Julius Randle hits top gear as LA Lakers sweep aside Cleveland Cavaliers

The Lakers had not won in their last seven outings against Cleveland, but the side dominated the third quarter, outscoring the visitors by 11.

Randle added 14 rebounds and seven assists, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Isaiah Thomas contributed 20 points each in the win.

LeBron James had 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Cavaliers.

The Houston Rockets became the first side in the Western Conference to secure a playoff spot with a 105-82 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Chris Paul scored 24 points in the win and had 12 assists while Dwight Powell had 20 for Dallas.

Another team guaranteed post-season action is the Toronto Raptors, who saw off the New York Knicks 132-106.

Seven Raptors players hit more than 10 points, with Kyle Lowry finishing on 16, four rebounds and seven assists.

Elsewhere, the Chicago Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks 129-122, Kevin Durant hit 39 points but the Golden State Warriors lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-103 and the Utah Jazz overcame the New Orleans Pelicans 116-99.

Nikola Jokic’s triple-double of 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists helped the Denver Nuggets beat the Sacramento Kings 130-104, while the Indiana Pacers edged the Boston Celtics 99-97 and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Brooklyn Nets 120-97.