James wasn’t at his best on Sunday, partially because of a bum ankle, but he did hit a buzzer-beating basket to beat the Bulls and level the series at two games apiece. It was his third career game-winning postseason buzzer beater — the most by any player over last 15 years.

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We’d say that’s pretty clutch.

Meanwhile, the Clippers continued to flex their muscles against a dispirited Rockets team, giving them a 3-1 series lead and placing them in the driver’s seat to make the conference finals.

Cavaliers 86, Bulls 84  (Series tied 2-2)

Takeaway:

In a physical battle, James and the Cavaliers clawed their way back into the game and evened a series that had been slipping through their grasp. It wasn’t always pretty, but the Kevin Love-less Cavs did just enough to stay in the series. 

The Bulls will have to shake this one off as they head back to Cleveland. Derrick Rose has looked terrific in the series through four games, but will need to up his game even more if the Bulls are going to steal another one on the road.

Players of the game:

Cavaliers

LeBron James — It hasn’t been pretty for James in a hard-fought series, but he continues to get the job done. This time, he scored 25 points with 14 rebounds and eight assists, but also turned the ball over eight times and shot 10 for 30 from the field. His buzzer-beater from the deep corner was pretty cool, too.

Timofey Mozgov — Mozgov scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 39 minutes of play.

Bulls

Derrick Rose — Rose was spectacular once again in Game 4, but was forced to watch as James hit a buzzer-beater to win the game. He scored 31 points on 11-of-23 shooting and controlled the tempo for most of the game.

Highlights:

LeBron James hits a stunning game-winner at the buzzer over Jimmy Butler:

J.R. Smith knocked down this huge three to draw even:

Quotable:

“I just told him (inbound passer Matthew Dellavedova) to get me the ball and I’m going to win this game for us,” LeBron told ABC after the game.

“I’ve got some time to recover. I wasn’t about to sit out,” James said about his ankle injury. “I turned it pretty good, but I wasn’t going to sit out.”

What’s next: Game 5 Tuesday at Cleveland (7 p.m. ET, TNT)

Clippers 128, Rockets 95  (Los Angeles leads series 3-1)

Takeaway:

The Clippers are clearly the better team, at least in this series.

But seriously, after two straight blowout wins against the Rockets, it appears the Clippers are going to be allowed to sleepwalk their way into the conference finals. Some of Los Angeles’ secondary players have been phenomenal, and Houston has seemingly lacked energy on both ends of the court.

Dwight Howard was ejected in the fourth quarter, marking the second straight game a Rocket was thrown out of a contest early (Jason Terry left Game 3). It doesn’t seem likely the Rockets will be able to rebound, but covering the Clippers’ guards might be a good start.

Players of the game:

Clippers

DeAndre Jordan — Jordan shot a playoff-record 28 free throws in the first half, and though he finished the game a terrible 14 for 34 from the charity stripe, Jordan was a monster with 26 points and 17 rebounds.

Chris Paul — Though he’s clearly still not 100 percent, Paul was exactly what the Clippers needed. He scored 15 points and dished out 12 assists, including some pretty spectacular alley-oops.

Blake Griffin — Griffin has been the MVP of the postseason so far, and continued his fabulous play on Sunday. He scored 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds.

Rockets

Honestly, no one. See scoreboard.

Highlights:

Austin Rivers showcases some sweet moves on this high-arching lay-in:

Dwight Howard with the thunderous put-back:

Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan demonstrate “Lob City” at its finest:

Quotable:

“I knew they were going to foul me," DeAndre Jordan said on TNT. “My teammates gave me confidence especially in the second half.

“When we get out on the floor and running, CP3 and company are such great passers that it opens the floor for everyone.”

What’s next: Game 5 Tuesday at Houston (9:30 p.m ET, TNT)

Monday’s games

(All times Eastern)

Hawks at Wizards, 7 p.m., TNT

Warriors at Grizzlies, 9:30 p.m., TNT

 

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