It just was not his day to take shots, as Yahoo Sports points out.
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But the Cavaliers rallied to take an 87-86 lead with a little more than six minutes left behind a three-pointer and a driving layup by Dellavedova.
LeBron James led the way with 24 points and eight assists on six of 16 shooting, Kevin Love added 21 points and 13 rebounds while JR Smith and Mo Williams added 15 points each, but the Cavs just fell short against the Raptors who had all five starters finished in double figures.
“It was kind of men against boys”, Magic coach Scott Skiles said.
“(Terry) Bradshaw, all those great quarterbacks they never compare them as much, but when it comes to our sport we’re so eager to say, ‘Who is better, Oscar or (Michael) Jordan?’ or, ‘Jordan or LeBron or Kobe (Bryant) or these guys?’ instead of just accepting greatness”. “His vision certainly sets him apart from a lot of the great players”. Give him a steady diet of running and double-teaming him or whatever, he’s going to carve you up.
James helped the Cavaliers to a 2-1 week, which included wins over the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks, behind averages of 25.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists.
James later said he “blew a gasket” without explaining what had triggered the incident.
Love scored 27 in the first half – 17 in a row in one stretch for the Cavs, who made 18 3-pointers and improved to 8-0 at home. The Staples Center treated them well, but now they head home where they hope to defeat a tougher opponent, according to Cleveland.com.
Now it remains to be seen if things are better as they face the Hornets.
In Miami, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh each scored 16 points as the Heat downed the Knicks 95-78 to end New York’s four-game winning streak. James finished with 13 assists in the game. And until he gets everyone fired up, James is unlikely to stop barking at his teammates until they are all aligned and committed to their goal this season – that of which is to win the National Basketball Association title.
“Offensively we weren’t as organized”. We held them to 90. Khris Middleton had 15 points.
Harden was 14 for 28 from the field and 16 for 20 at the line in his third career game with 50 or more points. “No one is going to put Kevin Durant out there when he’s not 100 percent ready to go”, Donovan said.
Thunder guard Russell Westbrook continued his strong play with 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. “It was more of a group effort”.
Kemba Walker had 18 points and Nicolas Batum added 17 points and eight rebounds to lead Charlotte, which fell to 4-1 on its seven-game homestand. It was his seventh double-double of the season. Tyler Johnson scored 12, and Hassan Whiteside had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Before the media was granted postgame locker room access, the players addressed a lack of toughness, heart and defensive awareness displayed in the fourth quarter Wednesday.
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“It’s not easy defending in this league”, Spoelstra said.
