NBA Monday recap: LeBron fires as Cavaliers win Game 1
Cleveland Cavaliers 103-94 Atlanta Hawks
Playing at home, the Cleveland Cavaliers took a close win over the Atlanta Hawks to win their first game of the playoffs. It was four-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James who led the Cavs’ charge, scoring 25 points during the match with a further 9 assists and 7 rebounds to take his side to the win.
Teammate Kyrie Irving backed up LeBron’s attack with 21 points, 8 assists and two blocks to help the Cavs seal the win.
Oklahoma City Thunder 98-97 San Antonio Spurs
After being thoroughly beaten by the Spurs 124-92 in Game 1, Thunder came back in Game 2 to beat the home side in San Antonio, albeit by a very close margin. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were responsible for the meat of Thunder’s scoring, combining for 57 points between them.
LaMarcus Aldridge fired for the Spurs, top scoring with 41 points after a decisive performance in Game 1. Thunder would likely have taken a bigger win in the absence of Aldridge, who brought his team within one point of their rivals in the dying minutes of the match.