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Irving's 42 carry Cavs to win, 3-1 lead over Celtics

May 23, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) drives to the basket against Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) during the second half in game four of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports (Reuters)

(The Sports Xchange) - Kyrie Irving saved the Cavaliers and set a career playoff high with 42 points in Cleveland's 112-99 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday. The Cavs can reach their third straight NBA Finals, and LeBron James his seventh in a row, with a win in Game 5 on Thursday night in Boston. James scored 34 points to go with six assists in Game 4, recovering from a 11-point, 4-of-13 shooting night he endured in Cleveland's stunning Game 3 loss. Kevin Love added 17 points and a career playoff-high 17 rebounds Tuesday. Avery Bradley led the Celtics with 19 points, and Jae Crowder added 18 points and eight rebounds.