King James scores 37 as Cavaliers roll over Thunder
LOS ANGELES: LeBron James scored 17 of his 37 points in the third quarter as the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers outgunned the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-112.
Cleveland held strong in the third quarter then took command in the fourth to post their second consecutive win since trading for George Hill, Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance.
“We came in with a great game plan and we executed,” said James.
They are 4-0 in their last four contests and Tuesday’s performance was a huge improvement from their last game against the Thunder.
J.R. Smith added 18 points and drained six three pointers for the Cavaliers, who lost to the Thunder 148-124 on Jan 20 with a very different roster.
Cleveland have also scored at least 120 points in four consecutive games for the first time in franchise history.
James said the new players are starting to fit in and he hopes the team doesn’t lose its momentum because of the all-star break.
“We continue to help each other out even when it doesn’t look like it is going great for us. We figure it out on the fly. The worst thing right now is us going into this break,” he said of the mid-season break, which begins tomorrow.
The game marked the return of Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony to the Thunder line-up. They both missed the last two games with ankle injuries.
Paul George scored 25 points and Anthony had 24 in the loss. Steven Adams added 22 points and 17 rebounds and Westbrook finished with 21 points.