Cleveland Cavaliers beat Chicago Bulls in Eastern semi-final
Last Updated: 19/05/15 5:53pm
The Cleveland Cavaliers overcame a poor shooting night to beat the Chicago Bulls 94-73 and secure a place in the Eastern Conference finals.
LeBron James managed only 15 points on 7-of-23 shooting and the Cavaliers were aided by fine performances off the bench from Matthew Dellavedova and JR Smith after losing star guard Kyrie Irving to an early injury.
Irving scored six points in 12 minutes but then left the game after twisting his knee when he landed on team-mate Tristan Thompson's foot.
His absence gave Dellavedova the chance to play extra minutes and he made the most of it, hitting three three-pointers on his way to a 19-point haul to lead his team in scoring.
Smith also hit three shots from beyond the arc and scored 12 points, while Thompson weighed in with 13 to go with 17 rebounds.
Jimmy Butler led all scorers with 20 points but only Derrick Rose joined him in scoring double figures for the Bulls, who shot a paltry 37.5 per cent from the floor and 20 per cent from three-point range.
The Cavaliers will face either the Atlanta Hawks or Washington Wizards in the Eastern Conference finals - the Hawks lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 and play Game Six on Friday in Washington.
James Harden had a triple-double as the Houston Rockets levelled their Western Conference semi-final series with the Los Angeles Clippers at 3-3.
Harden scored 26 points to go with 11 rebounds and 10 assists as the Rockets won 124-103 in what has turned into a high-scoring series that will finish in Los Angeles on Saturday.
He led a balanced Rockets offense that saw six players score in double figures, Trevor Ariza hitting four three-pointers on his way to 22 points and Dwight Howard scoring 20.
Blake Griffin scored 30 points for the Clippers but they were never able to recover from a half-time deficit of 15 points that was extended in the fourth period.
