James' triple-double guides Cavs to OT win at Toronto
Send a link to a friend
[May 02, 2018]
LeBron James posted 26 points,
13 assists and 11 rebounds to help the Cleveland Cavaliers notch a
113-112 overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors in the opening
game of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Tuesday night at Air
Canada Centre.
JR Smith scored 20 points and Kyle Korver added 19 for Cleveland,
which never led in regulation. Jeff Green had 16 points, and Tristan
Thompson contributed 14 points and 12 rebounds for the fourth-seeded
Cavaliers.
DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points, and Jonas Valanciunas recorded 21
points and 21 rebounds for the Raptors. Kyle Lowry registered 18
points and 10 assists, and Pascal Siakam had 11 points for the
top-seeded Raptors.
Toronto's Fred VanVleet missed a potential winning 3-pointer with
3.4 seconds left in overtime.
"Considering the circumstances, we definitely stole one," Cleveland
coach Tyronn Lue said. "I don't think we played our best game. I
think they know that as well. We didn't play extremely well, but to
come in and beat a good team like Toronto on their home floor ... it
does feel like we stole one."
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2018/May/02/images/ads/current/castlemanor_sda_FINANCIAL_2017.png)
Game 2 is Thursday in Toronto.
Korver's 3-pointer 37 seconds into overtime gave Cleveland its first
lead of the contest. Smith drained a 3-pointer and Thompson scored
in the interior to give the Cavaliers a 113-107 edge with 2:17
remaining.
The Raptors pulled within one on Lowry's 3-pointer with 57.9 second
left.
James posted his 21st career postseason triple-double. Korver and
Smith each made five 3-pointers as the Cavaliers went 14 of 35 from
behind the arc and shot 41.2 percent overall.
The Raptors shot 42.9 percent from the field and 9 of 28 from
3-point range.
"A lot of things, we did to ourselves," Toronto coach Dwane Casey
said. "I think we're a better team. We just didn't make the shots
down the stretch. I know it sounds simplistic, but we had our open
looks, had our opportunities that we didn't cash in on and some
other things we could clean up defensively."
[to top of second column] |
![](../images/050218pics/sports59.jpg)
Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) drives to the net against
Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43) during the first half of
game one of the second round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada
Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Mar/14/images/ads/current/tires250x300.gif)
James hit a turnaround shot with 30.3 seconds remaining in
regulation to tie the score at 105. Toronto missed four shots on its
last possession, and James' shot bounced off the rim as time
expired.
"I definitely wasn't as efficient as I would like to be," James
said. "I missed a lot of open looks, a lot of open threes that they
were going under. A lot of floaters in the lane. ... My teammates
were unbelievable tonight. They stepped up when I wasn't at my
best."
Toronto led by three at halftime before controlling the first seven
minutes of the third quarter with Valanciunas' inside hoop making it
80-67 with 5:08 remaining.
The Cavaliers responded with a 13-3 surge to trim their deficit to
three with 1:38 left. Siakam scored back-to-back hoops to push the
Raptors back ahead by seven before Toronto settled for a five-point
edge entering the final stanza.
Delon Wright drained a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter to give
the Raptors a 92-82 lead. However, Cleveland answered with a 12-4
burst, and Smith's corner 3-pointer pulled the Cavs within 96-94
with 8:05 left.
A 3-pointer by James drew the Cavaliers within 100-99 with 4:48 to
play. Serge Ibaka made three free throws with 1:42 left to give
Toronto a four-point lead before James made two consecutive baskets
to knot the score.
DeRozan scored 15 first-half points as Toronto led 60-57 at the
break.
--Field Level Media
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2018/May/02/images/ads/current/garage_sale_bch.png) |