OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) _ The NBA Finals are tied at a game apiece after the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors split a pair of overtime games in Oakland.
The Cavaliers blew an 11-point lead late in the fourth quarter Sunday night before pulling out a 95-93 victory over the Warriors in Game 2. LeBron James shot just 11 of 34 from the field but finished with 39 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists for his fifth career triple-double in a finals game.
James hit a pair of free throws that put Cleveland ahead 92-87 early in overtime, but the Warriors scored the next six points to go out in front before Matthew Dellavedova hit two free throws with 10.1 seconds to play.
It marked the first time an NBA Finals has opened with back-to-back overtime games.
Timofey Mozgov had 17 points and 11 boards for the Cavaliers, who improved to 3-0 without Kyrie Irving in the playoffs. Irving is done for the season after fracturing a knee cap in Game 1.
The Cavaliers enjoyed an 83-72 lead after James drained a 3-pointer with 3:13 remaining in regulation, but the Warriors closed the fourth quarter on a 15-4 run to extend the game. Stephen (STEH’-fehn) Curry forced OT by hitting a lay-in with 7.2 seconds left in regulation, one of his few attempts that went in. The reigning MVP shot just 5-for-23 from the field and 2-for-15 from beyond the arc in scoring 19 points.
Curry’s last shot was an air ball with the Warriors down by one with about five seconds left. He also had a pass batted away by Tristan Thompson on the Warriors’ final possession, sealing the victory for the Cavaliers.
Klay Thompson had a team-high 34 points for the Warriors, who travel to Cleveland for Game 3 on Tuesday.