CLEVELAND — LeBron James is headed back to the NBA playoffs with the Cleveland Cavaliers. An ailing James scored 29 points and Cleveland held on for a 95-92 win over the Indiana Pacers Friday to clinch a playoff berth. It's the first time the Cavs have made it to the post-season since “King” James departed Cleveland for Miami after the 2009-2010 season. In his sojourn in Miami, James helped the Heat reach the NBA Finals four times, winning two titles. But he returned this season to Cleveland, vowing to bring the city a major sports title, something no pro team has done since the NFL's Cleveland Browns in 1964. He said just getting to the post-season was something to savor for teammates such as Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, who have never done it before. “It's a huge accomplishment for our team,” he said. “For me, I don't look too far into it, but for guys who have never been in the post-season, they shouldn't take that for granted and overlook that.” Love added 11 points and 13 rebounds and Irving scored 13 for the Central Division-leading Cavaliers, who have won six of their last seven. James played despite missing Friday's shoot around with a bad head cold and scored 20 of his 29 points in the second half — 13 in the fourth quarter. He took a break in the locker room early in the third quarter, and said he didn't have his usual stamina. George Hill led the Pacers with 24 points and Roy Hibbert added 20, but Indiana lost its fourth straight after a season-high seven-game winning streak. Thunder 123, Hawks 115: Russell Westbrook posted 36 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds to lead Oklahoma City to a 123-115 comeback victory over Atlanta at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Westbrook now has nine triple-doubles this season while the Thunder (39-30) increased their lead over New Orleans to a game and a half for eighth place in the Western Conference. The Hawks (53-16) have lost back to back games but still lead the Eastern Conference by nine games over Cleveland. Heat 108, Nuggets 91: Dwyane Wade scored 22 points as Miami defeated Denver 108-91 at American Airlines Arena. Wade has scored over 20 points in eight straight games, and the Heat are 6-2 over that span. Miami opened the fourth quarter with a nine-point lead and then held Denver to just three points for the first eight-plus minutes of the period. Grizzlies 112, Mavericks 101: The Memphis frontcourt combo of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph combined for 36 points as the Grizzlies easily dispatched the Mavericks 112-101. Bulls 108, Raptors 92: Bulls rookie Nikola Mirotic had 29 points and 11 rebounds as Chicago breezed to a 108-92 win over Toronto. Spurs 101, Celtics 89: San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard scored 22 points, including 13 straight by his team in the third quarter, as the Spurs beat Boston 101-89. Elsewhere it was: Nets 129, Bucks 127 (triple OT); Magic 111, Trail Blazers 104; 76ers 97, Knicks 81. — Agencies
