May 19, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23), guard J.R. Smith (5) and forward Kevin Love (0) talk in the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors in game two of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Photo Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
CLEVELAND — LeBron James recorded his 15th postseason triple-double on the same night he moved past Shaquille O’Neal into fourth place on the all-time postseason scoring list, and the Cleveland Cavaliers remained perfect in 2016 playoffs with a 108-89 victory Thursday in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.
James had 23 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists as Cleveland became the fourth team in history to start a postseason 10-0.
Kyrie Irving scored 26 points and Kevin Love had 19 points for the Cavs.
DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points to top Toronto, and James Johnson, Terrence Ross and Cory Joseph scored 11 apiece. Kyle Lowry scored 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting for the Raptors, who go home in an 0-2 deficit for the first time this postseason.
Game 3 is Saturday night at Toronto.
The Cavs scored 16 of the final 18 points in the first half after the game was tied at 46 with 4:05 left in the second quarter. The Raptors missed their last nine shots of the half while each member of the Cavs’ Big Three took turns extending the lead.
Lowry again struggled through a miserable shooting night, missing seven of his first eight shots before finally making a 3-pointer with 8:31 left in the third quarter. He was 5-for-20 shooting in this series prior to that basket, including missing his first 11 3-point attempts. He didn’t attempt his first three throws in the series until the fourth quarter Thursday.
The Cavs continue to storm through the East with little resistance. While the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder continue to fight in the West, the Cavs are winning playoff games by an average of more than 12 points.
Tristan Thompson had nine points and 12 rebounds for the Cavs, and Channing Frye scored 10 points off the bench. Cleveland reserve guard Matthew Dellavedova limped out of the game after turning his ankle in the second half and did not return.
NOTES: Cavaliers F LeBron James (5,254) passed Shaquille O’Neal (5,250) for fourth place on the all-time postseason scoring list. James called O’Neal, his teammate for one season, the most dominant player of James’ lifetime. “It was out of my height, weight, league to try to emulate his game,” James said. “But I admired what he was able to do out on the floor by pure force and dominance, his ability to play at that speed, to have that size and to carry that type of force that he had.” … Cavs coach Ty Lue and Raptors G Kyle Lowry have been close for years. Lue said Lowry wanted the two to watch Game 2 of the Western Conference finals together Wednesday but thought better of it. “He knew he couldn’t,” Lue said. “He knew it wouldn’t look right.”
