LeBron James’ runner in the lane with one second left allowed the Cleveland Cavaliers to hold on for a 90-88 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.
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While Charlotte looks to win its eighth straight home game, LeBron James will try to help the Cleveland Cavaliers avoid their fourth consecutive road loss Friday night by extending his personal 20-game winning streak against the Hornets that includes the postseason.
For Smith, unfortunately, there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary about his ill-advised foul on Joe Johnson’s 3-point attempt with 15.2 seconds left and the Cavs up by three. But it was the nature of his final shot – an 8-foot, driving hook shot over the 7-foot Brook Lopez – that made it unique.
The four-time MVP had 25 points and nine assists, while J.R. Smith hit seven 3-pointers as Cleveland capped a three-game sweep in last season’s series with a 129-90 home win January 23.
Joseph beats buzzer with 3 as Raptors beat Wizards: Cory Joseph made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Toronto Raptors an 84-82 victory over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.
DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points but played the role of passer on the Raptors’ final possession.
Leandro Barbosa added 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting, including 5 for 5 on threes. Al Horford scored 16, Kent Bazemore had 14, Kyle Korver added 13 and Mike Muscala 11.
Neither team shot well, with Cleveland finishing at 42 percent from the field and Charlotte 41.3.
Rudy Gay top-scored for the Kings with 20 points, but it was on the back of seven-of-20 shooting. Thaddeus Young had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Nets. In a matchup of the NBA’s top two rebounding teams, the No. 2 Thunder outrebounded the No. 1 Pistons, 58-38. Khris Middleton had 15 points.
Love reeled off 17 straight during a five-minute burst of scoring in the second quarter that included a trio of three-pointers.
First, with his four assists, Kemba Walker passed Baron Davis for fourth on the list of Charlotte’s all-time assists leaders.
LaMarcus Aldridge added 13 points and Tim Duncan had 10 points and 18 rebounds for San Antonio, which has won 11 of 12. He nailed all three and it was a tie game, 88-88.
Danilo Gallinari had 16 points for the Nuggets, who have lost five in a row.
So while Cleveland remains confident and hopeful to sustain their winning ways at home, they must also mentally prepare themselves as aggressively as possible every game. His good friend Chris Paul was equally frustrated Wednesday after his Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Utah Jazz, dropping the Clippers to 7-8 and the eighth seed in the West – although clearly it’s too early to start worrying about playoff rankings. Not only are the Cavaliers a big favorite versus the Nets, they’ve been undefeated at home thus far in the season.
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As Charlotte’s primary defender in previous seasons, forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s (out for the season after shoulder surgery) presence might not solve Charlotte’s rebounding issues, but it would improve.
