavs led 78-57 after a 3 by Love at 3:53 of the third but Lowry scored 15 points as Toronto closed the quarter with a 17-8 run, cutting it to 86-74.

THE WEIGHT

Clutching the Eastern Conference trophy in his arms, Smith broke up his teammates' postgame press conference by joking, ''Can we go? This thing is kind of heavy.''

STAR WATCH

Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista and Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban watched from courtside seats, while actor Jamie Foxx sat in a private suite.

TIP INS

Cavaliers: Shot 17 for 31 from 3-point range. ... Outscored Toronto 17-5 in fast break points.

Raptors: Finished their playoff run by playing every other day from April 29 onward, a 15-game run that started with Game 6 of the first round against Indiana.

Defending champion Warriors stave off elimination, beat OKC

By Janie McCauley of AP via NBA.com.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) ''We ain't going home! We're not going home!'' Stephen Curry screamed at the top of his lungs.

No, his Golden State Warriors are going back to Oklahoma City, after keeping their title reign and the winningest season in NBA history alive for at least one more game.

Curry scored 31 points, raising his arms in the early moments to fire up Golden State's raucous crowd, and the defending champions staved off elimination with a 120-111 victory over the Thunder on Thursday night in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.

''We just did what we're supposed to do. We're supposed to win at home,'' Curry said. ''We know what we still have to do going forward. ... We knew if we didn't win we were going home. There's no other motivation you need.''

For all the speculation about the current state of Curry's beat-up body - that troublesome ankle, sore knee or tender elbow - he did it all.

''I thought he looked like 91 percent,'' coach Steve Kerr cracked. ''He came out and played a really good game. That's all I can tell you. He's going to compete every night. He had an excellent night and helped us get it done.''

Led by Curry, the Warriors looked like their old winning selves again.

The MVP made a snazzy layup late and dished out six assists, while Klay Thompson added 27 points as Golden State sent the best the best-of-seven series back to Oklahoma City for Game 6 on Saturday night. The Warriors trail 3-2 and are trying to become just the 10th team to rally from a 3-1 deficit.

''None of us want to go home,'' Thompson said. ''We're having too much fun out there.''

Kevin Durant scored 40 points and Russell Westbrook added 31 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and five steals for the Thunder, trying for the fifth NBA Finals appearance in franchise history and first championship since moving from Seattle.

The record-setting, 73-win Warriors, coming off their first back-to-back defeats all season, had been blown out in two losses at Oklahoma City by a combined 52 points.

''We have to take that game and travel,'' Curry said of keeping momentum.

Durant's 3-pointer with 4:34 left got the Thunder within 103-98, then Curry answered with a three-point play.

Curry scored seven points in a 58-second stretch of the second quarter and hit more big shots late, but the Thunder didn't go away easily.

''I liked our will, I liked our fight,'' Kerr said. ''We were embarrassed in OKC the last couple games.''

Trailing 58-50 at halftime, Oklahoma City came out of the break with a 9-2 run. Westbrook's 3-pointer with 6:06 left in the third put Oklahoma City ahead 68-67 for its first lead of the night. But Golden State led 81-77 going into the fourth and began the final period with an 8-0 burst.

''We didn't shoot a particularly good percentage when we got into the lane and got into the deep paint,'' Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. ''We had our opportunities.''

Curry shot 9 for 20 and also had five steals, while Thompson had his 11th 20-point game for the second straight postseason despite shooting 2 for 9 from 3-point range. After struggling the past two games, Draymond Green had 11 points and 13 rebounds a day after receiving some encouraging words from Kobe Bryant on the phone.

''We really relied on the entire team tonight, which is when we're at our best,'' Curry said.

Kerr figured his Warriors might have an edge against the percentages of teams having trailed 3-1 because they're the defending champs and were playing at home, where they have been nearly unbeatable.

He wasn't surprised to see this team respond so well.

''We played with great desperation,'' Kerr said. ''I knew how we would play. This is a championship team.''

Kerr called for center Andrew Bogut to do more and the 7-footer delivered with a playoff career-high 15 points and 14 rebounds for his second double-double this postseason and seventh of his career.

Marreese Speights had a pair of three-point plays on follow shots and a 3 in the second quarter to give Golden State a nice lift off the bench. He had nine points in four minutes during that stretch and 14 points overall for his fifth double-digit scoring game this postseason.

''Their bench came in and made shots, made plays for them,'' Durant said. ''We know we're going home. We can't relax.''

Golden State made 31 of 34 free throws.

With his 1,248th career postseason point in the third, Curry passed Wilt Chamberlain (1,246) for second place on the franchise's playoff scoring list.

''That's who he is, that's what he's done, and that's what's made him a very good player,'' Donovan said.

TIP-INS

Thunder: The franchise lost in the finals in 1977-78, 1995-96 to Kerr and the Chicago Bulls and in `12. ... Steven Adams sat down with his second foul at the 9:34 mark of the first quarter. The Thunder had seven fouls to Golden State's one after the first. ... Oklahoma City took Game 1 at Oracle Arena, where the Warriors have lost only three times all season. ... The Thunder started the game 3 for 14.

Warriors: Green picked up his fifth technical of the postseason. He also has at least one steal in 16 straight playoff games. ... Golden State missed six of its first seven 3s. ... The Warriors supported Turner Sports sideline reporter Craig Sager with ''Sager Strong'' T-shirts for sale to support awareness and research for leukemia and lymphoma, both blood cancers.

LeBron, Love power Cavaliers to 116-78 romp over Raptors

By Tom Withers of AP via NBA.com.

CLEVELAND (AP) Back home, the Cavaliers were not hospitable. Just rude.

They roughed up the visiting Raptors again.

LeBron James scored 23 points then sat the fourth quarter, Kevin Love scored 25, and Cleveland unleashed tenacious defense on Toronto to regain control of the Eastern Conference finals with a 116-78 rout of the Raptors in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

On their court in front of 20,000-plus screaming, towel-waving fans following two straight losses in Canada, the Cavs opened a 34-point lead in the first half, pushed it to 43 in the second half and took a 3-2 series lead.

