THE FACTS: All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 22 points and center Marreese Speights added 11 points and 10 rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled to a 122-95 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. Shooting guard Dion Waiters chipped in 19 points for the Cavaliers, who built a 33-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Power forward Byron Mullins led the Bobcats with 15 points, while point guard Ramon Sessions had 14 points. Charlotte fell to 1-14 all time in Cleveland, which is the worst record by a visiting team at Quicken Loans Arena.
QUOTABLE: "We saw when [the Bobcats] were warming up and during the starting lineup introductions that they were kind of moping around, so we emphasized getting off to a quick start and jumping on them early."
-- Cavaliers' Wayne Ellington
THE STAT: The Cavaliers' 122 points were their most since Feb. 11, 2011, when they snapped an NBA-record 26-game losing streak with a 126-119 overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Cleveland's 27-point victory margin was its largest in the regular season since it beat the New York Knicks 124-93 on March 1, 2010. "Obviously, our physical effort was unacceptable tonight -- and we don't like that," Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap said. "We expected to play full-out -- and we didn't."
TURNING POINT: On Jan. 22, Cleveland acquired Speights, Ellington, point guard Josh Selby and a first-round draft pick from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for power forward Jon Leuer. The Cavaliers are 5-2 since making the deal, largely because Speights and Ellington are averaging 22.9 points off the bench. "We try to bring a lot of energy and emphasize what we can do on the defensive end of the floor," Ellington said. "It's the small things that make a difference in the NBA."
QUOTABLE II: "We wanted to show growth tonight because Coach [Byron] Scott challenged us. He told us simply that if we didn't win, we could scratch that win we had against Oklahoma City. We wanted to really lay the hammer down."
-- Cavaliers' Tristan Thompson
HOT: Irving shot a career-best 5-for-5 on 3-pointers and is eighth in the NBA with a .429 percentage beyond the arc. ... Speights is averaging 14.7 points and 7.3 rebounds with the Cavaliers, while Ellington is averaging 8.2 points while shooting .385 on 3-pointers. ... Thompson was 7-for-8 from the field and scored 17 points in just 24 minutes. ... Cleveland power forward Luke Walton collected six points, three rebounds, five assists and two steals without a turnover off the bench. ... The Cavaliers' 33 assists were a season high, while their six turnovers were a season low. ... Bobcats small forward Hakim Warrick scored six points in six minutes.
NOT: The Bobcats completed their five-game, 10-day road trip without a victory. ... Charlotte power forward Jeff Adrien started and played eight minutes in the first half, but didn't step onto the court the rest of the game. He had two points and no rebounds. ... Warrick has logged nine minutes over the last six contests and was the final player off the Bobcats' bench. ... Sessions made a game-high five turnovers. ... Charlotte center DeSagana Diop was the only player on either squad to be in uniform, but not play. ... Cavaliers small forward Omri Casspi missed both of his field goal attempts and has one basket and two points in six games since Jan. 16.
QUOTABLE III: "The NBA is the NBA for a reason, so you can't blame the way we played on us being on a long road trip. We just had to come out and play better, and we didn't do it tonight."
-- Bobcats' Ramon Sessions
GOOD MOVE: Dunlap kept his postgame message brief after the Bobcats lost for the 32nd time in 36 games since Nov. 26. "Any veteran coach will tell you that going in there and having a fit after a game like this is counterproductive," the rookie NBA coach explained. "You just have to load [your equipment bags] and go." Dunlap also singled out Sessions and power forward Tyrus Thomas for "playing hard" off the bench, making it clear to his other five reserves that he was not happy with them.
BAD MOVE: Despite the lopsided nature of the game, Scott did not use Cavaliers shooting guard Daniel "Boobie" Gibson until 5:44 remained in the fourth. The seventh-year pro had been sidelined since Jan. 26 with a sprained right big toe, but remains one of Cleveland's key substitutes. Gibson scored three points on 1-for-3 shooting. ... Only 13,264 fans attended the Cavaliers' fifth win in their last six games at Quicken Loans Arena. It was their fourth-smallest home crowd of the season.
NOTABLE: Bobcats small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (concussion) traveled to Cleveland, but missed his second straight game. The No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft was injured Saturday when he took a scary fall to the court at Houston. "Mike's head is clear and all of his [physical] signs are a plus," Dunlap said. "He said everything feels substantially better." ... Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao (season-ending right knee surgery) visited his teammates before the game and said he remains on blood thinners, but the post-surgical blood clots in his lungs have dissipated. "I feel good, really good, actually," the mop-topped Brazilian said.
UP NEXT: For the Bobcats, Friday vs. L.A. Lakers, Saturday @ Philadelphia, Monday vs. Boston. For the Cavaliers, Friday vs. Orlando, Saturday vs. Denver, Monday vs. Minnesota.