James' great start sees Cavs even series

Apr 20, 2018 06:00 am

LeBron James crystalised his reputation as one of the best play-off performers in NBA history yesterday morning (Singapore time), as the Cleveland Cavaliers rebounded from a Game One rout with a 100-97 win over the Indiana Pacers.

James scored 20 of his 46 points in the opening quarter, getting off to a torrid start in which he singlehandedly outscored the Pacers 13-0 and 16-1 to begin Game Two of the first-round Eastern Conference series.

"My mentality was we got to go back to Indiana tied 1-1," James said. "We hadn't scored like we are accustomed to doing so far so I wanted to see if I had a good hand to start."

In Oklahoma City, Derrick Favors finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds while Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points as the Utah Jazz toppled the Thunder 102-95 to even their first-round series 1-1.

In the late game, the Houston Rockets crushed the Minnesota Timberwolves 102-82 to seize a 2-0 series lead. - REUTERS