The Hawks’ Shelvin Mack then missed two three-point attempts in the closing seconds.
James finished with 37 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists, and passed Karl Malone for sixth all-time in playoff scoring.
“Unbelievable. I’ve never seen a stat line like that in a playoff game,” Cavaliers coach David Blatt told reporters.
“(He) cramped up and he knew we could not win the game without him. He played through pain and he played through the cramping and he just wouldn’t let us lose.”
Teague led the Hawks with 30 points and seven assists, helping offset the loss of Al Horford, who committed a flagrant foul in the final minute of the first half and ejected.
Paul Millsap added 22 points for the Hawks and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds.
The win puts the Cavaliers, who were without injured point guard Kyrie Irving for the second successive game due to a knee injury, on the cusp of their second NBA Finals appearance with a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Game Four is on Tuesday in Cleveland.
(Reporting by Cameron French– Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
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