An Avery Bradley three-pointer with 0.1 seconds left, handed Boston Celtics a crucial 111-108 win over Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The win is Boston's first of the series, reducing the gap to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. The loss is Cleveland's first playoff defeat in 13 games. They had previously won ten games in a row, this season.
After losing their opening two games by a combined 57 points, Game 3 looked set to be another blowout for the Celtics, when they trailed by 21 points in the third quarter.
The Celtics reduced the gap to five points at the end of the third quarter, and dominated in the fourth culminating in in the badly needed win.
AVERY BRADLEY FOR THE WIN!!! #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/y0tp9bjANw
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 22, 2017
Overpowering an off-colour Cavaliers, Marcus Smart top-scored for the Celtics with 27 points. Isaiah Thomas' departure was not missed with players like Bradley (20 points), Al Horford (16 points) and Kelly Olynyk (15 points) all impressing.
LeBron James had his worst match of the Playoffs so far. In nine of his ten previous Playoffs games this season, the Ohio native scored at least 30 points. On Sunday night, he scored only 11 points and was held scoreless in the final quarter.
In James' absence, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love both impressed. The duo scored 29 and 28 points respectively.
Game 4 takes place in Cleveland on Tuesday night, with the following match taking place in Boston two nights later.
Cleveland's loss means Golden State Warriors are the only unbeaten team remaining in the Playoffs. The 2015 champions face San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the Western Finals on Monday night, where they currently lead 3-0.
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