With just 20 games separating the Cavaliers and a return to the postseason tournament, a West Coast trip was the perfect way to tune up for the final stretch run. And getting the Big Three rolling in the first win of that roadie is an ideal way to start.
Kyrie Irving led everyone with 30 points, LeBron James and Kevin Love each tallied double-doubles and every member of Cleveland’s starting lineup notched double-figures as the Cavaliers scored 66 second-half points to record the season sweep in Sacramento – a 120-111 win in their last-ever game in what’s current called Sleep Train Arena.
The Cavaliers trailed through much of the second quarter and a good portion of the third, but LeBron’s short jumper with 4:29 to play in the third period gave the Cavaliers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the way.
Kyrie did most of his damage in the third quarter – netting 10 of his 30 points as the Cavaliers shot 65 percent in the period. Overall, the three-time All-Star – who led both squads with 32 points and 12 assists in Cleveland’s February 8 win over Sacramento – went 11-for-22 from the floor to go with four assists and a steal.
LeBron followed up with 25 points, going 8-of-19 from the field and adding 11 rebounds and six assists.
Kevin Love continued to struggle shooting the ball, but his four-point play with 1:32 to play essentially iced the victory for Cleveland.
Rajon Rondo’s floater with 2:58 to play cut the Cavaliers’ nine-point lead to just one, 109-108. On Cleveland’s next possession, Love was fouled by DeMarcus Cousins and canned both free throws.
Following a Rondo miss on the Kings’ next possession, the Cavaliers missed two three-point attempts on the other end – but kept the possession alive with a pair of offensive rebounds. The third time was the charm, with Love drilling the triple from the right corner as he was being fouled by Darren Collison.
Love hit the free throw to give the Cavaliers a seven-point lead, with J.R. Smith drilling another bomb on Cleveland’s next possession to ice the victory.
Love finished with 17 points and 10 boards on Wednesday, and despite going just 2-of-8 from long-distance, etched his name in the history books with his second trey of the night – becoming the first player in NBA history to have hit 700 three-pointers and average 10.0 rebounds for his career.
Tristan Thompson had a big night on both ends of the floor, doubling-up with 18 points and a game-high 15 rebounds – seven off the offensive glass – and keeping DeMarcus Cousins, who went off for 40 points and 16 boards in his previous game, relatively in check.
With Timofey Mozgov under the weather and unable to suit up on Wednesday, Thompson drew the unenviable task of taking on Sacramento’s All-Star center. But as he’d done in their first meeting back on February 8, Thompson was able to keep Cousins – who finished with 29 points on 22 shots – from completely dominating the affair.
The Cavaliers shot just 43 percent on the night, but canned 13 three-pointers – their 34th game this season with double-digit treys – and dominated Sacramento on the boards, 51-38. After committing 25 turnovers that lead to 30 points in Monday’s loss to Memphis, the Wine and Gold committed just 14 miscues on Wednesday, leading to just nine points for the Kings.
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