James scores 27 as Cavaliers easily defeat Celtics

It wasn't even close.

The Cleveland Cavaliers steamrolled the Boston Celtics 110-79 on Tuesday behind a 27-point outing from LeBron James.

Cleveland quickly jumped out to a 13-point edge after the first quarter. The Celtics struggled to contain dribble penetration which forced defenders to help. That opened up a plethora of open looks for the Cavaliers along the perimeter. The Cavaliers shot 10-of-28 from deep and 48.3 percent from the field.

James led all scorers in 27 minutes. He did his damage over 26 minutes between the first three quarters, before sitting out the final frame. The Celtics could not keep James out of the paint as he finished with a game-high plus-35. 

With eight minutes remaining in the third, James caught a pass from Kyrie Irving to score a lay-in. That basket edged James past former teammate Ray Allen for 21st in the NBA's all-time scoring list.

Every starter for the Cavaliers finished in double-digits, with Irving chipping in with 18 points. Kevin Love added in 12 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the lopsided victory.

The Cavaliers have now won 18 of their last 22 games as they move into a tie with the Chicago Bulls for third place in East. The loss drops Boston two games back of eighth place.