James gets a little help
Dellavedova comes up huge, scores 20 as Cavs take charge
CLEVELAND — Apparently, Kyrie Irving isn’t needed either.
The Cavaliers keep losing All-Stars but keep winning the most important games in their 45-year history, unveiling a 96-91 victory Tuesday over the Warriors in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
LeBron James was effective across the board and Matthew Dellavedova added 20 points as the Cavaliers took a 2-1 lead. Game 4 is Thursday in Cleveland.
The former MVP kept outplaying the current one, James finishing with 40 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists at Quicken Loans Arena.
Stephen Curry couldn’t find his touch early for the Warriors, missing seven of his first eight shots before finishing with 27 points.
James has held the Cavaliers together since Irving was lost toward the end of Game 1 because of a fractured kneecap. Kevin Love was lost in April because of a dislocated shoulder.
No problem. James and the Cavaliers keep rolling.
The Cavs looked like they would win easily, taking a 20-point lead late in the third quarter, but the Warrirors cut the lead to three as Curry came alive and seldom-used David Lee had 11 points in 13 minutes.
After a careless turnover by Curry, though, James answered with a 3-pointer as the shot clock wound down, giving the Cavs an 87-80 lead with 1:44 left.
James seemed charged up by the play, running down court and mimicking firing a gun, emptying the chambers and holstering it.
Warriors starting forwards Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green combined for only seven points on 2-for-20 shooting.
Cleveland fans began a “Del-ly, Del-ly” chant when Dellavedova hit a 3-pointer and 11-foot floater on consecutive possessions to give the Cavs a 51-41 lead early in the third quarter.
The chant started again when he jumped over the courtside seats and into the crowd while chasing a loose ball later in the quarter.