NBA Playoffs: LeBron James Leads Cleveland Cavaliers To Game 5 Win Over Chicago Bulls

LeBron James scored a game high 38 points and also came up with a crucial block on Derrick Rose in the final minute as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls, 106-101 on Tuesday night. The Cavaliers now lead the series, 3-2 with the action now shifting to Chicago for Game 6.

James was coming off an ankle sprain that kept him out of Tuesday’s shootaround but he still had 12 rebounds, six assists and zero turnovers in over 41 minutes of action. He also had three steals and three blocked shots, including the highlight swat on Rose in the final minute.

Kyrie Irving was also playing on a sore left knee and sprained right foot but still added 25 points in a heated match-up between the two teams. Chicago was led by Jimmy Butler, who scored 29 points, and Mike Dunleavy, who had 19. Star PG Rose had 16 but 12 of it were scored in the first quarter and endured shooting woes the rest of the night as he added just four more points his tally.

At one point in the game, the Cavs lead by as many as 17 points, but the Bulls rallied and came close to tying the game in the final minutes. Butler made a three-pointer with 1:18 left in the fourth quarter but the Cavs held on.

There was also a heated scuffle between the two teams when Taj Gibson was ejected for kicking Matthew Dellavedova early in the fourth quarter, although replays showed Dellavedova was at fault too for clamping down on Gibson’s legs. "I was surprised. I really just tried to release my foot from him," Gibson told the Chicago Tribune.

Chicago has to win the next game at home to stay alive in the series while a Cleveland win will send them to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the 2009 season.

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