CHICAGO — Forward LeBron James made a baseline jump shot as time expired to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers to an 86-84 win against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday afternoon in Game 4 of an Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series.
James finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists to lead Cleveland, which evened the best-of-seven series at two games apiece. Center Timofey Mozgov contributed 15 points and nine rebounds.
Guard Derrick Rose led the Bulls with 31 points and four assists. Guard Jimmy Butler scored 19 points, and center Joakim Noah provided eight points with 15 rebounds.
Teammates mobbed James after he drilled the shot from 21 feet along the left baseline. The score was even at 84 with 0.8 seconds remaining when guard Matthew Dellavedova found James on an inbounds pass.
The shot marked the second consecutive buzzer-beater in the series. In Game 3, Rose banked in a 3-pointer as time expired to win the game.
Cleveland trailed by as many as 11 points in the second half before embarking on a 23-5 run that made it 80-73 with 4:03 remaining in the fourth quarter. Guard J.R. Smith sparked the turnaround with a trio of 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter.
The Bulls opened the fourth quarter with a 68-61 lead. Forward Tony Snell put Chicago up 68-57 with 42 seconds left in the third quarter when he drained a 3-pointer from the left wing.
Already beset by injuries, Cleveland sustained another scare when James rolled his left ankle with 3:36 remaining in the third quarter. James drove to the basket and stepped awkwardly on top of Rose’s foot. James stayed down on the court for a couple of minutes but returned after a Cavaliers timeout.
Cleveland rallied for a 49-45 lead at halftime thanks to a 16-0 run midway through the second quarter. The Cavaliers transformed an eight-point deficit into an eight-point lead during the run. Chicago missed 13 consecutive shots and went 6:56 without a point before Snell snapped the drought with a layup.
The Bulls led 28-26 at the end of the first quarter, which featured a surprise performance by Chicago native Kanye West during a timeout. Rose scored nine points in the first 12 minutes on a series of aggressive drives to the rim.
NOTES: Bulls F Pau Gasol missed the game because of a strained left hamstring. Gasol’s status is uncertain for Game 5 on Tuesday night in Cleveland. “He’s still sore,” Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau said. … Bulls F Taj Gibson took Gasol’s place in the starting lineup. Gibson, 29, started 17 games during the regular season. He made his first playoff start since 2010. … Cavaliers G Kyrie Irving remained in the starting lineup despite a sore right foot. Irving has played with the injury since Game 2 of the team’s first-round series against Boston. … Cavaliers G J.R. Smith came off the bench for the second consecutive game. Smith started the first four games of the playoffs before serving a two-game suspension.