Cavs make it 10 in a row
ATLANTA— LeBron James had yet another doubledouble, took command of a challenging defensive assignment and stuck around to see the end of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 10th straight victory, 121-114 over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night.
James had 24 points and 12 assists, and Kevin Love had 25 points and 16 rebounds to help Cleveland hold off Atlanta to extend the NBA’s longest active winning streak. It was James’ 14th double-double in 22 games.
James had frequent exchanges with the officials but avoided serious confrontations following his first ejection in 1,082 career games Tuesday night in a home victory over the Miami Heat.
Dennis Schroder, who led Atlanta with 27 points, blew past Cavaliers guard Jose Calderon to score on three straight layups to give Atlanta a 67-58 lead late in the first half. James took over primary defensive duties on Schroder to close the half and continued covering the super-quick guard in the second half.
The Cavaliers, who lost 117115 at home to the Hawks on Nov. 4, ended a streak of three straight losses in the series.
Cleveland trailed 67-63 at halftime despite making 8 of 17 3-pointers. The Cavaliers finished with 18 3s, giving them 11 straight games with 10 or more long-range shots.
The Cavaliers took the lead by outscoring the Hawks 36-23 in the third quarter. Love had 12 points while making three 3s in the period.
Cleveland stretched its lead to double figures for the first time at 90-79 on a 3-pointer by James. The Cavaliers led 99-90 entering the final period.
A basket by Ersan Ilyasova cut Cleveland’s lead to 111-108. Cleveland’s Jeff Green and At- lanta’s Kent Bazemore traded jams before two free throws by Ilyasova cut the deficit to 113-112.
Celtics triumph
In Boston, Kyrie Irving scored 36 points and the Celtics held off the weary and shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers, 10897, to improve the NBA’s best record to 19-4.
It was Irving’s fifth game this season with 30 or more points. Al Horford added 21 points and eight rebounds, and Marcus Morris had 17 points as the Celtics bounced back from Monday night’s home loss to Detroit with their ninth victory in 11 games.
“It’s go time, man,” Irving said of his mindset in the fourth quarter. “Especially when the game is in the balance. It’s the best time to play. It’s just ultimate freedom.”
Boston led by five at the end of the third quarter but started the fourth by connecting on seven of its first 11 shots to increase the margin to 95-82. Irving had nine points in the final 12 minutes.