LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers held off the Atlanta Hawks in overtime on Sunday for a 114-111 game three win in the Eastern Conference finals, earning a 3-0 series lead.
The Hawks' Shelvin Mack got two good looks in the right corner for three to tie the game and send it into double overtime, but both shots clanged off the iron as Cleveland moved within one win of the NBA Finals.
James took the team on his back in overtime, despite being hobbled by what he said are a multitude of injuries. He scored the team's final five points, including a clutch three in the left corner to reclaim the lead for the Cavaliers.
"I worked extremely hard as the leader, and knew I needed to make some plays down the stretch," James said on TNT.
"It's a great feeling to make plays for my team-mates, and I was able to make a few."
Despite a 0-for-9 start in the first quarter, James turned in his 12th post-season triple-double with 37 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists. He passed Jason Kidd for the second-most triple-doubles in play-offs history, though he still has a lot of work to do to catch Magic Johnson's 30.
Playing at their Quicken Loans Arena home for the first time in the series, the Cavs came out a little flat. The Hawks looked lively early and took a three-point lead after the first period.
One of the defining moments in the game came towards the end of the first half, when Al Horford was ejected for a flagrant foul on Matthew Dellavedova. Horford was 7-of-10 from the field with a team-leading 14 points when he was forced to leave.
Dellavedova stepped up for the injured Kyrie Irving to score 17 points on 4-for-9 shooting from beyond the arc. He was the most dangerous offensive threat on the court for Cleveland, James aside.
Jeff Teague did everything he could to wrest back a game in the series, to no avail. He scored 30 points, dished out seven assists and grabbed six rebounds. Paul Millsap scored 22 points and collected nine rebounds in a very balanced scoring effort for Atlanta.