They can clinch their second straight conference title and trip to the NBA Finals with a win in Game 6 on Friday night in Toronto.

''We gotta come out from the beginning and that starts with the Big 3,'' James said, referring to himself, Love and Kyrie Irving, who added 23 points. ''We'll be much better.''

It's hard to imagine the Cavs being more in sync. They clicked at both ends in Game 5, handing the Raptors a beating that could linger into the offseason. After coming in with momentum and confidence, Toronto's players left Quicken Loans Arena shaken and one loss from having their deepest playoff run stopped.

''They kicked our butts, bottom line,'' Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. ''That's been all three ballgames.''

James had eight assists and six rebounds in 31 minutes before checking out late in the third quarter with the Cavs up 37. He spent the fourth quarter resting on the bench while Cleveland's reserves finished the romp.

At halftime, James, Irving and Love had outscored the Raptors 43-34. Cleveland has won its three games in the series by a combined 88 points, and won its last four over Toronto at home by 110.

''They are a different team here,'' Casey said. ''We came in here with a chance to do something special and we didn't get it done. They pushed us around and took what they wanted.''

DeMar DeRozan scored 14 and Kyle Lowry 13 for the Raptors, who were overwhelmed from the start. Bismack Biyombo had just four rebounds after getting 40 the past two games. The only positive for Toronto was center Jonas Valanciunas, who returned after missing eight straight games with a sprained right ankle. He scored nine points in 18 minutes.

Playing defense as if every possession was the game's last, Cleveland held Toronto to 34 points in the opening half while building a 31-point halftime lead - the largest in conference finals history. Since their expansion arrival in 1993, the Raptors had never been down by 30 before in any game - regular or postseason - at halftime but they have rarely seen a defense like this either.

The Cavs were all over the court, swarming and stifling DeRozan and Lowry, who combined for 67 points in Game 4.

A courtside doctor might have stopped this one in the first half.

Love found his shooting touch after it went missing during the lost weekend in Toronto, where he went just 5 of 23 and was benched for the fourth quarter of Game 4. He finished 8 of 10 from the field, a confidence-boosting performance that should temporarily quiet his critics.

''Kevin Love being Kevin Love,'' Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. ''He had two bad shooting games and we made a big deal out of it. Nothing he does amazes me. We gotta keep him aggressive all the time.''

The Cavs made a point of getting Love the ball right away and he responded by making all four field goal attempts, dropping a 3 late in the first quarter that pushed the Cavs to a 37-19 lead.

''It was a bounce-back game for him,'' James said. ''He's a true professional.''

Cleveland's onslaught continued in the second quarter, and when James got free for an easy two-handed dunk, Cavs fans could relax and begin making TV viewing plans for Friday.

These looked more like the Cavaliers who opened the postseason with 10 straight wins, obliterated the Raptors by a combined 50 points in Games 1 and 2 and given a chance to beat whomever survived in the West.

WHOLE LOTTA LOVE

The Cavs credited Love with setting the tone early.

''He really got it going,'' J.R. Smith said. ''He makes tough shots around the basket and that was big for us.''

CENTER OF ATTENTION

Valanciunas hadn't played since May 7. He scored two quick baskets in the first quarter when the Raptors were still close.

TIP-INS

Raptors: Dropped to 2-7 on the road in this postseason. ... Played a game every other day since April 29, going 7-7. . Biyombo and Valanciunas are the only teammates with at least 120 rebounds this postseason.

Cavaliers: The 38-point win ties the fifth largest in the conference finals. ... Cleveland is 7-0 at home in these playoffs, winning by an average of 20.9 points. ... Trumped their 31-point win in Game 1, which was the previous most lopsided playoff victory in team history. ... James played in his 191st career postseason game, moving him ahead of Magic Johnson for 12th place on the all-time list. ... James (1,320) is tied with Kobe Bryant for the second-most free throws in postseason history. Michael Jordan made 1,463.

UP NEXT

Game 6 is Friday night in Toronto.

Westbrook, Thunder put Warriors on brink of elimination

Game Recap by Cliff Brunt of AP via NBA.com.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Suddenly, these Golden State Warriors who have been compared all season to the Chicago Bulls dynasty of the 1990s are on the brink of elimination.

Russell Westbrook had 36 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Warriors 118-94 on Tuesday night to take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals. Golden State, which won a league record 73 games in the regular season, lost consecutive games for the first time this season.

The Warriors must win Game 5 on Thursday in Oakland to keep their season alive.

''We all have to bounce back,'' Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. ''The good news is, we go home. Obviously we play well at home. The idea now is to go home and get one win. Do that, and we put some pressure on them and we'll see what happens.

''Klay Thompson led Golden State with 26 points, but two-time league MVP Stephen Curry was limited to 19 points on 6-for-20 shooting. Curry's shooting performance was so uncharacteristic that reporters asked if he was hurt.''

He's not injured,'' Kerr said. ''He's coming back from the knee, but he's not injured. He just had a lousy night. It happens, even to the best players in the world.''

The Warriors lost consecutive playoff games by at least 20 points for the first time since Games 2 and 3 of the 1972 Western Conference semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks. Golden State's Draymond Green, who was fined for kicking Steven Adams in the groin in Game 3, finished with six points, 11 rebounds and six turnovers.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma City got a boost from an unlikely source. Andre Roberson, a player the Warriors have ignored at times during the series, scored a career-high 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

Kevin Durant added 26 points and 11 rebounds and Serge Ibaka added 17 points and seven rebounds.

As for Westbrook, it was his first triple-double of the playoffs after posting 18 in the regular season. It was his fifth career playoff triple-double.

''I play every game like it's my last, regardless of who's in front of me,'' he said. ''That's my job, and my job is to worry about my team, and that's all I do.''

The Thunder know they have to close. Nine teams have rallied from 3-1 deficits to win.

''I think we're in a good place, but like I said, this game is over,'' Westbrook said. ''We've got to move on to the next game. Every game is different.''

The Thunder led 30-26 at the end of the first quarter, then gained control in the second. In the most unlikely of connections, Adams threw a bullet pass to Roberson near the basket for a dunk that gave the Thunder a 56-43 lead with just over four minutes left in the first half.

