SCOREBOARD
Monday, April 29
Cleveland at Washington (7 p.m. EDT). The Cavaliers are one game away from sweeping a playoff series for the first time in franchise history.
STARS
Saturday
– LeBron James, Cavaliers, scored 30 points to led Cleveland to a 98-92 victory over Washington.
– Tim Duncan, Spurs, had 20 points and 13 rebounds to help San Antonio defeat Denver 96-91.
SWEEP
Detroit overcame a lackluster fourth quarter to beat Orlando 97-93 on Saturday for a 4-0 sweep of its first-round series. All five Detroit starters scored in double figures, led by guard Chauncey Billups, who scored 25 points. The sweep was the first for the Pistons in the playoffs since 1990, when the “Bad Boys” won a second consecutive NBA title.
SWING
After losing its first two playoff games, Utah evened its first-round series with a 98-85 home victory over Houston on Saturday night in Game 4. Deron Williams topped the Jazz with 25 points. Utah has lost its last four postseason series appearances while Houston is unsuccessful in its last five. Game 5 is Monday in Houston, where the Rockets won the first two games of the series.
STRONG IN DEFEAT
Antawn Jamison scored a career playoff-high 38 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Washington, which lost to Cleveland 98-92 on Saturday. The short-handed Wizards now trail the Cavalier 3-0 in their first-round series. … Dwight Howard turned in a dominant post performance with 29 points and 17 rebounds to lead Orlando, but the Magic lost to Detroit 97-93 and were swept in its first-round series.
SPEAKING
“It’s however you all want to spin it. When we lose, we’re older than dirt. When we win, we’re really experienced, executing fools.” – San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich on the value of experience in the playoffs after hearing how his team is getting too old for all of this. The Spurs took a 2-1 series lead on youthful Denver with a 96-91 victory Saturday night.