In brief: Cavaliers oust Bulls, will play Celtics next
NBA: LeBron James just missed a triple-double despite an apparently sore right elbow, and the Cleveland Cavaliers advanced to a playoff date with Boston by beating Chicago 96-94 at home in Game 5 in perhaps Vinny Del Negro’s final game as Bulls coach.
James, favoring a tender right elbow that appears to hurt worse than he’s letting on, scored 19 points – 16 in the second half – and added 10 rebounds and nine assists as the Cavs finally saddled the stubborn Bulls to win the series 4-1. Unable to lift his right arm, James was forced to shoot a free throw left-handed with 7.8 seconds left.
Antawn Jamison scored 25 points for Cleveland, which will face the Celtics, reuniting teams that don’t like each other and who played a testy seven-game series in 2008.
Game 1 is Saturday.
•Lakers pound Thunder in Game 5: Pau Gasol had 25 points and 11 rebounds, Andrew Bynum added 21 points and the Los Angeles Lakers vigorously rebounded from back-to-back losses with a 111-87 home victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, taking a 3-2 lead in their first-round playoff series.
Kobe Bryant had 13 points and seven assists in three quarters of work as the defending NBA champions coolly shook off the eighth-seeded Thunder’s series-tying blowout win in Game 4 with a comprehensive thrashing of the postseason newcomers.
With their offense purring and their defense throttling Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the Lakers led by 21 points at halftime and went ahead by 32 late in the third quarter of their third home victory in the series.
•Celtics eliminate Heat: The Boston Celtics are heading to the second round of the NBA playoffs and a matchup with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Ray Allen scored 24 points, making five 3-pointers in the second half, to help Boston beat Miami 96-86 in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series and eliminate the Heat. With Heat star Dwyane Wade due to become a free agent – along with James – it could be an eventful summer in Miami.
Boston advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals thanks to 16 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists from Rajon Rondo.
Wade scored 31 points – far short of the franchise postseason-record 46 he scored in Game 4 to help the Heat stave off elimination.
•Mavericks avoid elimination: Caron Butler scored a career playoff-best 35 points and had 11 rebounds, and Brendan Haywood provided a strong inside presence at both ends in his first start of this postseason, keeping the Mavericks alive by leading them to a 103-81 victory over the visiting San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of their first-round series.
The Spurs were outplayed most of the first half, but trailed by only seven at halftime. Game 6 is Thursday.
Detroit ends Coyotes’ season with 6-1 rout
NHL: The Detroit Red Wings spoiled the big party in Arizona, bringing the Phoenix Coyotes back to earth with a resounding thud in a 6-1 rout in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series at Glendale, Ariz.
Pavel Datsyuk scored twice in a span of less than two minutes and Nicklas Lidstrom had two goals a day shy of his 40th birthday for the Red Wings. Detroit, a Stanley Cup finalist the past two seasons, won in Arizona for the third time in the series to advance to a Western Conference second-round matchup with top-seeded San Jose.
Vernon Fiddler scored the Coyotes’ only goal on a second-period faceoff.
The Red Wings bombarded goalie Ilya Bryzgalov from the start, outshooting Phoenix 50-33, including 39-21 in the first two periods. Bryzgalov held on through a scoreless first period, but Detroit scored four goals in the second.
•Poti will miss finale: Defenseman Tom Poti will miss Game 7 of the Washington Capitals’ first-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens tonight after getting hit in the eye by a puck.
•Laperriere done for season: The Philadelphia Flyers say forward Ian Laperriere has a brain contusion and mild concussion and is probably out for the rest of the season. Laperriere was hit by a puck blocking a shot during the third period of Thursday’s first-round playoff game with the New Jersey Devils.
•MVP award to be renamed: The MVP award voted on by NHL players is getting a makeover to honor Ted Lindsay.
The Lester B. Pearson Award will be renamed for the Detroit Red Wings great, who was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the NHLPA in the 1950s. The Hall of Famer won the Stanley Cup four times and led the NHL in scoring during the 1949-50 season.
Bayern Munich beats Lyon for spot in final
Soccer: Ivica Olic scored three goals, and Bayern Munich routed Lyon 3-0 in Lyon, France, to win the home-and-home semifinal on a 4-0 aggregate total and reach the European Champions League final for the first time in nine years.
IndyCar Series adds new titles to mix
Auto racing: The IndyCar Series will reward points winners on its two racing disciplines – oval courses and street and road courses – with their own titles this season in addition to crowning an overall points champ.