Aussies shines as Cavs make it 11
AUSTRALIAN guard Kyrie Irving scored 24 points and reserve guard Matthew Dellavedova added 12, sparking the Cleveland Cavaliers to their 11th NBA victory in a row yesterday, beating Philadelphia 97-84.
The Cavs captured their seventh home triumph in the winning streak and avenged a 95-92 loss at Philadelphia last month when LeBron James was sidelined to rest a sore back and aching knees.
James contributed 18 and 11 assists and Kevin Love grabbed 15 rebounds for Cleveland, while Irving matched a game high with five assists and pulled down five rebounds.
The Cavs are only two wins shy of matching the longest winning streak in franchise history, set in the 2009-10 season before James left Cleveland to spend four years in Miami, returning last July.
While the Cavaliers rolled on, the Atlanta Hawks’ clubrecord 19-game winning streak was snapped in a 115-100 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Anthony Davis had 29 points and 13 rebounds to help New Orleans win for the sixth time in seven games, a stint that includes victories over several contending squads, including Dallas and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Jeff Teague scored 21 for Atlanta, but the Hawks fell behind by double digits in the first quarter and failed to even tie it.
Russell Westbrook’s second triple-double of the season and 10th of his career helped the Oklahoma City Thunder defeat the Orlando Magic 104 to 97 without the injured Kevin Durant.
Westbrook, an All-Star point guard, had 25 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds.
Al Jefferson had 18 points and 12 rebounds in leading the Charlotte Hornets past the Washington Wizards 92-88.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 13 points and 13 rebounds, Brian Roberts scored 18 points, and Gerald Henderson put in 17 for the Hornets, who have won six of eight. They went 10-4 in January despite losing Kemba Walker to a knee injury that will keep him sidelined at least six more weeks.
In Toronto, Khris Middleton scored 25 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks snapped a six-game losing streak against the Toronto Raptors, winning 82-75.
In New York, Jarrett Jack made a tiebreaking jumper with 1.3 seconds left, and the Brooklyn Nets used a late rally to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 102-100.
The Nets ended a sevengame home losing streak by erasing a nine-point deficit in the final 1:35, getting two three-pointers from Alan Anderson — one a four-point play — one from Joe Johnson and another from Deron Williams in his return from an 11game absence.
Monta Ellis scored 23 points as the Dallas Mavericks won their first game without point guard Rajon Rondo, beating Minnesota 100-94 in the first game in nearly three months for Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio.