Love plays big as Cavs cool off Heat
Lebron gets ejected from game for first time in career
W L Pct GB L10 13 6 .684 — 14 7 .667 — 12 9 .571 2 10 9 .526 3
3 16 .158 10
CLEVELAND — Kevin Love scored 32 of his 38 points in the first half, Lebron James was ejected for the first time in his career and the Cleveland Cavaliers extended their longest winning streak since 2015 to nine games by downing the Miami Heat 108-97 on Tuesday.
Love had his way with every defender Miami put on him, finishing 10 of 16 from the field and 14 of 17 on free throws. He scored 22 in the first quarter and the Cavs opened a 27-point lead before halftime.
James added 21 points before he was slapped with two technical fouls by referee Ken Fitzgerald and tossed with 1:59 left in the third quarter and the Cavsleadingby23.itwasthe firsttimejameswasthrownout in 1,082 career games.
Dwyane Wade added 17 points for Cleveland, which has shaken off a slow start and is again playing like the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.
Dion Waiters scored 21 and Bam Adebayo had 19 for the Heat, who had won three in a row. Goran Dragic finished with just seven points — 12 below his team-leading scoring average.
With the Cavs leading 93-70, Jamesdrovetothebasketand missed a layup while getting bumped by James Johnson and Waiters. James felt there should Str Home Away Conf have been a foul called and he stormed after Fitzgerald and screamed at the official, who quickly blew his whistle twice and pointed for the superstar to leave the floor.
The Heat closed to 93-76 early in the fourth, but Wade scored Cleveland’s first six points in the quarter and fed Kyle Korver for a 3-pointer to give Cleveland a 102-79 lead.
At Salt Lake City, Derrick Favors scored 24 points, and Utah matched a season high with its third straight victory. Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell added 16 points and Jonas Jerebko had
15.
Jazz 106, Nuggets 77 — Bucks 112, Kings 87 —
At Sacramento, Calif., Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 19 of his 32 points in the third quarter, helping Milwaukee win for the second time in five games. The Bucks led by as many as 36.
At Chicago, Devin Booker scored 33 points and Phoenix snapped a three-game losing streak. Chicago is a league-worst 3-16 after dropping its sixth straight game.
At Minneapolis, Otto Porter Jr. hit a 22-foot jumper with 25 seconds remaining to lift Washington to a win after the team trailed nearly the entire fourth quarter.
Suns 104, Bulls 99 — Wizards 92, Timberwolves 89—