It was the second straight notable outing for Irving, considering he scored 25 points Monday against the Toronto Raptors.
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Kyrie Irving looked plenty healthy while going toe-to-toe with one of the best point guards in the Eastern Conference on Monday. “If he continues to play the way he’s been playing, but also progress in his game over the years, he can do something that’s very special”.
LeBron James doesn’t want to put too much pressure on the kid, even though Kyrie Irving already has three All-Star appearances and an All-Star MVP on his resume.
Guard JR Smith made a season-high eight three-pointers to score 24, while forward Kevin Love had 14 points and nine rebounds, and center Tristan Thompson had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavs, who improved to 15-1 at home.
“They play as hard and as together as anyone in the league, except for San Antonio”, Raptors coach Dwane Casey said.
“We wanted to make a statement not only for ourselves but to the rest of the league”, Irving said.
The Wizards were led by John Wall who scored 35 pts and dished out 10 assists. They went scoreless for more than four minutes, allowing Cleveland to turn a seven-point game into a blowout.
The Cavaliers ended the quarter on a 19-7 run, giving the Cavs a twelve point lead at halftime. But James’ 3-pointer to close the third pushed the lead back to 90-78 and the Cavs weren’t threatened again.
On Monday night, the fifth-year forward notched his second straight double-double (his seventh this season) with a 14-point, 11-rebound outing in just 31 minutes of action against his hometown team.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving shoots as Washington Wizards forward Jared Dudley (1) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Washington.
There was little award winning about Wall’s early performance in the rematch and first meeting of the season against Irving, who missed the opening weeks of the season following knee surgery.
James registered a game-high 34 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. “Kyrie did awesome things”. In his first two games against Miami this season, Anthony shot 10 of 29 and totaled 32 points. He had a quiet night against Cleveland in the season’s first matchup, but tallied at least 20 points in three straight games before struggling on Sunday against Miami.
NEW YORK – Jae Crowder scored a career-high 25 points, and Boston rode its most productive first quarter of the season to a victory over Brooklyn.
Then his surgically-repaired left knee took a blow Saturday night when he dove after a loose ball with the Cavs leading the Orlando Magic by 20.
Indiana’s Paul George had 20 points and Monta Ellis scored nine of his 19 in the fourth quarter to lead the Pacers over Orlando 95-86.
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“It will either (tick) you off or it can scare you to death”, Magic coach Scott Skiles said of his team’s skid against Cleveland. “When I’m able to play like that and get other guys shots and be aggressive, (that’s what matters)”.
