Wrap-Up – No player in the NBA this season has netted more points or has a higher scoring average in the final period than LeBron James. But on Monday night in Phoenix, Kyrie Irving reminded Cavalier fans why he’s often been dubbed “Mr. Fourth Quarter.”
After struggling to find his stroke since returning to the lineup after missing the season’s first 24 games, Cleveland’s three-time All-Star drilled a deep dagger from 26 feet with 21 seconds to play – bailing out a broken play and helping the Wine and Gold snap a two-game losing streak.
Irving’s free throws 13 seconds later sealed the 101-97 win over the Suns, a team that needed the win as badly in as the Cavaliers.
Kyrie’s late bomb – his second of the night – was one of 41 three-pointers the Cavaliers attempted on the evening, canning 17 of them. The former Blue Devil had easily his best game since rejoining the squad eight days ago – leading Cleveland with 22 points, going 7-for-16 from the floor and a perfect 6-of-6 from the stripe.
The Cavaliers came to Phoenix playing their third contest in four nights – and fresh off a 29-point drubbing one game earlier in Portland. That same night, the Suns dropped a home contest to the woeful Sixers and their head coach Jeff Hornacek saw two of his assistants fired the following day.
With such high stakes for an otherwise standard early season matchup, it was no surprise that both clubs scratched and clawed their way until the closing buzzer.
All 11 of J.R. Smith’s shot attempts were from beyond the arc, hitting five to finish with 17 points, three boards and a steal. Kevin Love, who injured his thumb midway through the third quarter but returned to action early in the fourth, followed up with 16 points, seven boards and four assists
LeBron James led both squads with seven assists, but had a quiet night offensively – netting 14 points on 4-for-10 shooting, adding a pair of steals and a blocked shot.
In an attempt to shake the squad out of its mini-funk, Coach David Blatt inserted Tristan Thompson into the starting lineup in place of Timofey Mozgov. The move paid off, as Thompson – the league’s top-rebounding reserve – led both teams with 10 boards, four off the offensive glass, while hold the Suns’ Alex Len to five points on 1-for-5 shooting.
Mozgov still managed to contribute from the bench, finishing with four points, four boards and three blocks. Richard Jefferson, however, led both squads with four swats to go with seven points and a steal. Matthew Dellavedova, back in his role as reserve, canned both three-pointers he attempted, finishing with eight points and five helpers, one more than the Suns’ leading assist man.
Phoenix got their biggest production off the bunch, with reserve guard T.J. Warren leading all scorers with 23 points, going 9-for-15 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from long-distance.
Turning Point – Midway through the fourth quarter, the Wine and Gold went up nine, 91-82, and looked as if they’d pull away from the struggling Suns – who were without their top two players: Markieff Morris, serving the second game of a two-game suspension and Eric Bledsoe, who left Saturday’s loss with a sprained left knee.
But T.J. Warren scored five straight points and Brandon Knight’s three-pointer with 1:28 to play capped a 13-5 Suns’ run to cut Cleveland’s lead to one, 96-95.
After a pair of three-point misses by the Cavaliers, the Suns appeared to take a two-point lead when Knight drilled another triple from the top of the arc. But Tyson Chandler was whistled for an illegal screen and the bucket was waived off.
After a timeout, the Cavaliers fumbled through their next possession and J.R. Smith saved the ball to Kyrie Irving, behind the arc with the shot clock winding down. Irving loaded up quickly and hit the shot that gave Cleveland a four-point lead – and just enough room to get back into the win column.
By the Numbers – 25,623; 6,473 … Career points and assists, respectively, that LeBron James has tallied over the course of his Hall of Fame career. His point total moves him past Alex English and into 17th place all-time – and now 406 points behind Kevin Garnett. His assist mark moves him past Stephon Marbury for 22nd place – three helpers away from Tiny Archibald.
Quotable – Kyrie Irving, on his game-deciding three-pointer …
“For me, it’s a little bit calmer in those moments because at the end of the day, it’s just basketball – whether it goes in or not. I had a shot prior to that where it goes in and out. I got a good look. It was one of those broken-down possessions where we were lucky, J.R. going out and K. Love gets it to me with about 1.2 and I just get it off. Those types of possessions, just the calmness about it, missed the last one but got lucky enough to make the next one.”
Up Next -The Cavaliers wrap up their West Coast trip on Tuesday night in Denver, taking on the Nuggets before returning home for a pair. On Saturday night, they welcome the Orlando Magic to The Q for the final time this season. On Wednesday, it’s a home date with the Raptors. The Cavs get right back on the road after their two-game stopover — hitting six cities in 12 days, wrapping up with all three Texas teams, including a back-to-back against the Spurs and Rockets.
