King James lost his crown.

All right, so it was his burgundy headband that went flying when LeBron James took a shot to the noggin from DeShawn Stevenson, their simmering feud nearly boiling over. James kept his cool, allowing the flagrant foul to spark him and his Cleveland Cavaliers.

At game's end, James was just as collected, drawing waves of Washington Wizards defenders before dishing to Delonte West for a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 5.4 seconds left. That shot, along with James' 34 points and 12 rebounds, led the Cavaliers to a 100-97 victory on Sunday and a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff series.

"There's been some extracurricular activities going on outside and inside this series," James said, "but I've been able to stay focused."

The Wizards were ahead by a point with 3 1/2 minutes left in the first half when James drove to the basket, and Stevenson came from behind and swiped a hand out, clipping the Cavs' star with what James said teammates told him was a closed fist before tumbling to the court. James kept his balance and stepped toward Stevenson, who got up and stepped toward James.

They exchanged words, but that was it, before teammates stepped in between.

"If we (were) on the park, something definitely would have escalated," James said. "But, you know, I guess that's what they want to do. They want to hurt LeBron James this series. It ain't working."

Now Cleveland, which eliminated the Wizards in each of the previous two postseasons, has control, with Game 5 on Wednesday at home.

James got help Sunday from more than just West, whose career playoff-high 21 points included five 3-pointers. Daniel Gibson made four 3s, and Ben Wallace had 12 rebounds — part of a remarkable 51-31 edge on the boards for the Cavs.

Suns 105, Spurs 86

In Phoenix, Boris Diaw fell two assists shy of a triple-double and the Suns avoided a first-round sweep at the hands of San Antonio.

Diaw, starting in place of injured Grant Hill, had 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in one of the best playoff performances of his career.

"I trust him. I always have," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said of Diaw. "I think he's a heck of a basketball player. He's been maligned here a little bit, but he can play. He stepped up big."

Diaw also played tough defense on his good friend and fellow Frenchman Tony Parker, who scored 18 points after a career-high 41 in the Spurs' 115-99 victory Friday night in Game 3.

"I think they kind of relaxed being up 3-0," Diaw said, "but we came out and played, too. We didn't come out like the series was over. We came out fired up."

No one was more aggressive than Raja Bell, who scored 21 of his 27 points in a dominant first half to help Phoenix bring a one-sided end to the defending NBA champions' nine-game playoff winning streak. The Suns were 11-0 in the regular season when Bell scored at least 20.

"I was really embarrassed by my play and the team's play after the last game," Bell said. "It was hard to sleep. I was restless. I couldn't put it to bed."

Hornets 97, Mavericks 84

In Dallas, David West let out his pent-up frustration over a poor Game 3 with a determined effort in Game 4, scoring 10 of his 24 points in a quick stretch early in the second half to help New Orleans pull away and take a 3-1 lead in the first-round series over the hosts.

The Hornets hadn't won in Dallas over 14 tries since January 1998. This victory means they might not have to come back until next season. They can eliminate the Mavericks by winning Game 5 on Tuesday night in New Orleans.

Dirk Nowitzki had 22 points and 13 rebounds and Jason Terry scored 20 points, but they didn't get much help. Josh Howard was 3-for-16 and Jason Kidd had only three points, three assists and four rebounds before getting ejected with 7:16 left for a flagrant foul on Jannero Pargo.

Pistons 93, 76ers 84

In Philadelphia, Tayshaun Prince scored 23 points and made all but one shot from the field, and Detroit played with a purpose and dominated the second half to even the best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff series at 2-2.

The Pistons erased a 14-point, first-half deficit against the upstart 76ers and will host Game 5 on Tuesday night.

Rasheed Wallace finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Richard Hamilton bounced back from a 1-for-10 first half to finish with 18 points. Chauncey Billups also scored 18 points.