Oklahoma City finished with a flurry and led 72-53 at halftime. The Thunder matched the most points they have scored in a first half in franchise playoff history, a mark they set the previous game against the Warriors. It also matched the most points Golden State has allowed in a half this season for the second straight game.

Westbrook had 21 points, nine assists and five rebounds in the first half, and Durant had 18 points and six boards.

Thompson tried to keep the Warriors in it, scoring 19 points in just over seven minutes to start the third quarter. But the Thunder maintained their composure, led 94-82 at the end of the period and remained in control in the fourth.

''This is a tough situation to be in, but the series isn't over,'' Curry said.

QUOTABLE

Kerr, on the pressure of trying to win a title after setting the regular-season wins record: ''We had a tremendous regular season, our guys competed every single night and did something no one has ever done and they're proud of that. But in the playoffs, everybody starts 0-0. So there's no extra pressure, whether you're talking about defending our title or trying to back up the regular season.''

STAT LINES

According to Thunder Public Relations, the last team to score 72 or more points in the first half of two straight playoff games was the 1987 Los Angeles Lakers.

TIP-INS

Warriors: Curry went 1 for 7 in the first quarter, and made just 1 of 4 3-point attempts. ... Thompson committed his third foul with 7:55 left in the second quarter, and C Andrew Bogut committed his third about two minutes later. ... Curry made a 3-pointer for his 48th consecutive playoff game, extending his NBA record. ... The Warriors were 12-0 this season the game after a loss.

Thunder: Westbrook had five points, six assists and three rebounds in the first quarter. ... Oklahoma City forced 13 turnovers in the first half. ... The Thunder improved to 19-0 this season when Westbrook gets a triple-double. ... The Thunder outrebounded the Warriors 56-40 and outscored them 31-19 from the free throw line.

Lowry, DeRozan lead Raptors to 105-99 win over Cav

Game Recap by Ian Harrison of AP via NBA.com.

TORONTO (AP) A series that once looked lopsided is now even.

Kyle Lowry scored 35 points, including a driving layup in the final minute, and DeMar DeRozan had 32 as the Toronto Raptors evened the Eastern Conference Finals by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 105-99 in Game 4 on Monday night.

DeMarre Carroll scored 11 points and Bismack Biyombo had 14 rebounds as Toronto improved to 8-2 at home this postseason and got back on level terms after big losses in Games 1 and 2.

''We've been counted out, and we like that challenge,'' DeRozan said.

The next challenge for Toronto? Game 5 on Wednesday night in Cleveland, where the Raptors are 0-3 this season, losing by a combined 72 points.

''We have to continue to make sure that when they punch, we punch back,'' Lowry said. ''And if they punch three times, we punch four times.''

The Raptors are 2-6 on the road in the playoffs.

After a 10-0 start to these playoffs, the Cavaliers are counting on home court advantage to help them reach their second straight Finals.

''Going back home we have to play a lot better and I think we will,'' LeBron James said.

Cleveland lost consecutive playoff games to an Eastern Conference opponent for the first time since dropping the final three games of the conference semifinals to Boston in 2010.''

We had a few defensive breakdowns that you can't have down the stretch of a game, especially in the playoffs,'' Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. ''They executed every time we made a mistake.''

James scored 29 points and Kyrie Irving had 26 for the Cavaliers, who trailed by as many as 18 points. Channing Frye scored nine of his 12 points in the fourth quarter.

Lowry scored nine in the fourth and DeRozan had 12, connecting on five of six shots.

''It's a cakewalk for me when (Lowry) gets going,'' DeRozan said. ''It opens up everything.''

The Raptors led 78-69 to begin the fourth but Frye made consecutive 3-pointers as Cleveland opened the final quarter with an 8-0 run, cutting it to 78-77. The Cavaliers made their first 11 shots of the fourth quarter.

''It wasn't enough because we got off to a horrible first half once again in this building and you're playing catch up the whole game,'' James said.

Frye's errant 3-point attempt at 4:12 was Cleveland's first miss of the fourth. DeRozan made two free throws at the other end and, after another miss by Frye, Carroll made one of two to put Toronto up 99-96 with 3:23 to go.

A long 3 by Irving made it 101-99 with 2:00 left, but DeRozan answered with a driving bank shot at 1:33. Toronto got the ball back after Biyombo blocked J.R. Smith's 3, and Biyombo kept the offensive possession alive by rebounding Lowry's missed shot. After a timeout, Lowry let the shot clock wind down before driving for the decisive layup, making it 105-99 with 22 seconds to go.

Toronto jumped out to a 13-5 lead as Cleveland missed eight of its first 10 shots. Following a timeout, the Cavs made five of their next six to cut the deficit but the Raptors led 27-24 after one quarter.

Lowry scored 15 points in the second, making three of Toronto's four 3-pointers, as the Raptors opened a 57-41 halftime lead despite not shooting a single free throw in the first two quarters. It marked the first time a team led by 15 or more at halftime in a conference finals game without shooting a free throw since Game 2 of the 2001 East Finals between Milwaukee and Philadelphia. The Bucks made two of six from the line, the fewest ever made in an NBA playoff game at the time.

DeRozan shot Toronto's first free throws at 6:13 of the third after being tackled by Smith on a drive. The foul drought came after Raptors coach Dwane Casey was fined $25,000 for criticizing the officials following Toronto's Game 3 win.

Fans cheered derisively when Matthew Dellavedova was called for Cleveland's first foul of the game at 8:56 of the second.

NOT MUCH TO LOVE

After shooting 3 for 19 in Game 3, Kevin Love shot 4 for 14 in Game 4. He finished with 10 points. Love did not play in the fourth after appearing to injure his left ankle when he stepped on referee David Guthrie late in the third. ''It didn't feel too great,'' Love said. Lue said Love's health was ''no concern.''

FAIR AND FOUL

Cleveland didn't shoot any free throws in the third quarter and had just two in the fourth. Twelve of Toronto's 19 free throws came in the fourth.

