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LeBron James scores 39 as Cleveland Cavaliers rout Toronto Raptors again

By The Sports Xchange
Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James shoots a free throw. James scored 39 points against the Raptors Wednesday night. File photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI
Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James shoots a free throw. James scored 39 points against the Raptors Wednesday night. File photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI | License Photo

CLEVELAND -- LeBron James scorched Toronto for 39 points and became the NBA's second all-time leading scorer in the postseason in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 125-103 win over the Raptors on Wednesday in Game 2 of this Eastern Conference semifinal.

James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (5,762 points) for second place on a 3-pointer in the third quarter, with the rout in this lopsided series already underway. Michael Jordan is first with 5,987 playoff points.

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The Cavs own a commanding 2-0 lead in this series, with Game 3 at Toronto on Friday.

James also became the fourth player in NBA history (Ray Allen, Reggie Miller, Manu Ginobili) to make 300 playoff 3-pointers in a career. And he now has 89 playoff games with at least 30 points, which moved him past Kobe Bryant. Only Jordan (109) has more.

Kyrie Irving added 22 points and 11 assists for the Cavs, who also received 18 points from Channing Frye and 14 from Iman Shumpert off the bench.

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The Raptors were led by Jonas Valanciunas' 23 points. Raptors coach Dwane Casey shifted Valanciunas and DeMarre Carroll to the bench and started Patrick Patterson and Norman Powell, looking for a spark that didn't come.

All-Star guard Kyle Lowry scored 20 points, but injured his left ankle with 11:33 left in the third quarter and was out of the game for good by the fourth.

The Cavs outscored the Raptors by 39 points from 3-point range, making 18 3s to Toronto's five. The Raptors are now 1-6 all time in Game 2 of any playoff series on the road.

NOTES: Cavs F LeBron James is not happy with a local brewer using his likeness to promote its beer. According to cleveland.com, James and his associates would even consider suing Great Lakes Brewing Co. for turning his swiping of a bottle of their beer from a vendor during Game 1 and pretending to take a swig into an advertisement. When James left the Cavs in 2010, Great Lakes brewed and sold a beer called "Quitness," and James hasn't forgotten. Also, a source close to him said it would cost a company $2 million, at minimum, for the cardboard cutout of James holding the beer it used in a Tweet Tuesday for a promotion. ... Cavs coach Tyronn Lue turned 40 Wednesday. ... The Raptors' last win on the road in Game 2 of a playoff series was April 26, 2001, at New York during a first-round series. ... When Toronto coach Dwane Casey went to F Norman Powell in Game 4 of the Raptors' first-round series against Milwaukee, they won three straight.

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