Cleveland Cavalier win OT thriller against Golden State Warriors to level NBA Finals

James had 44 points in game one and starred again at Oracle Arena with 39 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists.

This time it meant a victory for the Cavs, who claimed home-court advantage with the win as the NBA Finals' first two games went to OT for the first time in history.

While James was a standout, NBA MVP Curry struggled.

The usually lethal Curry went five-of-23 from the field and finished with 19 points in the Warriors' loss.

Klay Thompson did the bulk of the scoring for Golden State, with his 34-point haul including four three-pointers.

The Warriors had fought back to force overtime, yet this time it was the Cavs who prevailed.

Matthew Dellavedova, who replaced the injured Kyrie Irving, made two crucial free-throws in OT as he finished with nine points.

Timofey Mozgov had a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds, while J.R. Smith had 13 points off the bench.

It was in the fourth quarter that the Cavs surged ahead with a 14-4 run early on giving them a buffer.

The Warriors fought back and Curry's lay-up with eight seconds remaining levelled the game at 87-87.

James missed a lay-up and Tristan Thompson failed to put in the tip to finish regulation.

Iman Shumpert hit a three for the first points of OT before James' two free-throws extended the Cavs' lead to five.

Draymond Green (10 points and 10 rebounds) made his first two field goals of the game before Curry's two free-throws had the Warriors ahead.

But Dellavedova hit two clutch free-throws before James managed one, with the series heading to Cleveland for game three on Tuesday.