TIP-INS

Cavaliers: James and Irving each had six assists. ... Cleveland shot 3 for 23 from 3-point range in the first half. The finished 13 for 41. . Cleveland's Dahntay Jones served a one-game suspension for hitting Biyombo in the groin in Game 3.

Raptors: Raptors C Jonas Valanciunas was active but did not play. He's been out since spraining his right ankle in the third quarter of Game 3 against Miami on May 7. ... Toronto is 10-1 in the playoffs when holding opponents below 100 points.

Draymond Green fined, not suspended for groin kick

Statement from the NBA.

Draymond Green

NEW YORK (AP) — Draymond Green was fined $25,000 but not suspended by the NBA on Monday for kicking Oklahoma City center Steven Adams in the groin.

The league also upgraded the foul to a flagrant 2, which would have resulted in an automatic ejection had officials given it that ruling when it happened. That moved him closer to an automatic suspension for accumulation of flagrant foul points.

But Green will be on the court when the Warriors try to even the Western Conference finals at 2-2 on Tuesday at Oklahoma City.

Green was called for a flagrant 1 foul after he was fouled by Adams with 5:57 remaining in the second quarter and kicked his leg up into Adams' groin. Though the Thunder felt it was intentional, Green and Warriors coach Steve Kerr said they believed the flagrant would actually be rescinded by the league.

NBA Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Kiki VanDeWeghe disagreed.

"After a thorough investigation that included review of all available video angles and interviews with the players involved and the officials working the game, we have determined that Green's foul was unnecessary and excessive and warranted the upgrade and fine," VanDeWeghe said in a statement.

"During a game, players - at times - flail their legs in an attempt to draw a foul, but Green's actions in this case warranted an additional penalty."

The NBA determines a flagrant 1 foul to include "unnecessary contact." A flagrant 2 is defined as "unnecessary and excessive contact."

Green now has three flagrant foul points during the postseason. One more will force him to miss Golden State's next game.

Green was an All-Star and the runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year, but had a dismal game as Oklahoma City took a 2-1 lead. He was 1 for 9 from the field with six points and the Warriors were outscored by 43 points when he was on the court.

NBA announces suspension, fine

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dahntay Jones was suspended one game without pay for striking Toronto Raptors center Bismack Biyombo in the groin on Saturday, Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations announced on Sunday.

The incident occurred with 17.6 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of the Raptors’ 99-84 win over the Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 21 at Air Canada Centre. Jones will serve his suspension on Monday, May 23 during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

VanDeWeghe also announced Sunday that Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey has been fined $25,000 for public criticism of officiating.

Casey made his comments during the postgame press conference following the Raptors’ 99-84 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 21 at Air Canada Centre.

Durant, Westbrook lead Thunder in blowout win over Warriors

Game Recap from NBA.com.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Thunder gave the Warriors as complete a beating as they experienced during their record-setting season.

Suddenly, a second straight title seems to be anything but a given for Golden State. Now the Warriors are just trying to survive.

Durant scored 33 points, Westbrook had 30 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds, and Oklahoma City rolled to a 133-105 victory on Sunday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference finals.

The Warriors, who set an NBA record with 73 victories in the regular season, trailed by 41 points, their largest deficit this season.

''We got what we deserved,'' Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

Durant made 10 of 15 shots and Westbrook was 10 of 19. It was the first time this postseason both players shot better than 50 percent from the field.

''We're not going to win that way,'' Golden State guard Klay Thompson said. ''One of those guys got to have an off night.''

Serge Ibaka added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Thunder, who matched a franchise record for most points scored in a playoff game.

Oklahoma City outrebounded the Warriors in its Game 1 victory, but the Warriors won the battle of the boards in Game 2 and beat the Thunder 118-91. Oklahoma City reasserted its dominance on the glass on Sunday, outrebounding Golden State 52-38.

Westbrook said the Thunder also needed to make the hustle plays that add to the rebounding totals.

''That's one thing we slipped up on in Game 2, and I think tonight, we did a good job of getting loose balls and finding ways to get 50/50 basketballs and give ourselves extra possessions,'' he said.

Golden State will be in an uncomfortable position heading into Game 4 on Tuesday in Oklahoma City, but the Warriors remain confident. Golden State trailed Memphis and Cleveland 2-1 in playoff series last year and won both on its way to claiming the NBA title.''

Both times, we got blown out in Game 3, and we responded well, so we have that memory,'' Kerr said. ''I'm confident we're going to come out and play a really good game in Game 4, and we'll see what happens.''

The last time Golden State's Stephen Curry had played in Oklahoma City, he scored 46 points, tied an NBA record with 12 3-pointers and hit a game-winning, 37-footer. This time, the league MVP finished with 24 points on 7-for-17 shooting. Klay Thompson added 18 points on 8-for-19 shooting.Golden State's Draymond Green, who kicked Oklahoma City's Steven Adams in the groin and has become Thunder fans' No. 1 target because of some questionable tactics, struggled on both ends of the floor and finished with six points on 1-for-9 shooting. The Warriors were outscored by 43 points when he was in the game.With 5:57 left in the second quarter, Green kicked Adams after a foul. It was the second time in the series Green hit Adams there - he hit him with a knee in Game 2. The crowd chanted ''Kick him out! Kick him out!'' but Green was issued a flagrant 1 foul and remained in the game.

Green said he wasn't trying to hurt Adams.

''I thought it would probably get rescinded,'' he said. ''I followed through on a shot. I'm not trying to kick somebody in the midsection. Somebody wants to have kids someday. I'm not trying to end that on the basketball court.''

Seemingly energized after Green's foul, the Thunder outscored the Warriors 24-7 the rest of the half, with many of the baskets coming against Green. In a play that summarized the second quarter perfectly, Green went in for a layup and got it blocked by Durant, then Durant made a 3-pointer on the other end to give the Thunder a 64-47 lead.

Green fouled Westbrook on a long 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left in the first half. Westbrook made all three free throws to put the Thunder up 72-47 at the break. Durant had 23 points on 6-for-10 shooting and 10 of 10 free throws in the first half, and Westbrook had 16 points, seven assists and six rebounds at the break. It was the most points scored against the Warriors in any half this season.

