ATLANTA — With his main supporting cast cut to the bone, a sublime LeBron James shot, passed and inspired the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 94-82 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday and a two-games-to-none lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
The series shifts to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4 on Sunday and Tuesday.
Initiating the offense more than usual because of Kyrie Irving’s absence, James scored when he needed to and set up teammates for inviting looks when the Hawks least suspected it.
The Cavs nailed 12 3-pointers — many of them helping inflate James’s assist total to 11.