Thanks in large part to a clutch 3-pointer from LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers were able to extend their win streak to 13 with a 101-95 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.
The Cavs struggled through the first three quarters of Wednesday night’s game. In fact, James registered zero points through the first 12 minutes of action. However, a series of late 3-pointers (three in a row from Kyle Korver and one nail-in-the-coffin step-back from James with time expiring) allowed Cleveland to pull away in the end.
“It was a one possession game coming out of the timeout,” James said. “We drew up a play that we wanted to run, but I wanted the ball in my hands at all costs. I feel like this is my time. And my teammates believe in my ability to make a play, especially with five seconds on the shot clock.”
During his post-game interview with Fox Sports Ohio’s Allie Clifton, LeBron James spoke with regards to the inbound play that sprung his step-back three. “The King,” as he has came to be known, hinted at a particular play that Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue had previously schemed up. The play, which is called “Chicago,” was named after James hit a game-winning three over Jimmy Butler in Chicago.
“Was going to run a different play and then Bron said, ‘I want Chicago.’ So I said, ‘OK,'” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue told Joe Vardon of cleveland.com. “We got it to him and he made a big shot. That was a huge play for us to put us up five.”
LeBron James, now in his 15th season of NBA service, turned in an outstanding scorecard on Wednesday night. In his 41 minutes of action, the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 Draft scored 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the field (5-of-8 from beyond the arc), 11 rebounds, nine assists, three steals, and two blocks.
In defeating the Kings, the Cavs extended their NBA-best winning streak to 13 games, tying a franchise record. They’ll look to keep their momentum rolling on Friday night when they travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Fox Sports Ohio and Fox Sports Indiana will have live broadcast coverage.