NBA: Cavaliers dominate Celtics in showdown for East’s best record

LeBron James had 36 points, 10 rebounds and six assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers ran past the Boston Celtics, 114-91, on Wednesday night to move back into first place in the Eastern Conference.

The teams had identical records entering their final regular-season matchup, but Cleveland (51-27) now has a one-game lead over Boston (50-28) with only four games to play. The Cavaliers also holds the tiebreaker with the Celtics for the top seed, if needed.

Kyrie Irving added 19 points and five assists for Cleveland, which played without starting center Tristan Thompson, who was out with a sprained right thumb. But they made due without him, surging at the start of the second quarter and taking as much as a 29-point lead in the third quarter.

Isaiah Thomas had 26 points to lead Boston, which was outrebounded, 51-38.

Oklahoma City 103, at Memphis 100: Russell Westbrook fell a rebound short of a historic triple-double, but he scored 45 points, including a late three-pointer that helped seal the Thunder’s victory. Westbrook had 10 assists and nine rebounds, leaving him tied with Oscar Robertson’s 55-year-old record for triple-doubles in a season at 41.

at Houston 110, Denver 104: James Harden scored 31 points and the Rockets squandered a big early lead, but held on to outlast the Nuggets and secure the third seed in the Western Conference. The Nuggets cut the lead to two points on a layup by Nikola Jokic with 1:20 remaining, but a three-pointer by Harden a few seconds later pushed the lead to 106-101 and brought the crowd to its feet.

Golden State 120, at Phoenix 112: Stephen Curry scored 23 of his 42 points in the first quarter and the Warriors, who rested Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, won their 13th in a row to clinch the best record in the Western Conference for the third straight season. It was the 13th loss in a row for the Suns, tying a franchise record.

Toronto 105, at Detroit 102: Kyle Lowry had 27 points and 10 assists in his return from a wrist injury and the Raptors rallied to beat the Pistons. Back in the lineup after missing 18 games, Lowry helped the Raptors overcome a 20-point first-half deficit and move ahead of Washington for third in the East.

Miami 112, at Charlotte 99: Goran Dragic scored 33 points, and the Heat made 21 three-pointers to beat the Hornets and pull back into a tie for eighth place in the East. The loss dropped the 10th-place Hornets 2 1/2 games behind the Heat and Indiana Pacers with three games remaining.