Heat completes sweep of Bobcats

Hawks rout Pacers; Spurs hold off late Mavericks push

Miami Heat's LeBron James grimaces after being injured during the second half in Game 4.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — LeBron James scored 31 points, and the Miami Heat completed a first-round sweep of the Charlotte Bobcats with a 109-98 victory Monday night.

James scored 19 points after injuring his thigh in the third quarter. He finished the game 10 of 19 from the field and had nine assists.

Chris Bosh added 17 points and Dwyane Wade battled through foul trouble and finished with 15 as Miami won its 20th straight game over Charlotte.

The two-time defending champion NBA champions will await the winner of Brooklyn-Toronto series, which is tied 2-2.

Kemba Walker led Charlotte with 29 points.

The Bobcats played without Al Jefferson, their leading scorer and rebounder who has been bothered by a foot injury since the first quarter of Game 1.

The loss signaled the end of an era for the Bobcats. They will become the Hornets next season.

The Heat improved to 16-2 in first-round games since James' arrival four years ago. This was the second straight year the Heat swept their first-round series, taking out Milwaukee in four games last season.

HAWKS 107, PACERS 97

INDIANAPOLIS — Mike Scott made five 3-pointers during a 30-6 second-quarter run, and Atlanta fended off a furious fourth-quarter rally to beat top-seeded Indiana for a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Scott scored all 17 of his points during an incredible 12-minute stretch when Atlanta went 13 of 16 from the field and outscored Indiana 41-19 to take a 61-40 halftime lead. The Hawks and the 1970 Milwaukee Bucks are the only road teams in the shot-clock era to score at least 40 points and allow fewer than 20 in any quarter of a playoff game.

Shelvin Mack led the eighth-seeded Hawks with 20 points. Paul George had 26 for Indiana, which got as close as eight points in the final minute.

SPURS 93, MAVERICKS 89

DALLAS — Manu Ginobili scored 23 points, Boris Diaw hit a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute and the San Antonio Spurs held off a second-half surge by Dallas to beat the Mavericks 93-89 on Monday night, pulling even in their first-round playoff series.

The Spurs regained the home-court advantage by getting a split of two games in Dallas, matching what the eighth-seeded Mavericks did in San Antonio.

The Spurs led by 20 points in the third quarter before the Mavericks pulled even midway through the fourth quarter of Game 4. The score was still tied when Diaw hit from long range over Dirk Nowitzki at the top of the key for a 90-87 lead.

Monta Ellis led Dallas with 20 points but missed two potential tying shots after Diaw’s basket.

Game 5 is Wednesday night in San Antonio.