Cavs dominate Celtics, Suns take 3-0 lead

BOSTON (AP):

LeBron James scored 21 of his 38 points in the first quarter to help the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Boston 124-95 on Friday, handing the Celtics their worst home playoff loss ever and taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven NBA Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Showing no ill-effects of an elbow problem that was the talk of Cleveland, James finished with eight rebounds and seven assists. The 21 points in a quarter was a franchise post-season record.

Antawn Jamison had 20 points and 12 rebounds for Cleveland, while Shaquille O'Neal added 12 points and nine rebounds.

Rajon Rondo, who had 19 assists in Boston's Game 2 victory on Monday, had 18 points and eight assists.

The Celtics missed 10 of their first 13 shots, hitting just 27 per cent in the first quarter to spot Cleveland a 21-point lead.

They were never able to recover as the Cavaliers shot 59 per cent from the field for the game.

Game 4 is today and the Celtics need a victory to split their home games and assure themselves of another.

Suns 110 Spurs 96

In San Antonio, Goran Dragic scored 23 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to help Phoenix to a 3-0 series lead over San Antonio in the Western Conference semi-finals, putting the Spurs in a historically irreparable hole.

The Spurs have put Phoenix through a decade of post-season misery, ousting the Suns from the play-offs four consecutive times since 2003. One more win will end all that.

They can thank Dragic, whose brilliant fourth quarter made it unnecessary for Steve Nash to get off the bench until the final three minutes and Amare Stoudemire to sit out the fourth quarter.

Dragic hit nine of 11 shots in the fourth, including all four of his three-point attempts.

After his last one with 5.7 seconds left, the Suns impatiently waited for the final seconds to tick away before swarming Dragic as the Spurs shuffled away.

"Coach said 'Don't be shy, just be aggressive, attack the basket,"' Dragic said. "Third and fourth quarter, I just did it."

Game 4 is today in San Antonio.