National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Cleveland 95, Golden State 93
When: 8:00 PM ET, Sunday, June 7, 2015
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Officials: #28 Zach Zarba, #48 Scott Foster, #25 Tony Brothers
Attendance: 19596

OAKLAND, Calif. -- For three quarters Sunday night, Matthew Dellavedova was having an influence on Game 2 of the NBA Finals even while scoreless.

As it turns out, he was saving his real difference-making for the end, and he did it on offense.

Dellavedova, a defensive standout most of the night while guarding NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry, hit two free throws with 10.1 seconds remaining, giving the Cleveland Cavaliers the lead for good in a 95-93 overtime victory over the Golden State Warriors that tied the Finals at one game apiece.

The best-of-seven series heads to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. A Game 5, now assured, will be played next Sunday back in Oakland.

"Both teams are probably thinking we both should be up 2-0," said Curry, who established a Finals record with 13 missed 3-pointers on a 19-point night. "Just got to handle it the right way and get ready for Tuesday."

Cleveland coach David Blatt agreed with Curry's assessment of the even series after the first-ever Finals win in Cavaliers history.

"I thought we played well enough to win the last game, too," he said. "Today the ball just bounced our way at the right time, and that's why today we won and the other day we lost."

Cavaliers forward LeBron James recorded his fifth career triple-double in a Finals game with 39 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists, helping Cleveland offset a 108-100 Warriors win in overtime in Game 1 on Thursday.

The NBA Finals never previously opened with back-to-back overtime games. The Warriors rallied from an 11-point deficit with just over three minutes left Sunday to force the extra session.

The Cavaliers were able to even the series despite the absence of point guard Kyrie Irving, who sustained a season-ending broken left kneecap in the Game 1 loss.

"Our guys love the fact that we've been counted out," James said. "I think our guys are using that as motivation."

After Curry gave the Warriors their first lead since the second quarter, 93-92, with a pair of free throws with 29.5 seconds remaining, Dellavedova was fouled while attempting to follow in a missed 3-point try from forward James Jones.

Scoreless until the fourth quarter, Dellavedova, a product of Saint Mary's College in the Oakland suburb of Moraga, Calif., calmly hit both free throws for a one-point lead, which he helped preserve when he harassed Curry into an airball at the other end.

"That's the classic thing you practice as a kid -- final seconds, down by one point," he said. "It felt like I've been in that situation a million times."

James, fouled on the rebound, capped the scoring by making one free throw with 4.4 seconds remaining.

"He's a courageous kid," Blatt said of Dellavedova. "He played big tonight, and we needed him to."

Center Timofey Mozgov had a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double for the Cavaliers, who won despite shooting just 32.6 percent from the field. They used a 55-45 rebounding advantage to help achieve the feat.

Supersub J.R. Smith added 13 points, while Dellavedova contributed nine points, five rebounds and a yeoman's effort on Curry in 41 minutes.

"The confidence that we have in him allows him to be confident in himself," James said of Dellavedova. "He goes out and he just plays his tail off, and when a guy like that does that, he gets great results."

Shooting guard Klay Thompson led Golden State with 34 points, hitting 14 of his 28 shots. He made four of his 12 3-point attempts, while his teammates were just 4-for-23 on a night when the Warriors shot just 22.9 percent (8-for-35) from beyond the arc.

"Their defense was great," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "They took our rhythm away."

Curry missed 18 of his 23 shots, including 13 of his 15 3-point attempts.

"What you try to do is make his
Top Game Performances
 
Cleveland   Golden State
LeBron James 39 Scoring Klay Thompson 34
LeBron James 11 Assists Stephen Curry 5
LeBron James 16 Rebounds Andrew Bogut 10
LeBron James 14 Free Throws Made Stephen Curry 7
Matthew Dellavedova 3 Steals Draymond Green 5
LeBron James 1 Blocks Draymond Green 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Cleveland 95 32.2 9-27 28-40 14 55 3 11 17
Golden State 93 39.8 8-35 19-25 16 45 7 11 19
Upcoming Games
  • Golden State will play their next game on the road against Cleveland. The Warriors have a W/L % of .836 after a win and .733 after a loss.
  • Cleveland will play their next game at home against Golden State. The Cavaliers have a W/L % of .731 after a win and .500 after a loss.