Jazz take two-game lead
Tracy McGrady disappeared again in the fourth quarter and the Utah Jazz took a commanding lead in their playoff series with the Houston Rockets.
Deron Williams shrugged off an ankle injury and scored 22 points and Mehmet Okur added 16 points and 16 rebounds as the Jazz beat the Rockets 90-84 on Monday night in Houston to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series.
Game 3 is Thursday night in Utah, where the Jazz went 37-4 during the regular season.
McGrady, a seven-time All-Star who has never advanced past the first round of the playoffs, had 23 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists to just miss his first postseason triple-double. But he went 0 for 4 from the field and scored only one point in the final quarter as the Rockets lost to the Jazz for the eighth time in the last 10 meetings.
McGrady scored 20 points in Game 1, but went 0 for 3 in the fourth quarter as Utah won 93-82.
Cavaliers 116, Wizards 86: At Cleveland, LeBron James scored 30 points, Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 16, and the Cavaliers played their best game in months, blowing out Washington to take a 2-0 lead in an opening-round playoff series oozing with bad blood.
The 30-point margin of victory was the largest in Cleveland’s postseason history. The Cavs were playing in their 112th playoff game.
James scored 14 points in the third quarter when the Cavs opened a 25-point lead over the Wizards, whose defensive scheme coming into their third series in as many years with Cleveland was to slow James by roughing him up with hard, clean fouls.
It may be time for Plan B.
The Wizards hardly bothered James, who finished with 12 assists and nine rebounds to barely miss his third career postseason triple-double. James went to the bench with 6:12 left. At that point, the Cavaliers were leading by 24 points and coach Mike Brown inserted seldom-used reserves Dwayne Jones and Damon Jones.
Wally Szczerbiak added 15 points for the defending Eastern Conference champions.
In the third quarter, Washington center Brendan Haywood was ejected for a flagrant foul on James. Haywood didn’t make much of an effort to go for the ball and shoved James hard with both hands as he drove.
Haywood, who had an altercation with James in Game 1, could face further discipline for the intentional foul.
Off the court
Kobe Bryant made clear what’s been, at the very least, a bit ambiguous for nearly a year: He wants to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers and is open to finishing his career with them. … San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili – good enough to be a starter on about any team – won the NBA’s Sixth Man Award given to the league’s best reserve. Ginobili led the Spurs in scoring, averaging a career-high 19.5 points to go with 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.