LeBron James netted right on the buzzer to hand the Cleveland Cavaliers an 86-84 victory over the Chicago Bulls to tie their playoff series at 2-2.

The Bulls started the game strongly and held a narrow lead after the first quarter thanks in no small part to Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose, with Rose in particular impressing with one play to scoop the ball with his left hand for a score.

Rose continued his fine form at the start of the second quarter as the hosts began to pull away, but Kyrie Irving began to find his range along with James to bring the Cavs back level and then into a 49-45 lead at the end of the half.

However, the Bulls responded in the third as Rose notched several scores throughout the quarter, while Taj Gibson provided support to fire his team into a 68-61 lead.

JR Smith rallied the Cavaliers with a 26-foot three-pointer at the start of the fourth along with another score to bring his team level. Timofey Mozgov then displayed composure to move the visitors ahead with two free-throws.

Cleveland managed to pull five points ahead with 40 seconds left, but Butler netted a three-pointer from 24 feet to give his side hope, before Rose completed the comeback with a driving layup.

There was more one twist to the tale as James produced a clutch shot right on the buzzer to steal the victory for his team.

The two sides will meet again in game five of their Eastern Conference semi-final on Tuesday in Cleveland.