Wrap-Up – For the second straight contest at The Q, the Wine and Gold were pushed to the limit. And for the second straight game, they weathered the storm to keep their undefeated streak alive.
Cleveland made it seven straight with Tuesday’s white-knuckle win over the stubborn Utah Jazz, who refused to go away in the closing quarter before eventually succumbing to LeBron James’ final flurry – falling, 118-114, at Quicken Loans Arena.
The Cavaliers’ four-time MVP did a little bit of everything down the stretch – notching 17 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter, going 6-of-8 from the floor to go with four boards, three assists and a steal. On the night, LeBron was 11-for-19 from the field and 8-of-12 from the stripe, adding a game-high eight assists, seven rebounds and a pair of steals.
The fourth quarter of Tuesday’s game was a perfect microcosm of a wild night at The Q.
Alec Burks free throws early in the fourth tied the affair at 83-apiece. Burks’ layup on the next possession would trigger a 12-3 Jazz run that saw them take a nine-point edge with seven minutes to play. But Kevin Love’s three-pointer keyed Cleveland’s rally – one that saw LeBron burst through the hold of Utah’s Rodney Hood, who was trying to intentionally foul him, and score on an and-1 to get the Cavs to within a point.
LeBron’s next and-1, with 2:20 remaining, capped a Cleveland run that put the Cavaliers up seven, 107-100 – and it looked like the Wine and Gold would coast to the finish line. But Hood canned a three-pointer followed by a quick layup from Derrick Favors to put the Jazz back in business.
It was back-and-forth until the closing seconds as Utah tried to get over the hump. But Mo Williams went 3-of-4 from the line in the final eight seconds of regulation to preserve the win.
Williams was nearly perfect on the evening – going 8-of-9 from the floor, including 4-of-4 from beyond the arc and 9-of-10 from the line, finishing with a season-high 29 points to go with six boards, six assists and a pair of steals.
Kevin Love – who took a scary fall on a fastbreak layup attempt in the third quarter – followed up with 22 points and eight boards.
Matthew Dellavedova chipped in with nine points off the bench, with Tristan Thompson adding eight points, seven boards and three blocks – all in the fourth quarter.
The victory – closing out a four-game homestand – gives the Wine and Gold a 25-1 mark at The Q dating back to last January 19. They’ve won 34 of their last 35 home games in which they’ve topped the 100-point plateau and are now 16-1 in their last 17 games against the Western Conference.
Turning Point – As potent as the Cavaliers’ offense can be this season, it was a pair of defensive plays by Tristan Thompson that turned the game on Tuesday.
The Jazz erased a seven-point Cavs’ lead late in the third quarter and had completely swung momentum their way – opening the fourth on an 11-3 run and opening up an eight-point lead.
LeBron cut Utah’s lead to six on a layup, and two possession later, Thompson swatted guard Trey Burke on consecutive attempts – energizing both the crowd and his squad. Less than 90 seconds later, Kevin Love canned a trey to key the Cavs’ late run as they pulled away (then hung on) for their seventh straight.
By the Numbers – 602 … three-pointers Kevin Love has now hit over the course of his career – joining the legendary Larry Bird as one of just two players in NBA history to tally 600 treys and average over 10.0 rebounds.
Quotable – Coach David Blatt, on LeBron James’ performance on Tuesday night …
“He is the greatest player in the game and I don’t think there’s anyone with a higher basketball I.Q. or a better understanding of the moment. Unquestionably, in the first half, he wasn’t as engaged as we would’ve liked him to be or as engaged as he normally would be and I think he just understood the moment as he would do. He took over the game and lifted the rest of the guys with him. He did the things that a great, great player like only him could do.”
Up Next – After wrapping up their four-game homestand with a win over the Jazz, the Wine and Gold hit the road for the next three – beginning with Thursday night’s rematch with Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks at the Garden. The following night, the Cavs complete the back-to-back when they travel to Milwaukee to take on Jason Kidd’s young Bucks. After a quick stopover back in C-Town, the Cavs head to Detroit for their first meeting of the season with the Pistons. The next game back at The Q is that Thursday night, when the Bucks make their way to Cleveland.
