Warriors-Cavaliers Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO
Posted Jan 16 2012 7:15PM

Kyrie Irving is starting to show why the Cleveland Cavaliers selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft.

The star point guard looks to continue his recent strong play and help the Cavaliers get back over .500 with a second straight victory Tuesday night against the visiting Golden State Warriors.

Though a toe injury limited Irving to 11 games in his only season at Duke in 2010-11, Cleveland selected him with the hope he could quickly help turn things around after it went 19-63 in the first season since LeBron James left for Miami.

Irving averaged 14.1 points and shot 41.9 percent in the first seven games but has put up 22.6 on 55.0 percent shooting in the last five as he continues to get comfortable with his teammates and the NBA. He had 25 points and seven assists as the Cavaliers (6-6) scored the final nine points to win 102-94 at Charlotte on Monday.

"(Playing in the NBA) hasn't been easy," said Irving, who averages 5.3 assists. "I mean it's gone pretty well, but it's definitely not easy. The back-to-back games and the travel, I mean, it's not an excuse, but it's something I'm trying to get used to.

"Every single day you try to learn something new. It's not easy but I'm enjoying this process and that's the most important thing for me."

Many opposing players and coaches believe the 6-foot-3 Irving has the potential to thrive at the pro level.

"He's going to be terrific," Charlotte coach Paul Silas said. "He understands the game. He penetrates to the hoop. He can shoot the basketball."

Irving's also getting help from veteran Antawn Jamison, who's averaging 16.8 points and scored 20 on Monday as the Cavaliers concluded a 3-4 road trip.

"I'm not surprised that we competed every night (on the trip)," coach Byron Scott said. "I told the guys that if we can come off this seven-game trip with three wins, it'd be pretty good. And we did that. And we had some other close ones, so the road trip pretty much was a success."

Cleveland will try for a third consecutive home victory while looking to avoid a third straight loss to Golden State (4-8), which improved to 1-4 on the road with a 99-91 win over Detroit on Sunday.

David Lee scored 24 points and Monta Ellis added 22 as the Warriors shot 52.1 percent to rebound from a 112-100 loss at lowly Charlotte on Saturday.

"We defended, we didn't make excuses, and we didn't get frustrated," first-year coach Mark Jackson said. "It was just a great performance overall. I think the guys felt challenged."

Golden State last won two straight road games Nov. 8-10, 2010.

Ellis scored 24 and Lee added 14 with 14 boards as the Warriors won 95-85 in their last visit to Cleveland on March 8.

Averaging 23.7 points this season, Ellis has put up 25.8 in his last five games versus Cleveland.

While the Warriors could be without guard Stephen Curry (ankle) for a seventh straight game, Cleveland might be missing swingman Anthony Parker after he left Monday's victory with a sore back.

Lee's 29 lifts Warriors over Cavs

By TOM WITHERS
Posted Jan 18 2012 1:22AM

CLEVELAND (AP) Monta Ellis' jersey was splattered with blood and his nose was cut and swollen.

Golden State's second straight road win wasn't painless.

David Lee scored a season-high 29 points - 13 in the fourth quarter - and Nate Robinson added 17 points, leading the Warriors to a 105-95 win Tuesday night over the road-worn Cleveland Cavaliers.

Lee scored seven straight points midway through the final period to help the Warriors pull away from the Cavs, who looked spent after playing seven straight road games and committed a season-high 25 turnovers.

After losing their first four road games, the Warriors, who got only 10 points from a cold-shooting Eliis, have won two straight away from home for the first time since 2010 - an encouraging sign for first-year coach Mark Jackson.

"That's what good teams do," Jackson said. "Despite the adversity, find a way to get it done. Our guys did exactly that. When you compete and defend, you'll win your share of games in this league."

Ellis was only 2 of 12 from the floor, but Lee and the other Warriors picked up the scoring slack. Ellis got bloodied in the final minute by Cleveland's Anderson Varejao, who accidentally nailed Golden State's leading scorer in the face with an elbow.

