The Cleveland Cavaliers were once again without Kyrie Irving, and just as he did in Game 2, LeBron James once again overcame a poor shooting night to carry the Cavs to victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
James, who moved past Karl Malone for sixth on the all-time playoff scoring list, finished with a ridiculous 37 points, 18 rebounds, 13 assists, and three steals as Cleveland took a 3-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals with a 114-111 overtime victory.
LeBron James: first player since Charles Barkley in 1993 with 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in a playoff game
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 25, 2015
The Hawks failed to capitalize as James slogged through an 0-for-10 start from the field early in the game, then rallied from a fourth quarter deficit to force overtime, with Jeff Teague even getting an open look at a potential game-winning three as the buzzer sounded on regulation.
Already without the injured Kyle Korver, Atlanta was forced to finish the game without All-Star big man Al Horford, who was ejected for dropping an elbow on Cavs guard Matthew Dellavedova in the second quarter.
With the victory, the Cavs moved within a win of their first Finals berth in eight years, with James moving within a game of his fifth straight Finals appearance.
Turning Point
Down two with 36 seconds remaining in OT, James answered a missed jumper by drilling a go-ahead three-pointer from the left corner, thanks to another clutch offensive rebound from Tristan Thompson.
It was the last lead change in a frantic game that saw eight of them in addition to 11 ties, as the Hawks failed to score again while James added another dagger with 12 seconds remaining.
Star Performer
Who else?
James shot just 14-of-37, setting a career-high for field goal attempts, turned the ball over six times, and was actually a -3 for the game, but there's no denying his overall impact on the final result.
LeBron appeared to be everywhere on the court as he recorded his 12th career postseason triple-double, moving him past Jason Kidd for second all-time.
Teague poured in 30 points, seven assists and six rebounds in defeat, while J.R. Smith recorded a low key double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds to go with two blocks in King James' shadow.
Highlight Reel
LeBron punctuates a big third quarter with a thunderous poster:
Even his rebounds in this one were eye-popping:
Series At A Glance
Game 1: Cavaliers 97, Hawks 89 (Cavaliers lead 1-0)
Game 2: Cavaliers 94, Hawks 82 (Cavaliers lead 2-0)
Game 3: Cavaliers 114, Hawks 111 (OT) (Cavaliers lead 3-0 )
Game 4: Tuesday, May 26, 8:30 p.m. ET
Game 5: Thursday, May 28, 8:30 p.m. ET
Game 6: Saturday, May 30, 8:30 p.m. ET
Game 7: Monday, June 1, 8:30 p.m. ET
