TORONTO — LeBron James scored 35 points, Kyrie Irving added 27 and the Cleveland Cavaliers completed a four-game sweep of Toronto, beating the Raptors 109-102 on Sunday to give James his seventh consecutive trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Kyle Korver scored 18 points to help the Cavaliers become the first team to win eight straight playoff games the year following a title, and the first team to win eight straight in consecutive postseasons.
Channing Frye had 10 points, and Cleveland finished 16 for 41 from 3-point range.
They finished off the Raptors about an hour before Game 4 between the Celtics and Wizards tipped off in Washington.
That series won’t end until Wednesday night at the earliest, and could run until Monday night, meaning the Cavaliers will have plenty of time to rest before the Eastern Conference Finals.
James added nine rebounds and six assists. Irving had nine assists.
Serge Ibaka scored 23 points, and DeMar DeRozan had 22 for Toronto. The Raptors took their first fourth-quarter lead of the series but couldn’t avoid their fourth straight loss.
Making his second start in place of injured point guard Kyle Lowry, Cory Joseph had 20 points and 12 assists for Toronto, which lost in six games against Cleveland last year in the Conference Finals. P.J Tucker had 14 points and 12 assists in his first career playoff start.
Lowry sprained his left ankle in the third quarter of Game 2, and aggravated the injury while trying to warm up for Friday’s Game 3. He was not active Sunday.
A 3 by Toronto’s Fred Van Vleet cut it to 87-86 at 9:51 of the fourth, but James answered with a 3. Toronto kept it close, and took a 93-93 lead when Ibaka converted a three-point play with 6:38 left.
Irving responded with a 3 and, following a missed shot by DeRozan, added a pair of free throws to put Cleveland up 97-92 at 5:54. After a basket by Cory Joseph, Irving added two more free throws and a layup, scoring all of Cleveland’s points in an 11-2 run that gave the Cavs a 103-95 edge with 4:00 remaining.
Cleveland missed nine of its first 12 field-goal attempts, including four straight 3-point shots, and trailed 26-15 with 2:38 left in the first, but Toronto couldn’t hold its lead. James converted a three-point play with 15 seconds left in the first to tie it at 28-all after one.
Following a replay review, Cleveland’s Shumpert was called for a technical foul in the second after he kneed DeRozan in the ground area while rising for a jump shot, an incident that left DeRozan lying on the court in pain.
The Cavaliers started a 17-7 run while DeRozan was on the bench, opening a 51-41 lead with 3:46 left in the second. Korver scored 16 points in the second, making four 3-pointers, as Cleveland led 61-49 at halftime.
James scored 10 points in the third but the Raptors got nine from DeRozan and seven from Ibaka to close the gap. Toronto trailed 85-80 heading to the fourth.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Cleveland has swept its opponent all nine times it has taken a 3-0 series lead. … Korver’s career high for points in a quarter is 17. … James was the only Cleveland player to shoot a free throw in the first half. He went 3 for 3 from the line.
Raptors: Toronto shot 10 for 29 from 3-point range. … The Raptors used a different starting lineup in all four games. … DeRozan’s eight assists were a career playoff-high.
