For three quarters, the Cleveland Cavaliers (24-7) bullied the Boston Celtics (19-14).
Then the fourth quarter rolled around, and the defending NBA champions came unglued.
Although they led by 18 points through 36 minutes, the Cavaliers' lead shrunk to a single point down the stretch, and they had to scratch and claw for every bucket in the fourth quarter to secure a 124-118 win at Quicken Loans Arena on Thursday night.
LeBron James finished with 23 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, but he wasn't the focal point of the Cavs offense on a night when he nearly recorded his fourth triple-double of the season.
That designation belonged to Kyrie Irving—who recorded a game-high 32 points and 12 assists. Irving also bailed out the Cavs with a couple of clutch driving layups over the final 90 seconds of regulation.
Kevin Love added 30 points on 10-of-22 shooting to go along with 15 rebounds, and he was lethal in catch-and-shoot situations all night. According to Synergy Sports, Love is shooting 50 percent on spot-up jumpers and generating a league-high 1.59 points per possession on plays that end ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Alec Nathan
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