With Tuesday’s disappointing loss to Houston fresh in their minds and a big showdown in Atlanta set for Friday night, the Cavaliers (53-22) needed a solid win to build on as they hosted the shorthanded Nets.
And that’s exactly what they got – avenging a road loss from the week before by trouncing Brooklyn, 107-87, on Thursday night at The Q.
After a slow start, the Wine and Gold found their groove in the second quarter, outscoring the Nets, 34-17, in the period and taking a 24-point lead into the locker room. In the third quarter, they upped their advantage to 28 points – allowing all five starters to watch the fourth quarter from the sidelines.
After going 13-for-16 against the Nets in last Thursday night’s loss, LeBron was again the model of efficiency against Brooklyn – going 8-of-11 from the floor (or at least the painted part of the floor, with all eight field goals coming from the restricted area) for a game-high 24 points to go with 11 assists, four boards, two steals and a blocked shot.
With his second bucket late in the first quarter, James passed Dominique Wilkins for 12th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, with only 21 points separating him and Oscar Robertson for 11th place on the list. Thursday’s outing was also LeBron’s 11th point-assist double-double of the season – with the Wine and Gold going 11-0 in those games.
Kevin Love notched his fifth straight double-double – and 33rd of the year – finishing with 19 points and 10 boards, going 6-of-10 from the floor and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Channing Frye pitched in with 13 points and eight boards off the bench, going an even 5-of-10 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from long-distance.
Timofey Mozgov and Kyrie Irving each added 10 points apiece – although Mozgov went 4-of-6 from the floor and Irving, 4-of-14. Movgov added seven boards and a pair of blocks; Irving, three assists, two boards, an assist and a blocked shot.
The Nets gave All-Star big man, Brook Lopez, the night off and started former Cavalier, Henry Sims in his place. The Nets featured five players in double-figures – led by Thaddeus Young’s 18 point, eight-rebound effort.
The Cavaliers shot 44 percent from the floor and canned 12 treys in the win – extending their franchise-high streak to 13 straight contests. Cleveland has also now canned a franchise-record 194 triples in the month of March, eclipsing the previous mark of 184, set last March.
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