"He's an absolute gamer," Jackson said. "He didn't have a great night offensively, but still battled. He put his face in there, no pun intended, to make a play. That's what winners do."

Ellis was checked by Cleveland's team doctors. He said his nose wasn't broken.

"It wasn't my night," Ellis said. "It was David Lee's night. We needed someone to step up. He can do that every night."

Antawn Jamison scored 19 and rookie Kyrie Irving had 18 for Cleveland, which has only played four home games. The Cavaliers were sloppy at both ends of the floor, showing fatigue after being on the road for two weeks.

"It was just carelessness," said Irving, who had eight rebounds and five assists but six turnovers. "But we're going to continue to get better. Turnovers happened at the wrong times. It was turnover, turnover, turnover."

Robinson added 10 assists, Andris Biedrins had 11 rebounds and Brandon Rush and rookie Klay Thompson added 14 points apiece for the Warriors. Thompson made all four 3-pointers and Golden State connected on nine 3s.

Golden State trailed 87-85 early in the fourth when Lee went to work.

The 6-foot-9 forward scored on a pair of layups, dropped a free throw and then drilled a short jumper from the wing to put Golden State ahead 92-87 with 5:54 left.

"Coach kept calling my number," Lee said. "I wanted to be aggressive. I was able to get some good looks and take advantage of what we were running."

Cleveland was only down by five, but it seemed like 15.

The Cavs looked tired, mentally and physically, from their cross-country trip. Cleveland played at Charlotte on Monday and dropped to 0-3 this season in back-to-back games. However, Cavs coach Byron Scott refused to blame tiredness.

"I don't buy that," he said. "It was Golden State's fourth game in five nights. So that's a bunch of bull. That's an excuse and that's something we're not going to tolerate. We lost the game because we were terrible on the offensive end as far as turning the ball over. Period."

Irving made two free throws to get the Cavs to 96-93, but Ellis hit a free throw, and after Irving missed a jumper, Lee's bucket made it 99-93 and Cleveland never got closer. The Warriors closed with a 20-8 run, with Lee scoring 13.

In the final minute, Ellis was playing defense on the left side when he was nailed by Varejao's arm and dropped to the floor. As he was being attended by Golden State's trainers, Robinson had a few words for Varejao, who tried to explain he didn't mean anything.

The Warriors were again without guard Stephen Curry, who missed his seventh straight game with a sprained right ankle. Golden State is 3-4 without its third-leading scorer.

Notes: Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert turned 50 Tuesday and gave himself an indoor football team as a present. Gilbert bought the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena League for an undisclosed sum, adding to a sports portfolio that includes the Cavs, Canton Charge of the NBA's Development League and the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League. ... Jackson said Curry's ankle has improved and the guard is moving toward a return to the floor. "He's getting closer," Jackson said. ... Cavs backup C Semih Erden matched a career-high with 14 points. He scored just 11 combined in his first five games. ... Cavs G Anthony Parker didn't play because of a sore lower back.

Notebook: Warriors 105, Cavaliers 95

By Brian Dulik, for NBA.com
Posted Wednesday January 18, 2012 12:01AM

THE FACTS: Power forward David Lee scored 13 of his game-high 29 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Golden State Warriors to a 105-95 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Point guard Nate Robinson added 17 points and 10 assists off the bench for Golden State, which won its second straight road contest. Cleveland was paced by power forward Antawn Jamison, who scored 19 points, and center Anderson Varejao, who had 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

QUOTABLE: "It came down to which team would blink first. Coach kept calling my number and I just tried to play aggressive. Right now, I feel like I can play 48 (minutes) every night if I need to."
-- Lee

THE STAT: The Cavaliers committed a season-high 25 turnovers, many of which were careless and unforced. Rookie point guard Kyrie Irving was the biggest violator with six, while Varejao made four. Golden State turned those miscues into 23 points. "In this league, you have to value every possession, and each one has to count and matter," Cleveland shooting guard Daniel Gibson said. "Being a young team, this is one of the things that we have to learn."

TURNING POINT: With the Cavaliers leading 87-85 three minutes into the fourth, Lee ran off seven consecutive points on two jump shots, one layup, and one free throw. The Warriors went up 92-87 with 5:54 left -- and Cleveland never got closer than three points the rest of the way. "We felt like we had an advantage with David on the block, so we tried to utilize it down the stretch," Golden State coach Mark Jackson said. "I thought he did a very nice job tonight."

QUOTABLE II: "You turn the ball over 20-something times, you don't give yourself much of a chance to win. We lost the game because we were terrible on the offensive end, as far as turning the ball over. Period."
-- Cavaliers coach Byron Scott

HOT: Warriors rookie swingman Klay Thompson made all four of his 3-pointers and scored 14 points in 17 minutes off the bench. The performance came in front of his brother, Mychel Thompson, a first-year guard with the Cavaliers. ... Lee's 29 points were a season best and came on 13-for-20 shooting. ... Golden State's reserves outscored Cleveland 50-31, and had 17 assists to four by the Cavaliers' subs. "We know our job is to bring energy to the court," Robinson said. ... Cleveland center Semih Erden tied his career high with 14 points in 16 minutes.

NOT: Golden State shooting guard Monta Ellis missed 10 of his 12 field goal attempts and left Quicken Loans Arena with a bloody nose, courtesy of an inadvertent elbow by Varejao with 36 seconds left. "It was just a bad shooting night for me," he said. "I was able to get what I wanted, but the shots weren't falling." Ellis' nose was still bleeding a half-hour after the game, but he said it was not broken. ... Gibson -- making his first start of the season for the Cavaliers -- was limited to six points with three turnovers in 36 minutes.

QUOTABLE III: "Our reserves came in and did an unbelievable job keeping us in the game. Nate (Robinson) was the catalyst of that group."
-- Lee

GOOD MOVE: When rookie point guard Charles Jenkins struggled early, Jackson didn't hesitate to replace him with Robinson. The three-time NBA Slam Dunk champion posted a double-double and gave the Cavaliers fits with his aggressive defense. "I was trying to give guys wide-open shots, and it just happened," said Robinson, who made two steals and buried three 3-pointers in 35 minutes.

BAD MOVE: Scott opted to have Ramon Sessions run the offense for the final six minutes of the third period and the first six minutes of the fourth. The veteran treated the basketball like a hand grenade as Cleveland was outscored 27-17 and squandered a seven-point lead. Sessions had three points, one assist, and three turnovers before leaving the court to light boos from the home crowd.

NOTABLE: Top overall draft pick Irving finished with 18 points, a career-high eight rebounds, and a team-best five assists. ... Varejao became the first Cavaliers player to have eight straight double-digit rebounding games since Tyrone Hill in 1996-1997. ... Warriors center Andris Biedrins grabbed 11 boards and Lee had nine, but Cleveland won the glass battle 54-43. ... A visibly pleased Lee broke into song in the locker room while icing his feet, crooning Alexandra Stan's pop hit "Mr. Saxobeat." ... The Cavaliers fell to 0-3 in the second half of back-to-back game sets. ... Golden State took a 50-49 lead in the all-time series, improving to 19-32 at Cleveland.

UP NEXT: For the Warriors, Wednesday @ New Jersey, Friday vs. Indiana, Tuesday vs. Memphis. For the Cavaliers, Friday vs. Chicago, Saturday @ Atlanta, Tuesday @ Miami.

• Warriors: Brown, Curry
• Cavaliers: Eyenga, Parker

• Warriors: --
• Cavaliers: --

• Lead Changes: 10
• Times Tied: 18

• Arena: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
• Officials: #49 Tom Washington, #54 Nick Buchert, #20 Leroy Richardson
• Attendance: 13056
• Duration: 2:10