James leads Cavs past Pacers, earn sweep into 2nd round

INDIANAPOLIS — LeBron James made a 3-pointer with 68 seconds left, helping the Cleveland Cavaliers sweep their playoff series against the Indiana Pacers with a 106-102 victory on Sunday.

James finished with 33 points and 10 rebounds. He became the first player under the current playoff format to win 21 straight first-round games, and he also set a league record with his 10th career playoff sweep.

It sure wasn’t easy. After taking a 96-83 lead with 9:29 to go, the Cavs found themselves in a 102-100 deficit with 1:31 left.

But James answered with his big 3-pointer, and Cleveland sealed the win on James’ free throw with 1 second left.

Lance Stephenson scored 22 points for Indiana. Paul George had 15, but missed a 3-pointer that could have forced overtime in the closing seconds.

Kyrie Irving added 28 points for the Cavs, who await the winner of the Bucks-Raptors series.

ROCKETS 113, THUNDER 109

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

Nene made all 12 of his shots and had 10 rebounds. He helped the Rockets overcome an off night by James Harden, who finished with 16 points on 5-for-16 shooting.

Eric Gordon and Lou Williams each scored 18 points for the Rockets.

Game 5 is Tuesday night in Houston.

Oklahoma City star Russell Westbrook had a triple-double by halftime and finished with 35 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists. The Thunder said Westbrook joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to claim three consecutive playoff triple-doubles.

Steven Adams scored 18 points and Victor Oladipo added 15 for the Thunder.

CELTICS 104, BULLS 95

CHICAGO — Isaiah Thomas scored 33 points, and the Celtics beat the Bulls to tie their first-round playoff series at 2-all.

Boston blew a 20-point lead, but Thomas keyed a third-quarter run that put the Celtics back on top after Chicago briefly went ahead.

Gerald Green made four 3-pointers on his way to 18 points, helping the top-seeded Celtics return the favor in Chicago after dropping the first two games at home. Al Horford added 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Game 5 is Wednesday in Boston.

Jimmy Butler carried the Bulls with 33 points and nine assists.

Jazz 105, Clippers 98

SALT LAKE CITY — Joe Johnson saved the Utah Jazz — again.

“Iso Joe” has become a major problem for the Los Angeles Clippers.

Johnson scored 28 points, and the Jazz beat the Clippers 105-98 on Sunday night to tie their first-round playoff series at 2-all. It was Utah’s first home playoff win since 2010.

“He’s so sure with the ball,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “It’s not often you find a guy that has that combination of skill, as far as his ability to handle the ball and make plays. And the strength to get to spots on the floor.

“The thing that really takes us to a unique place is he’s such a willing passer. He basically either scored or assisted on every basket (down the stretch). … We knew this is who he is and he knows it’s playoff time.”

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 with 7:37 left. The Clippers never led again after controlling the game for most of the night.

“Just trying to be aggressive and make plays,” Johnson said. “We had to get stops, which kind of fueled our offense. … We were getting into the teeth of the defense, whether we had layups, dunks or kick-outs for 3s, thought we did a good job of making the right decision.”

Rodney Hood and Joe Ingles, who had a career-high 11 assists, also hit huge baskets for Utah down the stretch. The Jazz needed all the help they could get after Gordon Hayward left with food poisoning.

The series returns to Los Angeles for Game 5 on Tuesday night.