LeBron James, Miami Heat Have Bobcats On The Brink

LeBron James scored 30 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and had six assists to lead Miami to a 98-85 win against Charlotte and take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-7 first round playoff series.

The Bobcats are now a game away from getting swept out of the playoffs for the second time in as many playoff appearances in team history, with their 2010 showing resulting in a four-game sweep by  Orlando.

Charlotte is also seeking its first win against Miami. The Heat have now beaten the Bobcats 19 straight times.

With the game close in the second quarter, Miami went on a 16-4 during the final four minutes of the half to take a 58-46 lead at halftime and were never seriously threatened in the second half.

Al Jefferson–still not close to 100 percent because of a plantar fascia strain in his left foot–did his part to keep the Bobcats around by scoring a franchise record 15 points during the first quarter and a helping them to a  27-23 lead.

But the Heat buckled down on Jefferson after that, holding him to five points on 1 of 4 shooting the rest of the way. None of the rest of team could help shoulder the scoring load, and turnovers once again proved costly.

Miami forced 14 turnovers and scored 15 points off them, an alarming trend that has continued in each of the first three games of the series. Charlotte finished the regular season with the fewest turnovers of any team in the NBA.

Chris Douglas-Roberts added 17 points for the Bobcats, while Kemba Walker and Josh McRoberts finished with 13 points each.

Dwyane Wade chipped in 17 points and six assists for Miami.

Game 4 is scheduled for Monday night at 7 p.m. in Charlotte.