LeBron’s triple-double helps Cavs top Hawks in thriller

CLEVELAND — LeBron James shook off an atrocious shooting start and withstood Atlanta’s gritty comeback to record a triple-double as Cleveland Cavaliers moved within one win of the NBA Finals by beating the Hawks 114-111 in overtime on Sunday to take a 3-0 series lead.

James missed his first 10 shots, but finished with 37 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists. The Cavs needed every single one of them to hold off the top-seeded Hawks, who fought Cleveland until the final seconds despite being without injured shooter Kyle Korver and losing Al Horford, who was ejected in the first half.

James hit a three pointer with 36.4 seconds left to put Cavs ahead by one and the superstar dropped a runner with 12.8 left to make it 114-111.

“He just wouldn’t let us lose,” coach David Blatt said.

Atlanta had two chances to tie it in the final seconds, but Shelvin Mack missed two three pointers.

When the final horn sounded, an exhausted James, who was favouring his right leg for most of overtime, dropped to the floor and had to be helped to his feet.

“I worked extremely hard and for me as a leader no matter how I’m feeling I’ve got to try to make some plays,” James said.

He’ll have just one day to rest up before Cavs try to earn their second Finals trip — and the fifth in a row for James — in Game 4 on Tuesday night.

Jeff Teague scored 30 points and Paul Millsap 22 for Hawks, who scratched and clawed for 53 minutes.

Down 10 in the fourth, Hawks showed championship toughness and nearly pulled off a win that would have guaranteed them another home game on Thursday. They’ll have to dig deep again, and they are facing long odds to win the series as no NBA team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit.

Teague dropped a nasty, step-back jumper with 55 seconds left to put Hawks up 111-109, but James answered — following an offensive rebound by Tristan Thompson — to knock down a corner three like the one he made at the buzzer to beat Chicago in the second round, making it 112-111 with 36.4 seconds left.

James then hit his runner over Millsap and Cavs and 20,000 fans held their breath as Mack took two cracks at the rim.

Cavs were again missing All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, sidelined for his second straight game with an injured left knee.

But Cleveland has James, and even on a night when his shot wasn’t falling, he carried Cavs, who can earn their first trip to the Finals since James took them there in 2007.

Matthew Dellavedova and J.R. Smith added 17 points each for Cleveland.

Hawks took a one-point lead into third quarter when James decided to seize control of the game. He recorded 15 points, six rebounds and six assists in the period, but it only resulted in Cleveland having a 10-point lead early in the fourth.