Curry shot 4 for 13 in the first half, Thompson went 5 for 14 and Green 1 for 8.

The Thunder continued the onslaught by making 17 of 22 shots in the third quarter to take a 117-80 lead into the fourth.

DeRozan, Raptors end Cavaliers' streak with 99-84 win

Game Recap from NBA.com.

TORONTO (AP) Cleveland's perfect playoff run went south in the north.

DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points, Bismack Biyombo set a Toronto playoff record with 26 rebounds and the Raptors beat Cleveland 99-84 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday night, handing the Cavaliers their first loss this postseason.

Kyle Lowry scored 20 points, Cory Joseph added 14, and Patrick Patterson and DeMarre Carroll each had 10 for the Raptors. They rebounded after losing the first two games in Cleveland by a combined 50 points.

In Toronto, where ''We The North'' is a rallying cry, a sell-out crowd dressed in red and white T-shirts cheered the Raptors to their seventh victory in nine home playoff games. Game 4 is Monday night at Air Canada Centre.

''It's a long series,'' Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. ''It's not over with yet, but everybody thought we were going to get swept. I think that fuels us and if that's what it takes, so be it.''

LeBron James scored 24 points, and J.R. Smith had 22 for the Cavaliers. They won their first 10 playoff games and were trying to match the Los Angeles Lakers' record of 11 straight victories to begin a postseason. The Lakers did it in 1989 and again in 2001.

''We didn't play our game and they made us pay for it,'' James said. ''We didn't start the game as physical as we should have at the point of attack.

''Biyombo had four blocks, helping Toronto limit the Cavaliers to 20 points in the paint. The Cavs had 106 points in the paint in the first two games.

''It was amazing, honestly,'' DeRozan said about Biyombo's performance. ''He was big time tonight. Without him, we probably would't get this win.''

Kyrie Irving scored 13 points, and Channing Frye had 11 for Cleveland. The Cavaliers were held below 100 points for the first time in these playoffs.''

They came out and they beat us,'' Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue said. ''They were more aggressive. They were more physical. They were more active. They were faster. They beat us to the ball.''

James had five assists, moving past Jason Kidd and into third place on the NBA's career playoff list.

It was a rough night for Cavaliers forward Kevin Love, who scored three points and made just one of nine field goal attempts. Irving also struggled with his shooting, missing 16 of 19.'

'Those guys will be better,'' James pledged.

Irving checked out at 1:38 of the fourth quarter and had to be helped to the locker room following a collision with Joseph.

''I just got the wind knocked out of me,'' Irving said.

With his team ahead by eight, Biyombo scored six straight points in the fourth to put the Raptors up 91-77 at 3:38.

''He was huge,'' Casey said. ''I thought he played a big-time game in the paint.''

DeRozan scored 12 points in the first but saw a buzzer-beating 3 waved off after video review. Lowry scored eight points despite picking up his second four at 5:40 as Toronto led 30-24 after one. It was the first time in nine quarters this series that the Raptors had outscored the Cavaliers.

Carroll, Joseph and Patterson each made 3-pointers during a 16-2 Toronto run midway through the second as the Raptors overcame Lowry's third foul to take a 54-37 lead.

James went down clutching his face after being accidentally elbowed by Thompson during a scuffle at center court late in the second. Thompson and Joseph were given technicals on the play. James recovered to make a 3 in the final seconds, but Cleveland trailed 60-47 at halftime.''

Our second quarter lineup didn't do a great job of paying attention to detail,'' James said. ''They were able to bust the game open."

Cavs Stymie Raptors, Stay Perfect in Playoffs

Game Recap from NBA.com.

Conventional wisdom says that the Cavaliers have to drop a game at some point during the postseason. It’s just that the way their Big Three – and just about everyone else in the rotation – is playing right now, it’s hard to see when that moment will actually come.

The Cavaliers went right back to their formula from Game 1 – beating up Toronto on the glass and in the paint, keeping their explosive All-Star point guard in check and using a big second-quarter push to hand the Raptors the 108-89 loss in Game 2 at The Q.

The Big Three of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love continued their prolific postseason – combining for 68 points, 20 boards and 17 assists -- with all three netting double-digit scoring by intermission.

The first half of Game 2 featured four ties and 11 lead-changes, and things got chippy early – with Kyrie Irving and Bismack Biyombo locking horns midway through the first quarter, each picking up techs as the officials attempted to cool things off.

Things did come under control and after a contentious first quarter, it was all Wine and Gold in the second.

Patrick Patterson’s triple tied the score at 46-apiece with just over four minutes to play in the first half, but that’s as good as it’d get for the Raptors the rest of the way. Cleveland closed the period on a 16-2 run to take a two-touchdown lead at half – and didn’t allow Toronto to get within single-digits the rest of the way.

As he has in four of the Cavaliers’ previous five Playoff games, Kyrie led the squad in scoring – pacing both squads with 26 points, going 12-for-22 from the floor to go with four boards, three assists and a steal.

LeBron rewrote the NBA history books again on Thursday night – surpassing Shaquille O’Neal for fourth on the NBA’s all-time Playoff scoring list while notching the 15th postseason triple-double of his illustrious career, finishing with 23 points, 11 boards and 11 assists.

The four-time MVP – who trails only Magic Johnson (30) in career postseason triple-doubles – went 7-for-13 from the floor and 9-for-17 from the stripe in the victory and is now 18-for-26 through the first two games. He also posted his 20th straight game of at least 20 points, the longest active streak in the Association.

Kevin Love added 19 points, five boards, three helpers and a blocked shot in Game 2 – going 5-of-8 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the line. The three-time All-Star has yet to lose a Playoff game in a Cavaliers uniform.

“It's something that's been well-documented,” said Love, who’s now 14-0 in his brief postseason career. “But as (LeBron) said after last game, we're not here to just win nine games, now it being 10. We want to take it to the top, so that's not necessarily something that we're thinking about.”

Overall, the Cavaliers made seven more free throws than the Raptors attempted, going 25-for-37 from the stripe compared to 14-of-18 for Dwane Casey’s club.

