Spurs 122, Cavaliers 101

CLEVELAND — Guard Danny Green scored 24 points to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 122-101 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night at Quicken Loans Arena.

Green, drafted by the Cavs in 2009, converted 7 of 12 shots from the field and 3 of 7 from behind the arc.

The 6-foot-6 guard was waived by the Cavs in 2010. He has found a home in San Antonio, which has won nine in a row against Cleveland.

The Spurs (44-16) also got 18 points and five rebounds from forward Kawhi Leonard and 16 points from both Patty Mills and Boris Diaw.

Cavs guard Dion Waiters, playing in his first game since Feb. 18 at Philadelphia, had 24 points. He had missed the previous seven games with a hyperextended left knee.

All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving added 24 points, four rebounds and six assists for the Cavs. Center Spencer Hawes posted a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett added 14 points for the Cavs.

In two games against the Spurs this season, the Cavs (24-38) have lost by a combined 51 points.

It was the Cavs’ second consecutive loss and they fell four games behind No. 8 Atlanta in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Time is quickly running out on the Cavs, who have just 20 games remaining in the 2013-14 season.

The Spurs’ bench outscored the Cavs’ reserves 60-39.

The Cavs shot 48.1 percent from the field and the Spurs finished at 47.8 percent.

Cavs coach Mike Brown ran out on the court and received a technical foul with 7:27 left in the third quarter after a no-call on a shot by forward Tristan Thompson.

If he was trying to fire up his troops, it did not work.

The Spurs extended their lead to 85-68 after three quarters.

Mills scored 10 points in the second quarter, helping San Antonio take a 50-40 lead at halftime.

The Spurs outscored the Cavs 37-17 in the second quarter. They shot a blistering 59 percent from the field (13 of 22) in the quarter. The Cavs committed six turnovers in the second quarter.

San Antonio made its first six 3-pointers in the second quarter.

Waiters had nine of his 13 first-half points in the second quarter.

Hawes pulled down nine rebounds as the Cavs led 21-20 after the first quarter.

The Cavs played suffocating defense in the first quarter when they held the Spurs to 23.8 percent shooting from the field. Forward Luol Deng’s seven points helped the Cavs take a 23-13 lead after 12 minutes.

NOTES: Cavaliers G Dion Waiters played with C Spencer Hawes for the first time on Tuesday. Hawes’ 3-point shooting improved the spacing of the Cavaliers’ offense, which should open up driving lanes for players like Waiters, F Luol Deng and G Kyrie Irving. “I’m excited just to lace ’em (up) and make the playoff push we’ve got a chance to make,” said Waiters, who missed the previous seven games with a hyperextended left knee. … The All-Star point guards are similar in many ways. San Antonio’s Tony Parker and Irving both rely on darting quickness, uncanny speed and great ball-handling skills. “(Parker is) a relentless guy when it comes to utilizing his speed against teams,” Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. … Parker missed the previous six games with general soreness before facing the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. He had 22 points and seven assists in his first game since Feb. 10. … The Cavaliers signed F/C Arinze Onuaku to a second 10-day contract. The 6-foot-9, 275-pounder appeared in one game during the first 10 days and did not score.