“That’s what it’s all about”.
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The Spurs’ last loss at home came against the Cavaliers in March 2015, when point guard Kyrie Irving scored 57 points to lead the visitors to 128-125 win in overtime. He was limited to just 11 points on 2-of-10 shooting. On the offensive end, Parker poured in 18 of his 24 points in the first two quarters to keep San Antonio within striking distance. Kawhi Leonard was able to contain LeBron James in the first couple of minutes, but Kevin Love and JR Smith started the game a combined 4-for-4 and the Spurs quickly went down 10-2. “I was rolling, so they went with me”. “And we do it as a team everybody is involved everybody is playing great”. Other games this season have been more exciting, but it’s arguable that none have been so well played. Even though we were down six at halftime, our energy was better. “We could have executed better but it’s tough to do against San Antonio”, forward LeBron James told reporters after seeing an early 15-point lead dissipate. San Antonio missed three of its first four shots and looked out of sync but found its stride via a 9-2 run that cut the Cleveland advantage to 13-11 at the 5:39 mark. In fact, ESPN Stats and Info tweeted James’ is successful against everyone but Leonard.
Despite the fact that the Cavaliers showed promise, as they started off strong outscoring the Spurs, 32-20 in the first quarter, their success did not last long.
As of Friday, the Spurs are now 35-6, the second best in the league, just tailing the 37-3 of the Golden State Warriors, and are an immaculate 23-0 at the AT&T Center, their homecourt.
LaMarcus Aldridge’s transition into becoming a Spur was not as easy as many people would have thought but he seems to be finding his grove now.
James produced a usage percentage (a possession ending in a shot attempt, foul drawn or turnover) of 10 percent when guarded by Leonard in Cleveland’s half-court offense.
“It’s just not playing against LeBron or a top-tier guy”.
“We got opportunities I thought; we didn’t make shots”.
James had 22 points, five assists and seven boards, while Leonard matched him with 20 points, five assists and 10 boards.
Mario Chalmers made a jumper with less than a second remaining as the Memphis Grizzlies prevailed 103-101 against the Detroit Pistons, and the Sacramento Kings beat the Utah Jazz by the same scoreline. San Antonio gave the ball away 12 times, leading to just six points. Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich praised Parker and his play against Irving.
“Tony has carried us a lot this year because of his two way play”.
“But now that they’re there, it makes me want to be there for the young guys”. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 197 points.
The Cavs kept Harden from having a big impact on the game with their effort and desire.
Bradley Beal added 22 points for the Wizards (19-19), who matched their season scoring high on the way to a fourth consecutive victory.
“One of the best opponents we could play against”. “They were being more physical than us”.
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The Cavs were presented with a challenge, and they overcame it. Needless to say, with the Warriors coming to Cleveland on Monday, they’ll need a more well-rounded effort to beat the defending champs.