J.R. Smith rounded out the Cavaliers starters in double-figures with 12 points, going 4-of-7 from the floor, 3-of-5 from long-distance. Cleveland’s bench wasn’t as effective as it was in Game 1, but Channing Frye kept his postseason roll going – finishing with 10 points and three boards in the win.

DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors in scoring once again, finishing with 22 points on 8-for-18 shooting. But his backcourt mate struggled once again, going 4-for-14 from the field, including 1-of-8 from deep, for just 10 points. Through the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals, the two-time All-Star is shooting 29 percent from the floor (8-of-28), just under seven percent (1-for-15) from long-distance.

“That's where we want to make our mark – on the defensive end – and once we settled into tonight's game, it just made it a lot easier on ourselves getting out in transition. We didn't necessarily get up a lot of threes in transition, but we stayed in the paint.”

The Cavaliers won the battle of the boards (46-38), dominated in the paint (50-28) and handed out 24 assists to Toronto’s 17. Cleveland shot an even 50 percent from the floor while holding the Raptors to 40 percent shooting and below 90 points for the second straight contest.

For the second straight game, the Cavaliers also scaled back on their long-range shooting – attempting just 21 triples and hitting seven, the exact numbers from their lopsided Game 1 victory on Tuesday night.

Warriors roll in Game 2 behind stellar, sturdy Curry

Game Recap by Scott-Howard Cooper from NBA.com.

OAKLAND, Calif. - He tumbled over a row of courtside seats chasing a loose ball and landed hard. He gave a new definition to "quick release" with a death stare for an opponent at almost the instant he let the shot fly. He skidded to a halt in transition another time and still maintained enough control to rain down a 22-foot pull-up jumper. He claimed the 3-point line as his own, scoring 12 points in a span of 82 seconds during the third quarter.

In other words, Stephen Curry was back to being everything and everywhere Wednesday night, the tipping point to a game and at least for the moment an entire series as the Warriors beat the Thunder 118-91 at Oracle Arena to even the Western Conference finals at 1-1. He was swaggering, unstoppable and indestructible. Especially indestructible.

Curry's May 9 return from a sprained knee ligament was historic, culminating in a league playoff-record 17 points in overtime. And the two games after that -- five 3-pointers in one, six in another -- were something, too. But this -- nine-for-15 overall from the field, five-for-eight on 3s, 28 points in 30 minutes in his fourth game back -- was an especially loud statement that the back-to-back MVP has pushed himself to a very good place again.

Curry was sharp from the start, with four baskets in the first six shots. He was electric in the third quarter, scoring 17 points, including the 82-second spree, while hitting five of eight attempts as the Warriors turned a 57-49 halftime lead into an 88-68 advantage heading into the fourth period. That was more than enough cushion to send the best-of-seven series to Oklahoma City all tied up.

Plus, his recovery powers. Curry chased down a loose ball late in the first quarter, went over the first row of seats between the Thunder bench and the scorer's table, twisting in flight and landing hard on his right side. It took several seconds for him to get up, and probably a few minutes after that to pass the defibrillator around to restart the hearts of an entire fan base, but Curry stayed in. That outcome was a particular relief in a postseason that has already included a sprained ankle that cost Curry two games in the first round and a sprained knee that kept him sidelined three games into the second.

Curry was only barely broken this time, with a bruised elbow bad enough to require the right arm to be wrapped around the joint after the win, just not bad enough to create any concern he could miss game action moving forward. He was in as good health as could be expected under the circumstances, and that goes for everything. The elbow, the knee, the ankle, the Warriors' ability to breath again -- it all checks out.

"I think my rhythm's fine," he said. Getting his legs back after missing so many games during the first two round would have been a challenge no matter what, and the degree of difficulty increased when he was pressed into playing 37, 37 and 40 minutes the first three games back, before Wednesday's rout allowed him to downshift to 30.

"Whether I was scoring or not, just being able to move from side to side and be a threat and do what I need to do to try to create space for my teammates and try to make plays," Curry said. "When I get open shots, it's obvious the calm is there to knock them down, and it's been like that since I've been back. My body's obviously catching up, and I think I'm there."

Put it this way: Warriors coach Steve Kerr was asked what stood out to him about the 28 points in 30 minutes, the offensive outburst in the third quarter of the biggest game of the season so far for Golden State, the bouncing back from the elbow injury. Kerr seemed to search his brain for a moment before deciding.

"Nothing," he said.

Nothing stood out. We're back to typical Curry.

"Business as usual," Kerr agreed. "This is what he does."

Midway through the third quarter, when he was putting Game 2 away, a surprisingly wide-open Curry got the ball a few steps beyond the 3-point line on the left side when Oklahoma City'sSerge Ibaka came running at him. Curry gave a pump fake so quick it was practically a flinch and Ibaka went flying past, out of bounds.

One bounce. A step forward. Release.

Curry immediately turned to head to the other end to play defense, so confident in his shot that he didn't even wait for the 26-footer to splash the net, and gave Ibaka a stare. Curry said later he didn't say anything to Ibaka, and that may technically have been accurate. He didn't say anything out loud.

In action, though, Curry was screaming to the world. He was in rhythm the entire game, with the bravado for exclamation marks, undeterred by big minutes the previous three games or the unscheduled leap into a demolition derby in this one, and taking the lead in pressure situations. Typical Curry, in other words.

Cavs Trounce Toronto, Open Series in Style

Game Recap from the Cavaliers website.

After an eight-day layoff following their recent sweep of Atlanta, there was some concern that the Cavaliers would come out rusty against Toronto in the Eastern Conference Finals – and those concerns were immediately proven correct.

For exactly one minute and 49 seconds.

That’s when the Cavaliers – trailing 8-0 to start the affair – kicked the machine right back into gear and proceeded to steamroll the Raptors in Game 1, running their record to 9-0 in the 2016 postseason with the 115-84 drubbing of Toronto on Tuesday night at The Q, the most-lopsided victory in franchise history.

The Cavaliers didn’t bombard the Raptors from beyond the arc – their formula for success through the first two rounds. Instead, Cleveland went with the ground game, netting 56 points in the paint, shooting 55 percent from the floor and hitting only seven triples on the night.

