Cavaliers-Suns Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Nov 08 2012 2:43PM

Kyrie Irving is the clear leader of the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he's going to need plenty of help moving forward if two of the team's big men miss considerable time.

With Anderson Varejao and first-round pick Tyler Zeller on the shelf, Cleveland continues its road trip Friday night against the Phoenix Suns in a matchup of two of the NBA's worst defensive teams.

Irving battled a stomach virus earlier Wednesday but overcame the illness to score a game-high 28 points and dish out seven assists in a 106-96 loss to Golden State, dropping the Cavaliers (2-3) to 1-2 on their six-game trek.

Varejao, averaging 14.0 points and 15.0 rebounds, and Zeller both sat out after being injured in Monday's win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Varejao bruised his knee, Zeller sustained a concussion and broken cheekbone, and it's unclear when either will return.

Cleveland trailed by 16 at the end of the first quarter Wednesday and couldn't recover. Golden State shot 53.8 percent, and the Cavs are allowing opponents to hit 50.8 percent overall to rank last in the league.

"The first quarter was a prime example of coming out and almost feeling sorry for ourselves because we don't have Andy and Tyler," coach Byron Scott said.

"It was all about the defense, simple as that. Until our guys understand how important that is we're going to have these ups and downs."

Irving is averaging 24.6 points and 6.2 assists, though the reigning Rookie of the Year likely needs help from the team's other youngsters. Fellow 2011 lottery pick Tristan Thompson had 11 points and 10 rebounds Wednesday, and third-year player Samardo Samuels added 11 points and seven boards starting for Varejao. Rookie Dion Waiters had 12 points on 5-of-15 shooting after scoring 28 in the win at Los Angeles.

"We are talking about opportunity," Waiters said. "Andy had to miss a game and that gave other guys a chance to step up and play big for us. We did our best out there."

Irving scored 26 points in his only career game at Phoenix on Jan. 12, a 101-90 victory. He now faces a Suns team giving up 105.0 points per game - second-worst in the NBA.

Phoenix (2-3), though, is coming off a 117-110 victory over Charlotte on Wednesday to avoid going winless on a three-game trip. Shannon Brown sank all six of his 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter while finishing with 24 points off the bench.

"I'm glad we're not going back 0-3 on this three-game road trip," Brown said. "Hopefully we can get a little bit of momentum going as we head back home."

Brown, a first-round pick of Cleveland in 2006 who appeared in 38 games for the Cavs, scored 18 points in a loss to Miami on Monday and is averaging 14.0 in a reserve role after averaging a career-best 11.0 last season.

"I think he's very capable of doing that," coach Alvin Gentry said. "He can get on a roll. He had some games for us last year. I thought he did a great job."

So did big men Marcin Gortat and Michael Beasley. Gortat had his fourth straight double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds Wednesday while Beasley notched his first with 21 and 15, respectively.

Gortat and Markieff Morris each scored a game-high 22 points and Brown added 16 in Phoenix's 108-83 win over Cleveland in the most recent meeting March 25. The Suns have won three of the last four matchups.

Suns rally from 26 down to beat Cavaliers 107-105

By JONATHAN DALTON
Posted Nov 10 2012 12:37AM

PHOENIX (AP) Trailing by 26 points after only 14-plus minutes, Shannon Brown and the Phoenix Suns weren't about to give up.

Brown scored 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and helped key a late 14-4 run as Phoenix rallied past the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-105 Friday night for the third-biggest comeback in franchise history.

"We just have a bunch of guys who don't want to lose," said Brown, who has consecutive 20-point games for the first time in his career. "We knew what our mistakes were and we corrected them. We've just got to do that in the first half."

The Cavaliers scored on their first nine possessions and opened an early 18-2 lead. Phoenix finished the first quarter with more turnovers (eight) than field goals (six) and allowed Cleveland to shoot 63.6 percent from the floor.

Then the Cavaliers began the second quarter with five consecutive points to open their largest lead, 42-16, with 10:26 left in the period.

"We had a lot of turnovers and there were a lot of easy baskets they were getting," Brown said. "We just had to lock in on both ends of the game. Everything kind of did a complete 180."

Michael Beasley cut the Cavaliers' lead to single digits for the first time since the opening minutes on a dunk off a fast break with 10:31 left in the third quarter, making it 62-53. But the Suns weren't able to get any closer until the final period.

Brown tied the game at 83 on a fadeaway jumper with 9:46 left and Phoenix took its first lead, 87-85, just more than 2 minutes later on a fast-break layup by Brown.

"We just didn't play smart," said Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao, who finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. "We turned the ball over and they got back in the game. They moved the ball better and they made shots."

Dion Waiters almost single-handedly kept the Cavaliers in the game in the fourth, scoring 10 straight points during one 2-minute stretch that included a pair of 3-pointers, each of which gave Cleveland the lead.

P.J. Tucker hit a 20-foot jumper from the left corner to give the Suns a 103-102 lead with 1:32 to go. After the teams traded misses, Marcin Gortat blocked Daniel Gibson's shot and Goran Dragic found Brown streaking down the right side for a fast-break dunk and a 105-102 lead with 37.4 seconds remaining.

"I've always been a scorer," Brown said. "I didn't get to this league because of anything else. I do whatever it takes for this team to win."

