Wrap-Up – After a win over Philly that even players labeled as “ugly,” fans both at The Q and watching the nationally-televised matchup at home definitely got their money’s worth seven days later – as the Wine and Gold won a 99-94 decision over the Bulls in a game that had a little bit of everything – from flaring tempers to LeBron James’ first triple-double of the year to about 130 combined feet of buzzer-beating shots.
Kyrie Irving led both teams with 27 points, going 8-of-19 from the floor and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Actually, three of those treys were from beyond the arc – the fourth was from beyond half-court.
Having already drained a tough fadeaway three-pointer from the left corner at the first quarter buzzer, Irving took the inbounds pass from Iman Shumpert late in the third and, thinking there were 22 seconds remaining on the shot clock, began dribbling the ball into the forecourt. But LeBron barked at him to shoot it, and Kyrie fired up the 52-footer that splashed home – giving Cleveland a 13-point lead and sending the sold-out crowd into a frenzy. All Irving could do afterward was smile and shrug.
J.R. Smith, who followed up with 24 points, made the “easy” buzzer-beater on Sunday – (compared to Kyrie’s) – canning a 41-foot bomb from just inside the time line while falling out of bounds to beat the first-half buzzer. That trey was one of eight that Smith hit on the day – going 8-of-17 from the floor, with all 17 attempts coming from long-distance.
Almost lost in the excitement of Cleveland’s long-distance marksmanship was LeBron James notching his first triple-double of the season. Despite Chicago getting physical with James all afternoon, the four-time MVP finished with 20 points on 8-for-17 shooting to go with 10 boards, 12 assists, three steals and a blocked shot.
The Cavaliers shot only 42 percent from the floor, but part of that was going 43 percent (16-37) from three-point range. In a tough Central Division matchup at The Q, that was essentially the difference in the game.
With the victory – Cleveland’s 18th straight at The Q – the Cavaliers take a full four-game lead on the Bulls in the Central and open their edge for the second spot in the Eastern Conference to a four-game lead over Chicago as well – with just five games remaining in the regular season.
LBJ records triple-double.
View some of the best snapshots.
Cavs nail buzzer beaters.
Go inside the locker room.
Watch final game highlights from Sunday's victory.
Turning Point – Ending quarters well against good teams is always critical, and that proved to be true on Sunday afternoon.
The Bulls lead through most of the first quarter at The Q, but after Kyrie tied the game at 22-apiece, Tristan Thompson hit a short jumper to give Cleveland its first lead of the afternoon. Seconds later, Kyrie took a feed from Iman Shumpert and hit the improbable trey from the corner to give the Cavs a four-point edge – a lead they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the way.
By the Numbers – 38 … triple-doubles that LeBron James has tallied in his career, including Sunday’s 20-point, 10-rebound, 12-assist gem. In those 38 games, the 11-time All-Star averages 28.7 points, 11.6 boards and 11.3 assists and his teams have gone 29-9.
Quotable – Coach David Blatt, on the trio of buzzer-beating long-distance shots on Sunday …
”I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve never seen that. I’ve never seen three (shots) like that in one game. That’s the great thing about this game. Every day you wake up, something new can happen and it did today.”
Up Next – After Sunday’s victory over Chicago, the Wine and Gold get ready for the final five games of the regular season. On Wednesday night, the Cavs travel for one of only two more remaining road games – their final meeting of the year with Milwaukee. On Friday night, they return home for the first half of a home-and-home matchup with Boston, facing the Celtics at The Q before traveling back to Beantown for a Sunday afternoon matchup. On Monday, Cleveland wraps up the season series with the Pistons at The Q before closing out the campaign next Wednesday night at Washington on Fan Appreciation Night.