Despite LeBron’s triple-double, Nuggets topple Cavaliers
CLEVELAND — Tucked inside his lockerroom cubicle, LeBron James was getting dressed following another tough loss when a familiar voice grabbed his attention.
Richard Jefferson came to visit.
James smiled at his former teammate, and in that moment, things were like they used to be for the Cavaliers.
Right now, everything’s a struggle.
Gary Harris scored 32 points, Will Barton added 23 and the Denver Nuggets did most of their damage behind the 3-point arc in a 126-117 win over Cleveland on Saturday night.
The Nuggets dropped 19 3-pointers, including three in the final 2:26, to hold off a second-half charge from the Cavs, who remain a work in progress as they try to blend four new players in on the fly.
“We’re all trying to get better,” said James, who played 42 minutes. “It’s not just the guys at the (trade) deadline, it’s all of us. We’re all trying to figure it out.”
James finished with 25 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds — his 13th triple-double this season — but Cleveland’s lack of a dependable No. 2 scorer while Kevin Love is out with a broken left hand continues to be a major problem.
More troublesome, though, is the Cavs’ defense or lack of it. Whenever Denver needed a big basket, the Nuggets got it by taking the extra pass and knocking down 3s.
“They had it going tonight offensively, so we just tried to throw everything at them,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. “We switched. We blitzed. We showed. We did a little of everything. They got hot.”
J.R. Smith scored 19 points — all in the second half — in his return from a one-game suspension for throwing a bowl of soup on Cavs assistant coach Damon Jones. With Smith and James carrying the scoring load, the Cavs pulled within 115-114 with 2:40 left.
But the Nuggets answered as Paul Millsap drilled a 3 and Harris made two more to put it away.
Jamal Murray and Wilson Chandler added 16 points apiece for the Nuggets, who are 9-3 since Feb. 1 with wins over Golden State, Oklahoma City, Cleveland and two over San Antonio. LAKERS 116, SPURS 112
Lonzo Ball hit a careerbest six 3-pointers, Julius Randle had 25 points, and Isaiah Thomas added 21 as Los Angeles rallied in the final two minutes to beat host San Antonio. BLAZERS 108, THUNDER 100
Russell Westbrook scored 30 points and added 11 rebounds, and Paul George scored 21 points as host Portland defeated Oklahoma City. HEAT 105, PISTONS 96 Kelly Olynyk and Josh Richardson each scored 17 points, and host Miami enhanced its playoff hopes with a win over Detroit. MAGIC 107, GRIZZLIES 100
Evan Fournier broke a tie on a long 3-pointer with 22.5 seconds left, and host Orlando won, handing Memphis its 13th straight loss. JAZZ 98, KINGS 91
Donovan Mitchell scored eight of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and visiting Utah beat Sacramento.
From wire reports