NBA News Wire
NBA game roundup: Cavs end losing streak
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
CLEVELAND — LeBron James scored 29 points, including 16 in the first quarter, and the Cleveland Cavaliers ended a four-game losing streak with a 106-74 victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday.
The Magic posted their lowest point total of the season and the lowest managed by a Cleveland opponent.
Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao finished with 14 points, and forward Kevin Love had 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Guard Kyrie Irving had 12 points and four assists, including the first five points of the fourth quarter as the Cavs (6-7) quickly pushed the lead to 30. James added 11 assists.
James and Love both sat the entire fourth quarter, and Irving was out of the game four minutes into the fourth after the lead swelled to 33.
Trail Blazers 114, 76ers 104
PHILADELPHIA — LaMarcus Aldridge scored a season-high 33 points, 15 in the pivotal third quarter, and Portland beat winless Philadelphia for its eighth consecutive victory.
Guards Wesley Matthews added 17 points and Damian Lillard scored 16 for the Blazers, whose winning streak is their longest since they reeled off 11 straight victories in November 2013.
Guard Michael Carter-Williams notched a season-high 24 points to pace the Sixers (0-14). Guard Tony Wroten chipped in 20. Philadelphia is one loss away from equaling the slowest start in franchise history, established by the 1972-73 team, which finished 9-73. That is the worst full-season mark in NBA history.
Clippers 113, Hornets 92
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Forward Blake Griffin piled up 22 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists, and guard Chris Paul had 22 points and 15 assists as Los Angeles Clippers beat Charlotte.
Griffin’s performance came one night after he was held to a season-low 12 points and four rebounds in a loss at Memphis on Sunday. Paul’s assist total was a season high.
The Clippers led just 56-53 at halftime but pulled out to a 14-point lead early in the third quarter and maintained control the rest of the game. Charlotte never got closer than six early in the fourth quarter.
Raptors 104, Suns 100
TORONTO — Center Jonas Valanciunas scored a season-high 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Toronto held on to defeat Phoenix for its fifth win in a row.
The Raptors led by 17 points early in the fourth quarter but two free throws by guard Eric Bledsoe gave the Suns a one-point lead with about three minutes to play.
DeRozan finished with 23 points for the Raptors, guard Lou Williams scored 17 off the bench, Lowry had 14 points with eight assists and seven rebounds while forward Terrence Ross had 13. Bledsoe led Phoenix with 25 points.
Rockets 91, Knicks 86
HOUSTON — James Harden scored 12 consecutive points down the stretch to lead short-handed Houston to a win over New York at Toyota Center.
Houston, down three-fifths of its starting lineup, faced a surprisingly game challenge from the Knicks, who lost leading scorer Carmelo Anthony to back spasms at halftime. Even without Anthony, New York surged to a six-point lead in the fourth quarter before Harden carried Houston to victory with a game-high 36 points.
Harden added six rebounds, six assists and three steals to his stat line, one that included a career-high-tying seven 3-pointers. Forward Donatas Motiejunas chipped in 13 points and eight boards for Houston (11-3).
Pacers 111, Mavericks 100
DALLAS — Indiana might be missing the soul of its team with multiple starters out nursing injuries, but the Pacers keep showing they still have plenty of heart.
Guard Donald Sloan, a Dallas native, scored a game-high 29 points to lead the Pacers to a gutsy victory over Dallas at American Airlines Center.
The Pacers entered the game averaging 20 fewer points per game than the high-octane Mavs, the league’s highest-scoring team at 109.9 per contest. However, it was Indiana’s offense that stole the show with dead-eye 3-point shooting that helped produce two 30-point quarters.
Bulls 97, Jazz 95
SALT LAKE CITY — Guard Jimmy Butler scored 25 points, and forward Pau Gasol added 23 points and nine rebounds to lead Chicago to a victory over Utah.
Guard Derrick Rose chipped in 18 points in his return to the lineup for the Bulls after missing four games due to a hamstring injury. Chicago beat Utah for the ninth time in the teams’ past 12 meetings.
Forward Derrick Favors scored 21 points and pulled down a season-high 15 rebounds to lead Utah, who rallied from as many as 21 points down. Center Enes Kanter added 19 points and eight boards, and guard Trey Burke scored 18 and dished out 10 assists.
