LeBron James Scores 46 Points in Game 2 Win
SteemSports Presenter: @dwin0603
SteemSports Editor: @theprophet0
LeBron James seemed to be very focused and aggressive on this game as he recorded 46 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers past the Indiana Pacers, 100-97, on Wednesday night to even up their Eastern Conference playoffs series at one game apiece. LeBron was on attack mode since the start of the ball game. James scored the game’s first 16 points and he finished the first half with a total of 29 points. He is known for sharing the ball and involving his teammates, but this game was different, he felt that he needed to do the scoring. As LeBron dominated the early minutes of the first quarter, Indiana’s star Victor Oladipo picked up 2 early fouls and forced him to the bench.
Indiana had no answer on the offensive end against LeBron James, when Oladipo sat. Kevin Love scored 15 points and grabbed 8 boards, but Cleveland’s All-star forward left the game with less than four minutes remaining when he injured his left hand, the same hand he had broke earlier this season. This will be a big blow for the Cavs if Love’s injury is serious. He is a big factor for the Cavs, and if he misses the playoffs, they could be in danger of falling early in the first or second round.
The Cavs didn't get much scoring aside from what LeBron and Love put on the board. Only three players (James, Love and Korver) scored double digits. Kyle Korver's 12 points all came from three point territory. He made four out of his eight attempts from long range. James, once again, was unstoppable, and the Pacers did nothing about his preeminence the whole game. James made his first five attempts, and scored Cleveland’s first 16 points. He made a pair of three pointers, and outscored the Pacers 20-18 in the first 12 minutes. Coach Tyronne Lue made changes in his line-up, putting Korver and Smith over Green and Hood. The Cavaliers are 40-0 when leading after three quarters. It was the 20th time that LeBron has scored at least 40 points in the playoffs, and he only needs to grab 56 rebounds to become the 7th player in NBA history with 2000 rebounds in the playoffs.
Victor Oladipo finished the game with 22 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. Oladipo had 2 early fouls. He could’ve done more if he was not in early foul trouble. Myles Turner added 18 points and 5 rebounds, while guard Darren Collison had 16 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal. Indiana's "energy guy", Lance Stephenson, scored 10 points with 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Indiana came back from an 18-point deficit and put themselves as close as 95-92, when Victor Oladipo missed a wide open three-pointer for a chance to tie the game. James got the rebound and he was fouled. He made three free throws over the last 22 seconds as the Cavs survived and equalized the series, 1 game apiece. Game 3 is on Friday night in Indiana.
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Outscores Pacers in Q1, crazy game!