NBA: James' 32 points help sink Celtics

CLEVELAND - LeBron James scored 32 points - 19 of them in the second half - and the Cleveland Cavaliers forced a seventh game in their home-sweet-home playoff series with a 74-69 victory over the Boston Celtics last night.

The home team has won all six games of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal.

James, whose jump shot has mysteriously been missing in this series, made two key baskets midway through the fourth quarter to slow a Boston comeback.

Wally Szczerbiak helped by hitting a three-pointer with 2 minutes, 10 seconds remaining, and Joe Smith dropped two free throws with 14 seconds left.

Delonte West added 10 points for the Cavaliers.

Kevin Garnett led the Celtics with 25 points, and Paul Pierce added 16.

Suns, Turner to talk. Phoenix will interview Houston Rockets assistant coach Elston Turner as a possible replacement for former head coach Mike D'Antoni.

The interview will be held next week, the team said.

Turner, 48, has been an assistant to coach Rick Adelman for 11 years with Portland, Sacramento and Houston.

Turner joins Terry Porter and Mark Jackson as candidates.

Porter, a Detroit Pistons assistant coach and former head coach at Milwaukee, was interviewed by Suns general manager Steve Kerr on Tuesday. The Suns were to talk with Jackson, a TV analyst and former player, yesterday.

D'Antoni resigned to coach the New York Knicks.

Rodman charged. Dennis Rodman was charged with domestic violence for allegedly hitting his girlfriend at a hotel last month.

Los Angeles City Attorney spokesman Nick Velasquez said the former NBA player was charged Wednesday with spousal battery, brandishing a deadly weapon, and one count of dissuading a witness. The charges were misdemeanors.

Rodman, 46, was arrested at a hotel on April 30 after the woman, Gina Peterson, called hotel security. Police said she suffered injuries on her arm.

Rodman spokesman Darren Prince said Rodman had had too much to drink when he got into an altercation with Peterson. Prince said the couple were still dating.

"We look forward to a successful resolution of this misdemeanor matter," said Rodman's attorney, Paul Meyer.