Cavs stun Raptors as Curry soars on return
LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots the ball as Jonas Valanciunas of the Toronto Raptors defends in Game 1 of their NBA Eastern Conference semifinals at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada, on Tuesday.
Lebron James’s “worst” was too much for Toronto on Tuesday as the Cleveland superstar and his Cavaliers teammates rallied to stun the Raptors 113-112 in overtime in Game 1 of their NBA playoff second-round series.
It was a heart-breaker for the Raptors, who led throughout regulation only to see James knot the score at 105-105 with 30.9 seconds left in regulation.
Toronto, the Eastern Conference top seed for the first time in franchise history, missed its last 11 shots of regulation.
Cleveland’s Kyle Korver opened overtime with a 3-pointer and the Cavs held on for the victory and a 1-0 lead in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference set.
James, who said he was “burnt” after the Cavs sealed a 7-game first-round win over Indiana on Sunday, made just 12 of 30 shots from the floor but still recorded the 21st career playoff triple-double with 26 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds.
“It was an all-around team win for us,” James said after five Cavs players scored in double figures. “Everybody contributed tonight, and we needed it.”
After the high drama in Toronto, all eyes were on Stephen Curry in Oakland, California, where the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player scored 28 points in his return from a 16-game injury absence to help the reigning champions Golden State Warriors to a 121-116 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Warriors took a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference series, with Curry looking fit and confident as he came off the bench late in the first quarter.
“Everything changed as soon as he walked on the floor,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Curry’s impact.
Curry had not played since suffering a sprained left knee ligament on March 23. But he got off to a confident start, quickly draining a 3-pointer, and the Warriors, who trailed 11-18 when Curry entered the game, were up 58-55 by halftime.
Kevin Durant paced the Warriors with 29 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds and Draymond Green fell 1 rebound shy of a triple double with 20 points, 12 assists and 9 boards.
