LeBron James returned to the lineup and the Cleveland Cavaliers got back on track. James scored 33 points, Tristan Thompson made two crucial plays in the final minute, helping the Cavaliers to a gritty 100-96 win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night.
An energized James was back after coach Tyronn Lue rested his superstar before Sunday’s uninspiring 113-99 road loss to the Washington Wizards.
“They felt like they missed my energy yesterday, so that’s what I bring to the table,” James said. “I just try to be their leader, leave an imprint on the game and live with the results.”
Kyrie Irving had 22 points and Kevin Love netted 13 for the struggling East-best Cleveland (42-17), which had dropped three of its last four outings.
“Nothing else mattered but the game,” Irving said. “We all threw ourselves into the game. We kept it strong, we just kept fighting.”
Indiana led 93-89 after Paul George buried a 3-pointer from the right corner. But referees reviewed the shot during a timeout and wiped it out, ruling it came after the 24-second shot clock expired.
A James drive gave the Cavs a 91-90 advantage before George and Monta Ellis made layups at the other end to put the Pacers back on top by three.
After Matthew Dellavedova drilled the tying 3-pointer, Thompson hit the go-ahead layup off a James feed with 29.5 ticks to go before blocking George Hill’s drive with 18 seconds left.
Asked which play gave him the greatest satisfaction: “The game-winning block, by far,” said Thompson, who finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. “Defence wins ball-games.”
Irving hit four free throws around a Hill layup in the final 8.9 seconds and the Cavs completed a 3-0 season-sweep of the Pacers for the first time in six years.
“When our backs are against the wall that’s when we tend to want to play hard,” Lue said. “I have to get on those guys to play a full 48 minutes.”
Ellis scored 28 points and George added 23 for Indiana (31-29), which dropped its third in a row.

ELSEWHERE
Oklahoma City Thunder 131, Sacramento Kings 116: Kevin Durant scored 26 points, Russell Westbrook posted his ninth triple-double of the season with 20 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists, and the visiting Thunder rolled the Kings for the 21st time in 25 meetings. Turkish-native Enis Kanter made all 11 of his field goals en route to 23 points off the bench for Oklahoma City (42-18), which had lost four of its previous five outings. Sacramento (24-34) was led by DeMarcus Cousins’ 35-point, 12-rebound effort.    
LA Clippers 105, Brooklyn Nets 96: Reserve Jamal Crawford scored 10 of his 26 points in the final quarter, Chris Paul had 23 with 12 assists and the Clippers (39-20) pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the stubborn Nets. Brook Lopez had 25 points and 10 rebounds for Brooklyn (17-43), which dropped to 2-2 on its nine-game road trip.
Milwaukee Bucks 128, Houston Rockets 121: “Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo collected his second career triple-double with 18 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists, and the Bucks outlasted the visiting Rockets. Jabari Parker poured in a career-best 36 point and Khris Middleton added 30 for Milwaukee (25-35), which went on a late 13-1 run to turn a one-point lead into a 125-112 cushion with 2:29 left. Dwight Howard had 30 points with 13 rebounds for Houston (29-31), while James Harden finished with 26 points and nine assists.
Washington Wizards 116, Philadelphia 76ers 108: John Wall 16 of his 37 points in the final quarter, Marcin Gortat had 18 with a career-high 20 rebounds, and the Wizards (29-30) beat the visiting Sixers for their third straight win. Ish Smith scored 25 points for the league-worst Sixers (8-50), who dropped their ninth in a row, as rookie centre Jahlil Okafor sat out the game with a right shin bruise.
Memphis Grizzlies 103, Denver Nuggets 96: Zach Randolph scored 22, Matt Barnes had 16 and the visiting Grizzlies beat the Nuggets. Memphis (35-24) moved to 5-2 since losing Spanish centre Marc Gasol to season-ending foot surgery. Kenneth Faried had 16 points with 11 rebounds for Denver (23-37), which committed 20 turnovers leading to 30 Memphis points. The Nuggets were without their top scorer Danilo Gallinari, sidelined indefinitely with torn right ankle ligaments.
Boston Celtics 100, Utah Jazz 95: Jae Crowder scored 22 points, including the go-ahead triple with 30 seconds left, Avery Bradley had 18 and a key block on Gordon Hayward, helping the Celtics (36-25), extend their home winning streak to 11. Trey Lyles and Shelvin Mack had 18 points apiece for Utah (28-31), losers of three in a row.