Cleveland, USA, May 19 (EFE).- Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James posted a double-double of 27 points and 12 assists as they beat Boston Celtics 116-86 in front of 20,562 spectators at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on Saturday.
It was the Cavaliers’ first win in the third game of the best-of-seven NBA Eastern Conference finals, which the Celtics lead 2-1.
James was ably supported by power forward Kevin Love, who also posted a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds, while four others scored in double digits.
Unlike the two previous games, played at Boston’s TD Garden, the Cavaliers, who are defending their Eastern Conference championship, dominated all facets of the game right from the word go as they secured a 19-point advantage in the first quarter, and extended it to 30 in the second.
“We challenged everyone, just to be aggressive, understand the game plan (…) it was a great defensive game for us. From front to back, we played good defensively,” said Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue at the post-match press conference.
For the Celtics, four players scored in double digits, with Jayson Tatum posting 18 points, Terry Rozier 13 points, and Jaylen Brown and Greg Monroe 10 each.
The fourth match will be played on Monday at the same venue.