Cavaliers Down Bulls, NBA Roundup

Kyrie Irving heard LeBron James scream to shoot, so he shot. Buzzer. Swish. His prayer was answered, and it wasn't the only one for the Cavaliers on Sunday.

Irving casually dropped a 52-foot 3-pointer, J.R. Smith made eight 3s -- highlighted by a desperation one to end the first half -- and James recorded his first triple-double with the Cavs in five years as Cleveland won its 18th straight at home, 99-94 over the Chicago Bulls.

Clippers 106, Lakers 78

While the Los Angeles Clippers threw alley-oop passes off the backboard and jumped to a 43-point lead, the Lakers needed two late 3-pointers from a guy on a 10-day contract just to avoid the worst offensive performance in franchise history. Southern California's NBA teams have been on divergent trajectories for a few years now, and the Clippers barely even noticed when they escorted the Lakers to another milestone in their long descent. Blake Griffin scored 18 points, DeAndre Jordan added 16 points and 11 rebounds, and the Clippers sent the Lakers to their franchise-record 56th defeat of the season, 106-78 Sunday night.

Rockets 115, Thunder 112

James Harden led a postgame dance session in the Houston locker room. And why not? He scored 41 points, and his Rockets overcame Russell Westbrook's triple-double to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 115-112 on Sunday. In the process, Harden bested of one of his top challengers for the MVP award and silenced the fans who constantly booed him in the building where he once was beloved. The former Thunder star scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to give his team a cushion.

Pacers 112, Heat 89

Paul George savored every moment of his postgame stroll to the locker room. He pumped his fist, traded high-fives with teammates, gave the No. 1 signal to the fans and heard coach Frank Vogel explain how much he had been missed. Yes, a little more than eight months after snapping his right leg snapped during a Team USA scrimmage, George returned to action. He scored 13 points in 15 minutes and made two key 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter, helping Indiana rout Miami 112-89 as the Pacers moved to within one game of the final playoff spot. It was almost perfect.

Sunday, April 5 Scoreboard

Rockets 115, Thunder 112

Cavaliers 99, BUlls 94

Pacers 112, Heat 89

Spurs 101, 76ers 91

Jazz 101, Kings 95

Clippers 106, Lakers 78

Monday, April 6 Schedule (Time Central)

Portland at Brooklyn, 6 p.m.