ATLANTA -- Channing Frye took some advice from a veteran teammate and did exactly what he was brought to Cleveland to do -- shoot the basketball.
Frye hit seven of Cleveland's 21 3-pointers, and Kyrie Irving and LeBron James led a late comeback in a 121-108 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night at Philips Arena.
The red-hot Cavs lead the Eastern Conference playoff series 3-0. No NBA team has ever overcome an 0-3 deficit in a best-of-seven series. Game 4 is Sunday in Atlanta.
Frye was acquired from the Orlando Magic in February. He's played sparingly, but was ready Friday night and followed James Jones advice.
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"James Jones was like, 'Channing, you got to quit passing; you're not very good. You just go to shoot,'" Frye said with a laugh. "That makes it simple, so I was just trying to be aggressive.
Irving finished with 24 points, and James had 24 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.
The Cavaliers made an NBA-record 25 3-pointers in their Game 2 rout of the Hawks. They flirted with that number again, shooting 53.8 percent from beyond the arc.
"If you make a small mistake, they can make you pay," Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. "If someone is open, they find them. And right now that guy is shooting it and making it at a high percentage."
Atlanta's Al Horford finished with 24 points and Kyle Korver came off the bench to add 18 points, including five 3-pointers for the Hawks, who led 91-85 heading into the fourth quarter. It wouldn't last.
Irving and Frye each connected on two 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter and James made his only 3-pointer of the game with six minutes to play, giving Cleveland its first lead since the second quarter.
The Cavaliers pulled away from there and now find themselves in position to get plenty of rest ahead of the conference finals. While Cleveland can finish off the Hawks on Sunday, Toronto and Miami are tied 1-1 in the other Eastern Conference semifinal and appear headed for a tight series.
Western Conference favorites San Antonio and Golden State also are facing adversity, with Warriors star Stephen Curry trying to come back from a knee injury and the Spurs in a battle with Oklahoma City.
Friday's Game 3 in Atlanta was the best of the series so far. It highlight dunks, relentless effort, physicality and, of course, more 3-pointers. Cleveland's Iman Shumpert threw down a one-handed dunk off a rebound in the first quarter. Later in the half, Horford topped Shumpert's jam with a one-hander over the top of Kevin Love.
Love responded with a big game, finishing with 21 points and 14 rebounds.
Atlanta didn't play poorly and hit 16 3-pointers of their own, and Budenholzer tried an array of adjustments, starting defensive-minded Thabo Sefolosha in place of Korver and mixing in reserve forward Kris Humphries in the rotation early in the game. Budenholzer also had the Hawks intentionally foul Cleveland's Tristan Thompson, a 61 percent foul shooter, frequently. The tricks helped Atlanta take control in the first half, but the Hawks weren't able sustain it.
"We're fighting for our playoff lives right now," Horford said. "At this point, we have to make some changes, because what we've done hasn't worked."
Atlanta closed the second quarter on a 20-5 run and led 63-55 at halftime. Korver, who came off the bench for the first time since the 2012-2013 season, hit four 3-pointers in the second quarter and the Hawks went 8 of 9 from behind the 3-point arc in the second quarter.
Cleveland outrebounded Atlanta 55-28, helping the Cavs overcome 18 turnovers. The 3-pointers didn't hurt, either.
"We have some great shooters," James said. "The reason why we have great shooters, because that ball is popping; the ball has energy behind it, and guys feel confident when the ball gets to them that they can just let it go."
The Hawks are now 0-11 against Cleveland in the playoffs.
NOTES: Atlanta F Thabo Sefolosha started in place of G Kyle Korver. ... Cleveland set an NBA record for the regular season or playoffs with 25 made 3-pointers in Game 2. The Cavaliers hit 18 3-pointers in the first half and rolled to a 123-98 win. Ten Cavaliers made 3-pointers in the rout. ... Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said PG Jeff Teague had been bothered by an Achilles issue but was "close to 100 percent, if not 100 percent." ... Cleveland had held opponents below 100 points in five straight playoff games. ... The Hawks are in the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season, the longest active streak in the Eastern Conference. ... Atlanta Falcons star receiver Julio Jones was in attendance.