Even with their slow start, the Cavaliers proceeded to shoot 67 percent from the field in the first half, outscoring the Raptors, 33-16, in the second quarter and opening a 22-point edge by intermission.

In what was billed as a battle between two of the Eastern Conference’s top point guards – Kyrie Irving and Kyle Lowry – the Wine and Gold’s three-time All-Star stole the show, leading all scorers with 27 points in the win.

Irving was razor-sharp from the opening tip and notched 12 of his 27 in the first quarter, going 5-of-7 from the floor in the period. Consistently penetrating the Raptors’ interior defense, Kyrie shot 11-for-17 from the field overall, adding a team-high five assists to go with two boards, two steals and a pair of blocked shots.

”I think that we were getting to our sweet spots as much as possible and the play calls by Coach Lue were great coming out of timeouts,” said Irving. “And coming out of those timeouts we knew what we wanted to run and we played at an unbelievable place. I flipped two easy buckets in transition that got us into a great rhythm.”

His counterpart had a much more difficult evening, with the Cavaliers holding Lowry – who combined for 71 points in the last two games of Toronto’s Second Round series against the Heat – to just eight points on Tuesday, going 4-for-14 from the floor, including 0-of-7 from long-range.

LeBron James had been in all-business mode in the days leading up to Game 1 and never broke stride after tip-off – hitting his first nine shots of the game – all from point-blank range – and finishing 11-of-13 from the floor for 24 points.

James – whose massive second-quarter dunk over DeMarre Carroll prompted the game’s greatest reaction, an extended roar to the frenzied crowd – topped the 20-point mark for the 19th straight postseason game, longest active streak in the NBA. The four-time MVP added six boards, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot in the win.

”I think for us, our game plan is never dictated,” said James. “I think for us, we want to push the tempo, we want to move the ball from side to side, and we want to attack. With myself and Ky, we love to live in the paint; we love to attack.

“And then when the defense collapses, we're going to spread out to our shooters. Tonight (Toronto) wanted us to be in the paint, and we just tried to take advantage of that.”

Kevin Love rounded out the Cavaliers in double-figures with 14 points, although Tuesday marked the end of his string of postseason double-doubles at eight – snagging four boards to go with three assists and a steal.

”(The Raptors) are a team that’s battle tested; they’re well coached, but also have logged a lot of minutes this postseason with two series going to a Game 7,” said Love. “We definitely wanted to push the ball and we felt like if we did that, then we could get our threes and also get to the free throw line.”

Along with every starter other than Tristan Thompson, Love was able to take the fourth quarter off as Cleveland’s reserves took over. But the Cavs second unit had come up big long before garbage time.

Richard Jefferson barely missed a double-double, finishing with nine points and a game-high 11 boards – the same amount as Toronto’s five combined starters. Matthew Dellavedova added nine points of his own, going 3-of-4 from the floor. Iman Shumpert and Channing Frye each added eight points and three boards in the victory.

After the Raptors’ opening salvo, the Cavaliers were stingy on the defensive end all night – holding the Raptors to 21 percent shooting from deep and keeping them below the 90-point mark, a first for Cleveland in the 2016 Playoffs.

The Cavaliers completely dominated Toronto on the boards, 45-23, and outpaced them on the break, 16-7, and in second-chance scoring, 13-4. Cleveland also made 13 more trips to the line on Tuesday night.

Sixers win lottery, get No. 1 pick in 2016 NBA Draft

Statement from the NBA.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers have won the NBA draft lottery and will have the No. 1 pick in June.
2
The Los Angeles Lakers finished second Tuesday night but also felt like winners, as they would have dealt their pick to Philadelphia had they fallen out of the top three.

The Boston Celtics, with a pick dealt to them by the Brooklyn Nets, remained in the No. 3 slot.

Nobody moved up in the lottery, which sets the top three picks. The remainder of the 14 teams are slotted in the inverse order of their won-loss record.

The draft is June 23 in New York.

PCR's Draft Lottery Results:
How did your team fare in the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery?

1. Philadelphia 76ers
2. Los Angeles Lakers
3. Boston Celtics (via Brooklyn Nets)
4. Phoenix Suns
5. Minnesota Timberwolves
6. New Orleans Pelicans
7. Denver Nuggets
8. Sacramento Kings
9. Toronto Raptors (via New York Knicks)
10. Milwaukee Bucks
11. Orlando Magic
12. Utah Jazz
13. Phoenix Suns (via Washington Wizards)
14. Chicago Bulls

Kelly Olynyk Undergoes Right Shoulder Surgery

Statement from the Celtics website.

Kelly Olynyk

BOSTON – The Boston Celtics announced today that Kelly Olynyk yesterday underwent a successful right shoulder arthroscopy for recurrent subluxations. He will begin an immediate rehabilitation program and the time frame for his return to basketball activities has not yet been determined.

Olynyk, who completed his third year with the team, averaged 10.0 points, including shooting 40.5 percent from beyond the arc, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 20.2 minutes per game during the 2015-16 regular season.

The 7’0” forward/center recorded a season-high 28 points on 11-21 (.524) shooting from the field, six rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block on December 11, 2015 against the Golden State Warriors.

Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns unanimously wins 2015-16 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Award

NBA Official Release.

NEW YORK – The Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns, who set franchise rookie records in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and field goal percentage, has unanimously won the 2015-16 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Award, the NBA announced Monday.  The 7-foot center becomes the fifth unanimous winner since 1984 and joins teammate Andrew Wiggins, the 2014-15 honoree, to make the Timberwolves the first team with back-to-back winners in 42 years.

Towns received all 130 first-place votes (650 points) from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters in the United States and Canada, joining Damian Lillard (2012-13 season), Blake Griffin (2010-11), David Robinson (1989-90) and Ralph Sampson (1983-84) as unanimous winners in the last 32 years.  The New York Knicks’ Kristaps Porzingis finished second with 363 points, and the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic was third with 59 points.  Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

The No. 1 overall pick in NBA Draft 2015 presented by State Farm, Towns led all rookies in scoring (18.3 ppg) and rebounding (10.5 rpg, eighth in the NBA) and ranked second in blocks (1.68 bpg, 10th in the NBA) – making him the league’s only player to reach those averages in the three categories.  He also ranked third in the NBA in double-doubles (51) and eighth in field goal percentage (54.2).  Towns was one of six players in the league to start all 82 games.

