Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James celebrates after Game 6 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference finals against the Toronto Raptors, Friday, May 27, 2016, in Toronto. The Cavaliers won 113-87 and advanced to the NBA Finals. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
WASHINGTON—LeBron James tallied 23 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers moved within one victory of reaching the NBA Finals with a 116-78 blowout home triumph over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
James, who is seeking his sixth straight appearance in the NBA championship series, also had six rebounds and eight assists for the Cavaliers, who lead the best-of-seven series three games to two.
Game six is Friday in Toronto. The Raptors must win or else Cleveland will advance to next month’s NBA Finals to face either the Oklahoma City Thunder or defending champion Golden State Warriors.
The Cavaliers delivered a stunning blow on Wednesday by flipping the script on the Raptors, who won back-to-back home games to level the series 2-2.
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Cleveland’s faith was also restored in forward Kevin Love, who scored a team-high 25 points on 8-of-10 shooting after making just 5-of-23 in the two losses in Toronto.
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