CLEVELAND — LeBron James had 40 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, and the Cleveland Cavaliers held on for a 96-91 victory over the Golden State Warriors and a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
The Warriors trimmed a 20-point deficit down to one with about 2 1/2 minutes left, but Matthew Dellavedova converted a three-point play, James made a 3-pointer and Tristan Thompson added a free throw for an 88-80 advantage with 1:31 to play.
Stephen Curry’s 3-pointer later trimmed it to 94-91 before James hit two free throws to finish it.
LeBron James had another huge game, and addressed what many Cleveland fans are wondering: Can he keep it up?
“I don’t know if I can continue to put up these type of numbers, but I know I’ll continue to lead these guys every single night,” James said.
But on Tuesday, he got some help from a suddenly well-known Matthew Dellavedova.
“If there’s a ball on the ground, he’s going to be the first guy on the ground,” James said of Dellavedova. “He showed up multiple times (Tuesday). He’s huge. He’s huge for our team.
“He gives us that grit, that grit that we need. He gives us everything until that tank is empty, and he has a small little reserve tank that he continues to work through.”
Dellavedova finished with 20 points for the Cavs, who host Game 4 on Thursday.
Curry rebounded from a slow start to finish with 27 points for the Warriors.
Thumbnail image via Bob Donnan/USA TODAY Sports Images
