Cavaliers 110, Celtics 79
LeBron James scored 27 points in 26 minutes as host Cleveland crushed Boston to snap a two-game slide.
Kyrie Irving returned from a two-game absence due to a shoulder strain to score 18 points and Kevin Love had 12 and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers, who made 10 3-pointers and finished 14-of-14 from the line. J.R. Smith also finished with 12 points as Cleveland ran its home winning streak to 12 games.
Brandon Bass led the Celtics with 15 points while Isaiah Thomas had 11 off the bench. No other player reached double figures for Boston, which shot 35.2 percent and was outscored in the paint 48-22.
James and Irving combined to outscore the Celtics by a 22-16 margin in the first quarter and James' three-point play early in the second made it 36-18. He added a layup in the closing minute of the first half to push the Cavaliers' advantage to 61-36 and then opened the scoring in second half with another.
James, Irving and Love had all the points in an 11-0 run later in the period to make it 76-42 and were able to take a seat for the remainder of the game soon thereafter. The lead reached 40 points for the first time on a turnaround jumper by Tristan Thompson late in the third and peaked at 44 in the fourth.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Cleveland's home winning streak is its longest since a 16-game run in 2009. ... James (24,508) surpassed Ray Allen for 21st on the league's all-time scoring list. ... Boston's 42-point deficit after three quarters was its largest going into the final period since 1979.