Dragic made one of two free throws but Gibson connected on a 3-pointer with 13.1 seconds to play to pull the Cavaliers to 106-105. Sebastian Telfair dribbled the clock down to 5.1 seconds and made one of two free throws to make it 107-105.

Kyrie Irving had a chance to win it for Cleveland as time expired but his 3-pointer from the top of the key bounced off the back of the rim.

"I didn't know I was going to take the last shot," Irving said. "It wasn't a designed play. I just went and got it and attempted it."

Waiters scored 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter for the Cavaliers. Gibson finished with 19 and Irving had 17.

"The story doesn't change. It's on the defensive end," Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said. "Twelve good minutes, it's as simple as that. I thought from the second quarter on we just played lackadaisical, just real loose with the basketball and that team, they just kept playing hard."

Dragic scored 26 points for the Suns. Telfair added 13 and Gortat had 12.

"In the end we got it done, but I don't want the long faces," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "I want us to believe that if we get ourselves in trouble we can bail ourselves out by coming up with stops and running on stops and not on trading baskets."

NOTES: The Suns overcame a 29-point deficit at Boston in 2003 for the franchise record. ... At 3-3, Phoenix is at .500 for the first time this season and has won consecutive games for the first time since April 7-9. ... The Suns have trailed by double digits in all three of their home games. ... Waiters finished 9 of 13 from the floor, including 3 of 5 on 3-point attempts. ... Gibson had five 3-pointers and is within seven of Danny Ferry for fourth on the Cavaliers' career list. ... Cleveland has lost four of its past five against the Suns.

Notebook: Suns 107, Cavaliers 105

Mike Tulumello, for NBA.com
Posted Sat Nov 10, 2012 12:36 AM - Updated Sat Nov 10, 2012 12:36 AM

THE FACTS: The Phoenix Suns never have been much of a shot-blocking team.

Until now.

The Suns, the NBA's top shot-blockers so far, got a big swat by Marcin Gortat in the closing seconds that led to a fast-break basket as the Suns pulled out a thriller Friday night over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers 107-105.

Gortat, the season's leading shot blocker, timed his leap perfectly in blocking a driving layup by the Cavs' Dion Waiters with 44 seconds left. The Suns got the ball to Shannon Brown, who was sprinting down the floor to give the Suns a 105-102 lead.

After Goran Dragic hit 1-for-2 at the free-throw line to make it 106-102, the Cavs' Daniel Gibson nailed a 25-footer to draw the Cavs within 106-105 with 13 seconds left.

Then Sebastian Telfair dribbled out eight seconds of the clock before drawing a foul. But he missed one of the two free throws, giving the Cavs a chance.

But Kyrie Irving, blanketed by Dragic, fired up a 3-pointer from up top that bounced off the left side of the rim to end the game.

Dragic finished with 26 points. "Goran played to the point of exhaustion," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. Gortat had 12 points, eight rebounds, three steals and five blocks. He is averaging 4.3 blocks. The Suns are averaging 8.5 blocks.

"There's no magic potion or formula," Gentry said of Gortat's shot blocking. You have to be engaged."

Waiters had 23 points to lead the Cavs.

QUOTABLE: "It's the best young backcourt in the NBA."

-- Suns' Alvin Gentry on the Cavs' Irving and rookie Waiters

THE STAT: In coming back from 26 points (42-16 early in the second quarter), the Suns achieved the third-largest comeback win in their 44-season history, the largest ever at home."They just kept playing hard....We didn't react," said Cavs coach Byron Scott.

TURNING POINT: With Irving and Anderson Varejao resting to start the fourth quarter, the Suns outscored the Cavs 11-2 to start the quarter and take an 87-85 lead. "Obviously, we have to get more out of our bench than we've been getting," Scott said.

QUOTABLE II: "I'm perfectly happy here in Cleveland. But it might be a good time...to start politicking for a 4-year extension." -- Cavs' Byron Scott, joking about the Lakers' coaching vacancy

HOT: Waiters and Irving scored 21 on just seven shots in the first half (they were 6-for-7, including 1-for-1 on 3-pointers and 8-for-9 on free throws.

NOT: The Suns' Michael Beasley shot 4-for-14, lowering his season field-goal percentage to .348.

GOOD MOVE: Scott went back to his original starting lineup, and the Cavs lit the Suns up for an 18-2 lead in the first five minutes.

BAD MOVE: Gentry stuck with Markieff Morris for 10 brutal minutes in the first half. Morris ended up 0-for-9 with four points and seven boards.

ROOKIE WATCH: Waiters hit 9-for-13 for 23 points. Kendall Marshall, the Suns' No. 1 pick, did not play. He has played eight minutes in two games.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Brown is averaging 15.3 points as the Suns' sixth man.

NOTABLE: The Suns' biggest comeback ever was when they won at Boston on Dec. 5, 2003 after being down by 29 points.

UP NEXT: For the Cavaliers, Sunday @ Oklahoma City, Tuesday @ Brooklyn and Saturday vs. Dallas. For the Suns, Saturday @ Utah, Monday vs. Denver and Wednesday vs. Chicago.

• Cavaliers: Harangody, Zeller
• Suns: Frye, O'Neal

• Cavaliers: --
• Suns: --

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
• Officials: #19 James Capers, #18 Matt Boland, #38 Michael Smith
• Attendance: 15236
• Duration: 2:13