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All-Stars Shine Bright as Cavs Sink Suns

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Wrap-Up -- There’s nothing about a so-so six-game road trip that a little home cookin’ at The Q can’t cure.

And on Thursday night in Cleveland, the Cavaliers finally looked like themselves again – racking up 29 assists and 19 three-pointers, wearing down the feisty Suns, 118-105, to improve to 30-11 overall at the official halfway point of the season.

In their return home after finishing 3-3 on the recent roadie, the Wine and Gold pounced on the Suns right from the opening tip, building a 22-point lead and –unlike their matchup two Sundays ago in Phoenix – never allowed the Suns back in it after intermission.

Before the game, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving were announced as starters in the 2016-17 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans.

LeBron – the Conference’s top vote-getter – will be making his 13th All-Star appearance, joining Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Cousy and Michael Jordan as the only quintet in league history to start a baker’s dozen. Kyrie will be making his fourth trip to the midseason classic, his second start.

The dynamic duo looked every bit the part on Thursday night.

Kyrie shook off a rough road trip to lead both squads with 26 points – going 10-for-20 from the floor to go with four assists and a pair of steals. Irving also went 4-of-5 from the stripe – missing just his second free throw this month, going 34-for-36 over that stretch.

LeBron notched his 17th double-double of the year and barely missed his fourth triple-double – finishing with 21 points, a game-high 15 assists, nine boards, a pair of blocked shots and a steal in the victory.

The third member of Cleveland’s Big Three – Kevin Love – missed the second half of Monday’s loss in Oakland with a sore lower back and didn’t suit up on Thursday. In his place, James Jones got his first start of the year and answered the call as only he can – netting 14 points in 20 minutes, going 5-of-8 from the floor, including 4-for-6 from long-range.

Iman Shumpert joined the starting lineup three games ago and has been rock-solid in each. Against Phoenix, the sixth-year guard finished with a season-high 17 points, going 6-for-8 from the floor, including 5-of-7 from deep. Over those three starts, Shump is averaging 16.0 points on 63 percent shooting, including 61 percent (11-for-18) from beyond the arc.

The Cavs got very good production from their bench against Phoenix – especially from former Sun, Channing Frye, who notched his first double-double of the season with 18 points and a team-high 10 boards.

All told, Cleveland’s reserves contributed eight of the squad’s 19 triples – the Cavs’ highest total since dropping 22 on the Knicks in early December.

LeBron James

LeBron James tallies a near triple-double as the Wine and Gold cruise past the Suns.

The Suns’ outstanding young backcourt of Devin Booker and Eric Bledsoe combined for 43 points and 17 assists, but shot just 11-for-33 in the process. Phoenix’s ageless wonder, Tyson Chandler, finished with 22 points and 16 boards – his sixth straight game of at least 15.

The Cavaliers shot 51 percent from the floor and 44 percent from long-distance while limiting their turnovers to just a dozen – a welcome sign with the Spurs set to roll in on Saturday night.

Turning Point -- After their recent sojourn out West, the Wine and Gold didn’t need a nail-biter in their return to Cleveland – and thankfully Thursday’s game was never really a contest.

After an early back-and-forth, the Cavaliers took a double-digit lead late in the first quarter. By the second period, they’d built a 20-point lead and in the second stanza, they never allowed the Suns to get closer than 11.

By the Numbers.846 … Cavaliers’ winning percentage (11-2) on two days’ rest this season – the most wins and third best winning percentage in the league so far this season.

QuotableChanning Frye, on the Cavaliers reserves stepping up on Thursday …

”I think when guys go down, other guys have to step up and like I said before the game, James (Jones) is a consummate professional. Not only is he in everyone’s ear, but he shows everyone how hard it is to stay in shape and be ready at every moment. He came out there and gave us great minutes. Injuries are going to happen, and I think that’s the good thing about this team – guys step up and do a great job.”

Up Next -- After their one-sided win over the Suns on Thursday night, the Cavaliers can prepare for a big one on Saturday when they welcome the Spurs to Cleveland for nationally-televised affair. On Monday night, they travel to the Big Easy to face Anthony Davis and the Pelicans before wrapping up the month of January with three of their next four at home: taking on the Kings next Wednesday, the Nets on Friday and Russell Westbrook and the Thunder in a Sunday afternoon affair at The Q. Cleveland closes the month the following night when they travel to Dallas.

Calls of the Game