Wizards dominate Cavaliers

LeBron James went up for the shot and had the ball stripped cleanly by Caron Butler, who went the length of the court for a dunk that gave Washington a 29-point lead.

James was beaten on the play much the same way Cleveland was beaten by the Wizards, 108-72 on Thursday night in Washington.

DeShawn Stevenson and Butler found their games for the Wizards. James didn’t have his.

Stevenson had 19 points, Butler scored 17 and the Wizards shot 52 percent and took themselves off the ropes by cutting Cleveland’s lead to 2-1 in the first-round series.

One game after setting a franchise playoff record with a 30-point win in Game 2, the Cavaliers set another team postseason mark by losing by 36. The margin of victory also set a Wizards franchise playoff record.

Washington will also host Game 4 on Sunday.

The Wizards tried to force James, to shoot more from outside.

James had 22 points on 10-for-19 shooting from the field and 2 for 4 from the line.

Rockets 94, Jazz 92: At Salt Lake City, Tracy McGrady scored 27 points, leading Houston to a victory over Utah that gave the Rockets life in a series that could have been headed for a sweep.

Houston avoided falling behind 3-0 in the series by beating the team that had the best home record in the NBA during the regular season. Game 4 is Saturday back in Utah

Carl Landry had 11 rebounds and blocked Deron Williams’ shot that could have won it for the Jazz just before the buzzer.

Raptors 108, Magic 94: At Toronto, T.J. Ford scored 21 points, Jose Calderon had 18 points and 13 assists, and the Raptors beat Orlando in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series.

Dwight Howard had 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Magic, who lead the best-of-7 series 2-1.

The Raptors finished 12 for 34 from 3-point range and set playoff highs for points in a game and a half (61).

Howard had 13 points and five rebounds in the opening frame, but Toronto built its lead to 28-20 after 12 minutes.