The Indiana Pacers played the best first half in franchise history, but LeBron James led a furious second half rally as the Cleveland Cavaliers were able to erase a 26-point deficit to get the stunning 119-114 victory, giving the Cavs a commanding 3-0 lead in this series.
The win ties the largest comeback in NBA Playoff history. The Clippers also came back from 26 points down against the Grizzlies in the 2012 playoffs.
James controlled the entire second half and recorded his 17th career playoff triple-double, putting up 41 points to go along with 13 rebounds and 12 assists. This game also marked the 20th straight win for a LeBron-led team in the first round of the playoffs.
His play ignited the Cavs, who put forth an excellent defensive performance after halftime. Indiana was limited to just 40 points in the second half after a record-breaking first half in which they drained 10 three-pointers and set a franchise record in points in a half to take a 74-49 lead into the break.
Myles Turner (@Original_Turner) gets his own miss and puts Tristan Thompson on a POSTER!! #GoPacers #NBA #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/Pbgzd6wMro
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) April 20, 2017
Paul George (@Yg_Trece) beats LeBron and skies for the huge alley-oop slam!! #GoPacers #NBA #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/zzcy0Hv0xa
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) April 21, 2017
That was when the Cavs flipped the switch and showed why they're the defending champs. They reeled off a 15-2 run in the third quarter to cut the lead to five, then after the Pacers were able to push the lead back to double digits, Cleveland went on a 14-2 run to take the lead.
Curry range? More like .@KingJames range! LeBron drills one from DEEP #DefendTheLand #NBA #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/oNvx1aR4jt
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) April 21, 2017
.@KingJames gives the Cavs the lead...with AUTHORITY!! #DefendTheLand #NBA #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/r9vVMSKJeV
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) April 21, 2017
From there, the two sides trades the lead for a few minutes before LeBron was able to create some separation for Cleveland.
James picked up the slack for Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, both of whom combined for just 26 points on 8-29 shooting - and neither played much during Cleveland's comeback. However, the Cavs did get big boosts off the bench from Channing Frye (13 points) and Kyle Korver (12 points).
Paul George led the Pacers with 36 points, 15 rounds and nine assists, while Lance Stephenson had 13 points and six rebounds off the bench.
Cleveland can sweep the series in Game 4, which will be Sunday at 1:00 pm ET on ABC.
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