Kyrie hits game-winner (again) as Cavs rally to stun Warriors
CLEVELAND – The Golden State Warriors still can’t close out Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Irving’s turnaround jumper over Klay Thompson with 3.4 seconds left gave the Cavs a thrilling 109-108 victory Sunday in an NBA Finals rematch after the Cavs trailed by 14 earlier in the fourth quarter.
The Warriors led most of the game and extended their lead to 94-80 with LeBron James resting on the bench early in the fourth. But James’ rim-rattling dunk with 1:43 left gave the Cavs a 105-103 lead – their first since early in the first quarter – and Irving finished off the stunning comeback with a turnaround jumper. It was reminiscent of his championship-winning three-pointer in the final minute of Game 7 last June when the Cavs became the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 deficit to stun Golden State. They did it again Sunday. Irving finished with 25 points, while James had 31 points and 13 rebounds. Kevin Love had 20 points and six rebounds.
Kevin Durant was sensational in his first chapter of the best rivalry in the NBA. Durant scored 36 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, but couldn’t get off a chance at a game winner following Irving’s basket. The Warriors inbounded to Durant, who got tangled up with Richard Jefferson and lost his balance. He fell to the floor on a no-call as time ran out again on the Warriors.
Klay Thompson scored 24 points and Draymond Green had 16 points while fighting foul trouble. Steph Curry scored 15 points on 4-of-11 shooting, although his 3-pointer with 1:14 left put the Warriors ahead, 108-105. Curry turned to the crowd with three fingers raised in celebration, but much like in June, the Cavs weren’t finished.
James scored 15 points in the third quarter to keep the Cavs close and Irving scored 14 in the fourth to finish off the comeback.
It was the 18th meeting in the last 24 months between these two heavyweights. They’ll do it all again on Martin Luther King Day next month at Oracle Arena.
Though this was a statement victory that marked the Cavs’ fourth straight win over the Warriors, there was no sense of satisfaction after the game, nor was there talk of a Finals three-quel that would be the first in NBA history.
“It’s December 25th,” Irving said. “We’ve got a ways before we even start considering the carryover or anything else like that. It’s just a Christmas Day game, another classic with a great team. It’s exciting. It’s just all respect when we go out there and play. Just high level players making high level plays.”
“The competition is what you live for,” James said. “It’s always fun when you get an opportunity to play on Christmas, and it’s even that much more fun to be home. It lived up to what everybody wanted it to.” Indeed it did.
(Akron Beacon Journal/TNS)
Lakers 111, Clippers 102
Los Angeles Lakers guard Nick Young nailed the three-pointer, then trotted down the court as he does after all of them, with his tongue hanging out as his hands signaled with three fingers to show what he’d just contributed.
Young’s shot came near the end of the Lakers’ victory over the Clippers at Staples Center, the first time in 12 meetings that the Lakers topped the other franchise in town.
“Where we’re at right now and where the Clippers are at is two different places,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said. “They’re one of the few teams in this league that’s competing for an NBA championship right now.”
Seven Lakers scored in double figures – every starter and reserves Brandon Ingram and Lou Williams. Starting center Timofey Mozgov and Young led the Lakers with 19 points each. It was the first time this season, and the first time since April 12, 2015, that all five Lakers starter scored in double figures.
Clippers guards J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford each scored 22 points, but Redick didn’t play the fourth quarter because of a sore hamstring.
The Lakers took their first lead in the third quarter, as they scored the first 13 points to open the period. While the Clippers threatened after that, they never reclaimed the lead.
Historically, the series is lopsided in favor of the Lakers. They wore a nod to being the city’s marquee franchise on their chests, whether intentional or not. The Lakers’ white jerseys said simply “Los Angeles,” in a purple script. The Clippers’ said “LA Clippers.”
But the Clippers 11-game winning streak heading into Sunday’s game was the longest winning streak any team has had against the Lakers since they moved to Los Angeles, and they had won 15 of 16 in the series.
“I think it was needed,” Walton said. “It’s one win. We all know that’s not that big of a deal in the long NBA season, but for us, it felt nice to get this one back home. Been a tough couple weeks. We really had to come together to win that game tonight.”
(Los Angeles Times/TNS)
Spurs 119, Bulls 100
LaMarcus Aldridge hit his first 11 shots from the floor on the way to a season-high 33 points in leading San Antonio to a wild home victory over Chicago .
Kawhi Leonard added 25 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who built a 20-point first-quarter lead but gave it all back and more by midway through the third quarter, when it trailed 70-67.
The Spurs then blew past the Bulls in the final 16 minutes.
Chicago was led by Dwayne Wade’s 24 points.
Celtics 119, Knicks 114
Marcus Smart hit the tie-breaking three-pointer with 47.8 seconds left as Boston blew a 13-point lead before escaping Madison Square Garden with a victory over New York.
The Celtics seemingly had their fifth win in six games secure when they led 112-104 with two minutes left.
They wound up needing Smart’s clutch shot because the Knicks ripped off eight straight points and forged a 112-112 deadlock with a Carmelo Anthony layup with 66 seconds remaining.
Thunder 112, Timberwolves 100
Russell Westbrook had 32 points and 15 assists to lead Oklahoma City over Minnesota.
Westbrook made 11-of-25 shots from the field and grabbed seven rebounds, while center Steven Adams added 22 points and Enes Kanter came off the bench to drop 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor.
Karl Anthony Towns paced the Timberwolves with 26 points and eight rebounds. Andrew Wiggins scored 23 points and Zach LaVine added 16 for Minnesota. (Reuters)