LeBron James, Kyrie Irving hit incredibly clutch shots to get an overtime win over Wizards
The Wizards entered Monday night's showdown with the Cavaliers winners of 17 straight at home, so they weren't about to be intimidated in a matchup against the East-leading defending champs. But Cleveland was at full strength, and LeBron James and Kyrie Irving made some incredibly tough shots late to seal a 140-135 overtime win on the road in what might have been the best game of the regular season.
Kevin Love, who continues to be linked to Carmelo Anthony in trade rumors that are increasingly far-fetched, led all Cavaliers with 39 points on 11-of-17 shooting. LeBron finished with 32 points to go along with a career-high 17 assists, before fouling out for the first time in more than three years 47 seconds into the overtime session. Bradley Beal did most of the damage for the Wizards, finishing with a game-high 41 points, to go along with five rebounds and eight assists.
The game featured 15 ties and 16 lead changes, and came down to the final few possessions.
With less than six seconds remaining in regulation and the Wizards leading by one, LeBron weaved through defenders to get all the way to the rim -- committing an uncalled traveling violation in the process -- and missed a layup that would have put his team ahead. After two free throws from Washington extended the lead to three, Love threw a length-of-the-court pass to LeBron, who more than made up for his mistake.
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He picked up his sixth foul less than a minute into the extra session, and that's when Kyrie Irving took over. He scored 11 points in the game's final four minutes, including this dagger of a three-pointer from the right wing with 35 seconds left that should give Warriors fans a nightmare of a Finals flashback.
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The Wizards will be fine, and if anything, the fact that Cleveland needed some otherworldly performances to beat them will only make Washington more confident for the remainder of the regular season. As for Cleveland, this gritty win -- on the road, in overtime, with LeBron James on the bench -- may just snap them out of the midseason funk they've been in for the past few weeks.
