LeBron James’ buzzer-beating 3-pointer lifted the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Indiana Pacers by a score of 98-95 on Wednesday night in Game 5 of their first-round NBA Playoffs series in Cleveland. The Pacers still covered the spread as 6.5-point underdogs. After avoiding overtime, the game went under the total of 206.
The Cavaliers take a 3-2 lead in the series as it shifts back to Indianapolis for Game 6 on Friday night. Odds for that matchup will be released soon by BetDSI Sportsbook. Expect the spread to be no more than 2 points in either direction.
Late-game heroics
LeBron’s game-winner was preceded by his mistake and then a brilliant defensive play. After Indiana had rallied from 11 points down in the fourth quarter to tie the game 95-95, James dribbled the ball out of bounds. That gave the Pacers a shot at the lead with less than 30 seconds left. But as Victor Oladipo drove for a layup, James blocked it off the backboard, retained possession and called timeout with 3 seconds left.
Then, out of a timeout, he came off a screen and buried the 3 from the top of the key.
Indiana had led the game 56-49 at halftime, only to be outscored 32-17 in the third quarter as Cleveland took control. The three-time defending Eastern Conference champions looked as if they would cruise to a win before Indiana’s late charge to cover the spread. But LeBron’s late heroics meant Cleveland went home a winner anyway.
The King was great, and not just late
As usual, LeBron’s stat line was incredible: 44 points on 14-of-24 shooting from the field and a perfect 15 of 15 from the free-throw line, plus 10 rebounds and 8 assists. Kyle Korver added 19 points with five 3-pointers for the Cavs. Kevin Love had 11 points and 10 rebounds even though he only shot 2 of 10 from the field. As a team, Cleveland made 26 of 27 free throws.
Domantas Sabonis led the Pacers with 22 points off the bench on 8-of-12 shooting. Thaddeus Young scored 16, and Oladipo had 12 points and 12 rebounds. But Oladipo struggled with accuracy, shooting just 2 of 15 from the floor.
Looking ahead
The winner of this series faces the winner between the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards. Toronto leads that series three games to two.
