Tristan Thompson saves the day in 100-96 win vs. Pacers

Tristan Thompson doesn't often to get to play the role of hero for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Monday night's 100-96 win vs. the Indiana Pacers was the exception.

Late in the fourth quarter, with the game still on the line, Thompson scored on a baby hook shot with 39 seconds left to give the Cavs a 96-94 lead. On the other end, with 17 seconds, Thompson swatted away Rodney Stuckey's layup attempt and LeBron James corralled the loose rebound for the Cavs.

Afterwards, the it took the Pacers roughly nine seconds to foul Kyrie Irving and send him to the line. Irving made both of his free throws to give Cleveland a four-point lead and put the game out of reach.

LeBron led the Cavs with 33 points while Irving added 22 points. Thompson, coming off the bench after Tyronn Lue elected to start Timofey Mozgov, finished with 14 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Guard Monta Ellis led Indiana with 28 points.

The win snaps a two-game losings streak for the Cavs. With the Toronto Raptors off tonight, the Cavs' lead over the Raptors atop of the Eastern Conference has been extended to 2.5 games.

The Cavs return to the court Friday against the Washington Wizards. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. at Quicken Loans Arena.