The Cavaliers have had no problem putting up points this year and, even during their recent rough patch, have averaged over 118 points per game over their last five games.
On Sunday, against one of the most explosive players in recent memory, the Wine and Gold got defensive, holding the Thunder to 37 percent shooting and their superstar guard, Russell Westbrook, to 7-for-26 shooting – winning their second straight, 107-91, on a snowy afternoon at The Q.
Both teams got off to a sluggish start, but the Wine and Gold heated up in the second quarter – notching 37 points in the period and giving themselves some breathing room early in the second half. The Thunder got within a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but the Cavs pulled away down the stretch to ice their second straight win.
Kyrie Irving and LeBron James combined for 54 points – each notching a double-double in Cleveland’s fifth straight win over OKC. But it was Tristan Thompson and Iman Shumpert’s play on both ends that helped seal the deal.
Thompson notched a season-high 19 points, going 7-for-15 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the stripe – adding 12 boards, six off the offensive glass, and leading both teams with four blocked shots and four steals.
Shumpert had the unenviable task of guarding Westbrook – the league’s leading MVP candidate who’s hoping to become the first player to average a triple-double since 1961/62. The mercurial ninth-year guard – and the league’s leading scorer – did manage to notch his NBA-best 24th trifecta on Sunday afternoon, but Shump made him work for it.
On the afternoon, Westbrook finished with 20 points, 12 boards and 10 assists. But he missed 19 of his 26 shot attempts, including a 1-for-6 mark from beyond the arc.
Shump had no such problem from long range – going 5-of-8 from deep, 5-of-11 overall from the floor, adding three boards and a steal. Since being reinserted in the starting lineup on 13 January, the former Georgia Tech stand-out is 25-of-48 from long distance.
Kyrie led both teams with 29 points and dished out a team-best 10 assists in the win – going 12-for-22 from the floor, adding three boards and a steal. Over his last four games, the sixth-year guard is averaging 31.5 points per game.
LeBron James continued his excellence against the Thunder on Sunday afternoon – finishing with 25 points on 9-for-18 shooting to go with a game-high 14 boards, eight assists and a steal. His 29.3 ppg average in 24 career games against OKC is second only to the 29.5 ppg he’s posted in 44 games against Boston.
Kevin Love was limited to just 12 minutes of action on Sunday – suffering lower-back spasms in the second quarter that sidelined him for the rest of the afternoon. He didn’t make the trip to Dallas and will be examined at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health on Monday.
Turning Point:
The Cavaliers did their damage in the final moments of the first half and spent the second stanza fending off any possible Thunder uprisings.
With 2:54 to play in the second quarter, the game was tied at 43 apiece when the Cavaliers went off – keyed by a pair of triples by Iman Shumpert – closing the first half on a 15-2 run. Up 13 at the break, the Wine and Gold would score the first five points of the third period – putting OKC behind the 8-ball the rest of the way.
By the Numbers:
20,019 … points that LeBron James has now scored in a Cavaliers uniform – the first player in franchise history to top the 20,000-point mark. He’s one of just four active players who’ve scored that amount of points with one organization – joining Dirk Nowitzki with Dallas, Paul Pierce with Boston and Dwyane Wade with the Heat.
Quotable:
LeBron James, on Tristan Thompson’s defensive improvement …
”Every aspect of his game has grown, from pick and popping to pick and rolling to catching the ball in the paint and spraying out for threes, to switching on guards – every experience. Experience is the best teacher. He’s gotten that and he’s taken advantage.”
Up Next:
The Cavaliers close out January with their 13th Western Conference foe of the month – taking on Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks on Monday night. On Wednesday, they stop over at The Q to take on the Timberwolves before embarking on a four-game trip – facing off against the Knicks on Saturday, followed by the Wizards on Monday and closing out with a back to back against the Pacers next Wednesday and a rematch with the Thunder the following night.
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