The 20-year-old Towns swept all six Kia NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month awards on his way to becoming the seventh rookie in NBA history to average at least 18 points, 10 rebounds and 1.5 blocks and shoot 50 percent or better from the field.  Since blocks became an official statistic in 1973-74, the other players to post those numbers are Sampson (1983-84), Hakeem Olajuwon (1984-85), Robinson (1989-90), Alonzo Mourning (1992-93), Shaquille O’Neal (1992-93) and Tim Duncan (1997-98).

Before last season, the Timberwolves had never had a Kia NBA Rookie of the Year winner since joining the NBA for the 1989-90 season.  With Towns and Wiggins now honored in back-to-back years, the Timberwolves are the first team with consecutive winners since the Buffalo Braves in 1972-73 (Bob McAdoo) and 1973-74 (Ernie DiGregorio).

Towns receives the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy, which is named in honor of one of the NBA’s founders.  Gottlieb coached the Philadelphia Warriors to the NBA’s first championship, in 1946-47.

As part of its support of the Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Award, Kia Motors America (KMA) will donate a brand new Sorento CUV to theMinnesota Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on Towns’ behalf.  Kia will present a 2016 Sorento to the charity of choice of each of five 2015-16 year-end award winners as part of the Kia NBA Performance Awards.  Following this season, Kia will have donated a total of 43 new vehicles to charitable organizations since its support of the NBA’s prestigious honors began in 2008.

The 2015-16 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Award is part of a series of on-court performance awards called the Kia NBA Performance Awards.  The series, in its ninth season, is part of a multiyear marketing partnership between Kia Motors and the NBA, and includes five of the league’s most prestigious year-end honors: Kia Most Valuable Player, Kia Defensive Player of the Year, Kia Sixth Man, Kia Most Improved Player and Kia Rookie of the Year.  The series also includes the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month and the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month during the regular season.  Kia Motors is the Official Automotive Partner of the NBA and the Kia Optima is the league’s Official Vehicle.  For more information, please visit www.kia.com/NBA.

For the third year in a row, complete media voting results for each NBA annual award will be posted on NBA.com/official after the announcement of each winner.  Click here for those results.

Below are the voting results for the 2015-16 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Award. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP.

Pacers name assistant McMillan as new coach

NBA Official Release.

INDIANAPOLIS - The Indiana Pacers announced Monday they have named Nate McMillan as their head coach. Per club policy terms of the contract were not released.

McMillan has spent the last three seasons as Associate Head Coach for the Pacers under Frank Vogel.

"I truly believe Nate is the right coach for us at this time," said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. "When I heard he was interested, I got in touch with him, met with him and in our conversation I came away with all the confidence in the world in Nate to lead our franchise to where we want to go. His experience as a player, head coach and assistant coach in the NBA are valuable assets for us."

"I want to thank Larry, Herb Simon and the Pacers for this opportunity, which is a great opportunity," said McMillan. "I've been around this franchise three years and understand what the expectations are and look forward to working hard to try to meet them. We have a good team and good base to build from. I'm very anxious to get started."

The 51-year-old (8/3/64) McMillan has a vast basketball background as a player and a coach. After playing collegiately at North Carolina State, McMillan was drafted by Seattle (30th overall) in the 1986 NBA Draft. He played his entire 12-year career with the Sonics and had his number (10) retired. He is second in franchise history in assists and steals and ranks in the top 10 in eight other categories. He was named to the NBA's All-Defensive team twice (1994 and '95) and led the league in steals in the 94-95 season with 2.96 per game.

After his playing days, McMillan was a Seattle assistant coach for two years and became the interim coach in 2000. He remained the Sonics' coach until 2005 and then became Portland's head coach until he was let go in March, 2012. In 2008-09, he led the Trail Blazers to a 54-28 record, the sixth-best record in franchise history. McMillan compiled a 478-452 (.514) record as a head coach for both teams. He also served as an assistant coach for the U.S. National Team where he won gold medals in the 2006 FIBA World Championships, the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics. McMillan was also inducted into the National Junior College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 after playing at Chowan College before transferring to North Carolina State.

Trail Blazers, head coach Terry Stotts agree to contract extension

NBA Official Release.

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland Trail Blazers and head coach Terry Stotts have agreed to a contract extension, president of basketball operations Neil Olshey announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Terry has been an outstanding partner and this extension represents our desire to build a model of stability and consistency," said Olshey.

Stotts completed his fourth season as head coach of the Trail Blazers in 2015-16, going 44-38 to solidify his third consecutive winning season and third straight postseason berth, despite not returning four of five starters from 2014-15. Portland defeated the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the 2016 NBA Playoffs to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals for the second time in the past three seasons.

"I am very pleased that we were able to agree on a contract extension and look forward to continuing the progress that we have made," said Stotts. "As an organization, we have developed a culture and continuity that is exciting to be a part of, and I could not be more appreciative of the players and coaching staff.

"There is not a better fan base in the NBA. Jan and I love Portland and are extremely happy to call it our home."

Runner-up for the 2015-16 NBA Coach of the Year award, Stotts was named the NBA's Western Conference Coach of the Month in February of 2016 after the Trail Blazers finished the month with a 9-2 record.

In 2013-14, Stotts led the Trail Blazers to a 54-win season, marking the largest improvement in franchise history and the sixth-best record all-time. Portland won its first playoff series in 14 seasons, defeating the Houston Rockets in six games.

A 21-year coaching veteran, Portland introduced Stotts as the franchise's 14th head coach on August 7, 2012. He has compiled a 182-146 (.555) record in four seasons at the helm in Portland, good for fifth-most wins in team history, and has a 297-314 (.486) overall NBA coaching record with Atlanta, Milwaukee and Portland.