Cavaliers 96, Warriors 91
CLEVELAND -- LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are halfway to the first championship in franchise history.
James scored 40 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and passed for eight assists, guard Matthew Dellavedova added 20 points, and the Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors 96-91 Tuesday night to take a 2-1 series lead in the NBA Finals.
Game 3 is Thursday at Quicken Loans Arena.
The injury-ravaged Cavs continue to find ways against the heavily favored Warriors despite all odds.
"We know we have to get more out of ourselves than maybe even humanly possible sometimes," Cavs coach David Blatt said, "but that's the situation. We have a chance to do something very special, and if it requires us to go above and beyond, that's what we've got to do."
James made two huge plays near the end of the game to secure the victory, slapping the ball away from Warriors point guard Stephen Curry to force a turnover and later stealing an inbounds pass from Curry. James was fouled after the steal and made both free throws to put the Cavs ahead 92-83 in the final minute.
Curry committed three turnovers in the last two minutes, including two in the final minute. However, he also made a 3-pointer from the corner with 28 seconds left to pull the Warriors within 92-88.
A pair of James free throws made it 94-88, but Curry cut the lead in half with a 3-pointer from the wing. The Warriors trailed the entire night and couldn't get any closer, however, in losing consecutive games for the second time in this postseason. They also fell behind 2-1 to the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference semifinals before rallying to win three straight.
But the Grizzlies didn't have James.
Curry scored 27 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter (five 3-pointers) after another slow start.
James and Dellavedova combined for the Cavs' first 17 points of the third quarter and Cleveland extended its lead to 68-48, the largest margin of the night. Yet just when the Warriors looked overwhelmed and fading, they found a way to climb back.
Curry made a 3-pointer and a pull-up jumper near the end of the third, then the Warriors outscored the Cavs 15-3 to start the fourth.
Guard Klay Thompson and swingman Andre Iguodala made 3-pointers, forward David Lee completed a three-point play and the Warriors pulled within 77-73 on Curry's third 3-pointer of the night. Curry had a chance to tie the game at 79 a few minutes later, but his 3-pointer rimmed out and Dellavedova found James for a lob dunk to push the Cavs' lead back to 81-76 with 3:51 to play.
When a 3-pointer from Curry pulled the Warriors within a point, Dellavedova again answered at the other end. Dellavedova lost the dribble, clumsily chased it and tossed up a shot while he was fouled and falling over. The shot banked in, and he completed the three-point play.
James splashed a 3-pointer following a Warriors turnover to extend the lead back to 87-80 with 1:40 left. The Warriors called a timeout while James played to the crowed, pretending to unload his gun and put it back in its holster.
The Cavs' physical, intimidating style carried Cleveland through the first three quarters. The home team held the Warriors, who averaged 104 points per game during the regular season, to 37 in the first half and led by seven at the break.
Thompson finished with 14 points and five rebounds but shot just 6-for-16.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr laughed at the idea Curry was in a slump based on his 5-for-23 shooting night in Game 2 on Sunday.
"Is he in a slump? Steph Curry is in a slump?" Kerr asked prior to Game 3. "He had a bad game. He had one bad shooting night. That's what happens in basketball. It's happened to every player ever to put a uniform on. ... He'll make them. He always does."
Curry again struggled early Tuesday, shooting just 1-for-6 in the first half before heating up in the second half and finishing 10-for-20.
Cavs guard Iman Shumpert returned to the locker room briefly after appearing to injure his left shoulder on a screen set by Warriors forward Draymond Green. Shumpert, who dislocated the shoulder earlier in the season and missed six weeks as a result, returned to the game in the second quarter wearing a compression shirt and promptly made his first shot of the night, a 3-pointer.
NOTES: Warriors coach Steve Kerr chuckled when he was asked prior to the game if Cavaliers F LeBron James was the best athlete going today. "Can you find another one?" Kerr asked. "Maybe American Pharoah?" ... Golden State G Stephen Curry doesn't believe Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena can get as loud as Oracle Arena was for Games 1 and 2. "(Oracle) is the loudest arena in the league," Curry said. ... The Warriors took to intentionally fouling F Tristan Thompson on a couple of plays in this series. Cleveland coach David Blatt hopes the Hack-A rule is revisited this summer. "For now, the rules are as they are, and that's a tactic," he said. ... James noticed in the schedule games in Cleveland are every other day, while there are extra off days built into the Finals schedule between games in Oakland. "It's a difficult schedule," James said. "That's the schedule, and it is what it is."