LeBron scores 33 Cavs top Pacers

James, Irving lead

Cavaliers over Pacers

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

LeBron James scored 33 points after sitting out a game and Tristan Thompson made two huge plays in the final minute, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 100-96 win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night.

James was rested on Sunday by coach Tyronn Lue and the Cavs were lethargic in a 113-99 loss at Washington. But with James back on the floor, Cleveland played with much more energy and again looked like a team with NBA championship aspirations.

Matthew Dellavedova hit a tying 3-pointer for the Cavs with 1:13 left before Thompson made it 96-94 with a layup. Thompson then blocked a shot by Indiana’s George Hill with 18 seconds left.

Kyrie Irving made four free throws in the last eight seconds to put away the Pacers. Irving finished with 22 points and Thompson added 11 rebounds.

Monta Ellis scored 28 points and Paul George had 23 for the Pacers, who lost their third straight but played much better than in a loss to Portland on Sunday.

Following Cleveland’s lackluster loss at Washington, guard J.R. Smith criticized his teammates for not playing harder. The Cavs responded with a solid all-around effort but were pushed to the final seconds by the Pacers, who had three points taken away in the fourth quarter.

George’s 3-pointer with 4:46 left gave Indiana a 93-89 lead, but during a timeout, the officials reviewed the shot on video and determined it came after the 24-second shot clock had expired. George’s bucket was wiped out and James scored on a drive to put the Cavs ahead 91-90.

George and Ellis hit layups to give Indiana a three-point lead, but Dellavedova knocked down his 3 from the top of the key.

Ellis and George had 14 points apiece in the third, scoring all but two of Indiana’s points in the quarter.

A recharged James was in attack mode from the start. He scored 12 points in the first quarter, all of them coming on layups.

TIP-INS

Pacers: G/F C.J. Miles missed his fifth straight game with a strained left calf. Miles did not accompany the team to Cleveland, but coach Frank Vogel said he could rejoin the Pacers for Wednesday’s game in Milwaukee, the second stop on a four-game trip. ... Vogel disagreed with George’s assessment following Sunday’s loss that the Pacers aren’t physical. “We didn’t play tough last night, but I feel like we have a tough basketball team,” Vogel said.

Cavaliers: Lue offered no excuses for his team’s poor performance at Washington, saying his team needs to be mentally stronger at this point in the season. “What we’re trying to do, trying to win a championship, you can’t have days like that,” he said. “You have to come out and compete, no matter how tough the season is, no matter how many back-to-backs or three in four nights we have.” ... G Mo Williams will miss at least two more weeks with a sore left knee. Williams, who began the season in Cleveland’s starting lineup while Irving recovered from knee surgery, has been bothered by soreness in his knee for months.