LEBRON JAMES HAD a triple-double as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors 95-93 after overtime to level the NBA Finals at 1-1.
James had 44 points in Game One and starred again at Oracle Arena last night with 39 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists.
This time it meant a victory for the Cavs, who claimed home-court advantage with the win as the NBA Finals’ first two games went to OT for the first time in history.
While James was a standout, NBA MVP Curry struggled. The usually lethal Curry went five-of-23 from the field and finished with 19 points in the Warriors’ loss.
Klay Thompson did the bulk of the scoring for Golden State, with his 34-point haul including four three-pointers. The Warriors had fought back to force overtime, yet this time it was the Cavs who prevailed.
Matthew Dellavedova, who replaced the injured Kyrie Irving, made two crucial free-throws in OT as he finished with nine points. Timofey Mozgov had a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds, while J.R. Smith had 13 points off the bench.
It was in the fourth quarter that the Cavs surged ahead with a 14-4 run early on giving them a buffer. The Warriors fought back and Curry’s lay-up with eight seconds remaining levelled the game at 87-87.
James missed a lay-up and Tristan Thompson failed to put in the tip to finish regulation. Iman Shumpert hit a three for the first points of OT before James’ two free-throws extended the Cavs’ lead to five.
Draymond Green (10 points and 10 rebounds) made his first two field goals of the game before Curry’s two free-throws had the Warriors ahead. But Dellavedova hit two clutch free-throws before James managed one, with the series heading to Cleveland for game three on Tuesday.
