But the Cavaliers came to their senses after a rough first quarter – combining for 98 points over the next three, holding off the scrappy Celtics to earn the 120-103 win to take the season series against the squad they swept out of the playoffs last spring.
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The Cavs led by 20 at the half and extended it to as many as 30 in the fourth quarter, a complete reversal from last Sunday in Washington when the Wizards led the Cavs by 30 in the fourth.
Former MVP LeBron James is 29 points away from passing Tim Duncan (26.369) for 14th spot in all-time scoring.
Just a solid game all-around for Kyrie Irving, who shot 7-for-13 for 20 points.
Following an unusual two-day break in their schedule, James and the Cavaliers returned to practice on Thursday to prepare for a stretch of three games in four nights. Boston’s 35 tied the most points Cleveland has allowed in an opening quarter all season. As a team, it was the 33rd time this season that the Cavaliers knocked down double-digit treys.
Per Kerr-Dineen, Smith then said on ESPN’s First Take (starting at the 11-minute mark) that he doesn’t expect LeBron to opt out, at least until the Cavs win a title: “I will tell you this: LeBron never once promised to retire a Cleveland Cavalier”.
View photos from The Q. Kevin Love rested against the same opponents on Friday. Now LeBron James is commenting about missing the company of close friends.
Up four after one quarter, the Cavs extended their lead to 59-42 at intermission.
On a night when the Cavaliers honored their 1975-76 “Miracle of Richfield” team – center Jim Chones played the national anthem on bass and original coach Bill Fitch and play-by-play man Joe Tait were among those in the house – Cleveland systematically destroyed the Washington Wizards 108-83 Friday at Quicken Loans Arena. In addition, the Wizards couldn’t do anything to stop LeBron in transition as he was able to get into the paint at ease resulting in easy baskets for the Cavs.
In ATS trends, the Celtics are 6-0 ATS in their last six games against a team with a winning record and 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games overall, while the Cavs are 1-4 ATS in their last five home games and 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall. The Celtics hit 7 of their first 10 triples and built an early 18-point lead.
He simply changed positions and the Cavaliers shifted into high gear. Shump’s free throws 53 seconds later gave Cleveland a one-point edge heading into halftime. His streak began on January 6, 2007. The four-time MVP is third on that illustrious all-time list, trailing only Michael Jordan (866) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (787). The bench as a whole shot 13 for 33, struggling to fight off Cleveland’s bench additions from Thompson and Dellavedova.
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Cleveland Cavaliers’ Timofey Mozgov, from Russian Federation, dunks the ball against the Washington Wizards in the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 4, 2016, in Cleveland. On Wednesday, the Cavs take on the Kings in Sacramento, followed by a meeting with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in L.A. the following night. The Boston Celtics went through it with Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, as did the Heat.
