Irving’s jumper lifts Cavs over Warriors
LOS ANGELES: Kyrie Irving’s turnaround jump shot over Klay Thompson with 3.4 seconds left lifted the NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers to a 109-108 Christmas Day triumph over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. The rematch of last June’s NBA Finals headlined the league’s holiday slate, and didn’t disappoint. The Cavaliers-who rallied from 3-1 down in the championship series last season to deny the Warriors a second straight title-trailed most of the game and were down by as many as 14 earlier in the fourth quarter.
LeBron James’s rim-rattling dunk with 1:43 to play put Cleveland up 105-103 their first lead since early in the first quarter-and Irving capped the comeback with a clutch shot that recalled his championship-winning threepointer in the final minute of game seven last June. “He’s just a killer on the court,” Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue said. A beaming Irving said it was the perfect holiday treat. “It’s nothing like the playoffs,” Irving said, “but the intensity was up there. This is what you want to be a part of as a professional.” Irving finished with 25 points, while James had 31 points and 13 rebounds.
Kevin Love had 20 points and six rebounds for the Cavs. Kevin Durant, who arrived at Golden State as a free agent in the off-season, was superb in his first appearance in the Warriors-Cavs rivalry. Durant scored 36 points and pulled down 15 rebounds. But after Irving’s key basket he was unable to get off a potentially gamewinning shot, getting tangled with Richard Jefferson and hitting the floor. No foul was called and time ran out.
“I was trying to make a move. I didn’t fall on my own,” an irked Durant said. Thompson scored 24 points and Draymond Green added 16 despite foul trouble. NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry scored 15 points but connected on just four of 11 from the floor. It was a modest showing for the prolific Curry, but his three-pointer with 1:14 to play put Golden State up 108-105. Curry gestured to the Cleveland crowd in celebration, but it proved to be too soon. “We’re mad, man,” Thompson said. “The way we lost that game, we gave them a gift.”
THUNDER 112, TIMBERWOLVES 100
Russell Westbrook had 31 points and 15 assists in Oklahoma City’s victory over Minnesota. Westbrook had 10 assists in the second half, but fell short of becoming the first Thunder player to score at least 40 points in four straight games. Steven Adams added 22 points, and Enes Kanter had 20. Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with 26 points, and Andrew Wiggins had 23.
LAKERS 111, CLIPPERS 102
Nick Young and Timofey Mozgov scored 19 points apiece as the Lakers snapped their 11-game losing streak in their rivalry with the Clippers. Lou Williams and D’Angelo Russell added 14 points each for the Lakers, who hadn’t beaten their Staples Center cotenants since opening night of 2013-14. The streak was tied for the Lakers’ longest against any team since moving to Los Angeles a half-century ago, and it was the Clippers’ longest active winning streak against any opponent. But with Clippers cornerstones Blake Griffin and Chris Paul sidelined by injuries, the Lakers had a seasonhigh seven scorers in double digits. They surged from a halftime deficit to an 18-point lead during a dynamite third quarter for their second win in 14 games.
CELTICS 119, KNICKS 114
Isaiah Thomas scored 27 points, Marcus Smart made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 47 seconds left after Boston blew a late lead, and the Celtics beat New York. The Knicks wiped out a late nine-point deficit with an out-of-nowhere 11-2 run in a little more than a minute, but Smart answered with his shot and Avery Bradley and Al Horford also made big defensive plays. Jae Crowder and Kelly Olynyk each had 16 points to help the Celtics win for the fifth time in six games. Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points and Derrick Rose had 25 for the Knicks. They fell to 22-29 in their NBA-record 51 Christmas appearances.
SPURS 119, BULLS 100
LaMarcus Aldridge had a season-high 33 points and San Antonio beat Chicago. Kawhi Leonard added 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Tony Parker had 13 points and eight assists. Chicago rallied from a 20point deficit to lead by three points midway through the third quarter but could not sustain the push, taking its third straight loss. Dwyane Wade led the Bulls with 24 points, including 10 in the final quarter. Jimmy Butler added 19 points. — Agencies