2-11-17 vs. Nuggets

clenadams

breaking-down-the-w-february-11-2017

Breaking Down The 'W' - February 11, 2017

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Wrap-Up -- After returning home to win for the fifth time in their last six contests – taking down the only team they had yet to face this year – the Cavaliers’ mediocre month of January suddenly seems like a long time ago.

Using an 18-0 run to start the second half and giving themselves all the breathing room they’d need, the Wine and Gold kept Denver at arm’s length after intermission to take the convincing 125-109 win on Saturday night at The Q.

After returning home from a successful 3-1 road trip, the Cavaliers needed a single quarter to find their “C” legs – trailing by five after one before netting at least 30 points in the next three, topping the 120-point plateau for the third time in their last four home games.

Facing the only franchise he has a losing record against – now at 12-13 – LeBron James had another ultra-efficient outing, finishing with 27 points on 11-for-16 shooting, adding a game-high 12 assists (two fewer than Denver’s combined starting lineup), along with five boards and a pair of steals.

Kyrie Irving added 27 points as well, going 10-for-24 from the floor and canning five the of the Cavaliers’ 15 three-pointers on the night.  The Eastern Conference’s starting point guard in the midseason classic eight days from now added five assists, four boards, a steal and a blocked shot in the win.

Tristan Thompson stayed hot, tallying his 15th double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 boards, while checking one of the league’s quickly-blossoming big men, Nikola Jokic, for four quarters.

Jokic, who dropped 40 points on the Knicks in New York on Friday, led the Nuggets with 27 points and 13 boards in Saturday’s loss.

Kyle Korver continued his recent roll as well – adding 14 points off the bench, finishing 6-of-9 from the field, including 2-of-3 from long-range. Over his last three games, the veteran sharpshooter is shooting .792 from the floor and an eye-popping .857 (12-for-14) from beyond the arc.

The Wine and Gold come back home and cruise past the Nuggets to improve to 37-16.

The Cavaliers offense continued to chug along – dishing out 30 assists on 46 made shots, shooting 55 percent from the floor and an even 50 percent (15-for-30) from long-distance.

Defensively, the Cavs held the Nuggets to 40 percent shooting, causing a dozen Denver miscues and racking up nine steals to claim their 37th win of the season, including an Eastern Conference-best 23-5 mark at home.

Turning Point -- There is no room for debate on Saturday’s turning point – and it happened the moment Cleveland took the floor for the second stanza.

After leading by just four – 59-55 – at the break, the Cavaliers came out on fire to start the third quarter notching the first 18 points of the second half and holding the Nuggets scoreless until Gary Harris canned a three-pointer with 7:12 remaining in the period.

But Harris’ triple only cut Cleveland’s lead to 19 – as the Wine and Gold held off any Denver uprisings from that point forward, never allowing the Nuggets to get within single digits the rest of the way.

By the Numbers – .750 … DeAndre Liggins’ shooting percentage – going an economical 6-for-8 from the floor in his previous two starts filling in for an injured Iman Shumpert. He led both teams in steals, with three picks apiece in each of those two contests.

Quotable – Coach Tyronn Lue, on what keyed the 18-0 run to blow the game open …

”Getting stops, getting out in transition, and our three-ball got going. LeBron did a great job of getting to the paint and making the right play and right pass. Kevin (Love) knocked down a couple and Kyrie (Irving) knocked down a couple. So, our three-ball got going in that third quarter to really open the game up for us.”

Up Next  -- The Cavaliers have just two more games remaining before the All-Star Break and would love to make it seven straight heading into the halfway point. On Tuesday night, they travel to Minnesota to take on a T-Wolves team they beat by 28 points to start their recent hot streak. On Wednesday night, they welcome a Pacers team eager to avenge a loss in Indy earlier this week. The Knicks come to The Q to start the second-half, but that doesn’t roll around until February 23.

cavaliers-roll-on-come-home-to-drop-denver

Cavaliers Roll On, Come Home to Drop Denver

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#CavsNuggets Game Photos - February 11, 2017

clejgabriele

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Despite falling on Thursday night in Oklahoma City, the Cavaliers wrapped up a very successful trip at 3-1 – knocking off the Knicks, Wizards and Pacers in dramatic fashion before running out of gas late in the fourth quarter against Russell Westbrook and the Thunder to close the roadie.

On Thursday night, the Wine and Gold were without their top two shooting guards and lost DeAndre Liggins to a lost tooth from the previous evening’s victory in Indy. Still, they had the game knotted at 99-apiece midway through the fourth quarter before OKC went on a 19-7 run to pull away for the season split.

Denver is wrapping up a three-game road trip of their own on Saturday night in Cleveland – having split the first two games of the junket, including a 131-123 win over the reeling Knicks on Friday night in New York.

With just three games remaining before the All-Star Break, the only team the Cavaliers haven’t faced this season is the Nuggets – who they swept last season and are 5-1 against over the last six matchups.

There’s only one team in the NBA that LeBron James has a losing record against and it’s the one rolling into The Q on Saturday night – having gone 11-13 against the Nuggets over the course of his future Hall of Fame career.

Most of those losses came many moons ago, however, as he’s gone 7-3 over the last 10 meetings. And he’s had plenty of individual success over the years – scoring at least 20 points against Denver in 16 consecutive meetings, averaging 28.9 points, 7.2 boards and 7.8 assists over that span.

In Cleveland’s two-game sweep last season, the 13-time All-Star averaged 33.5 points on 58 percent shooting to go with 8.5 boards and 6.5 assists – including a triple-double in the Cavaliers’ March 21 win at The Q.

At some point, Tyronn Lue will look to rest his durable superstar, but if the King gives it a go on Saturday, he’ll square off primarily against Wilson Chandler, who’s having his best season as a pro and comes to The Q on a rock-solid run – averaging 18.0 points and 6.4 boards over his last five outings, including a 19-point performance on 9.-for-14 shooting in last night’s win over New York.

One of the greatest revelations for the young Nuggets this season has been the play of the stellar big man, Nikola Jokic – who came into Friday night’s matchup in New York having doubled-up in 17 of his previous 27 games. And in last night’s victory, the skilled sophomore center from Sombor, Serbia-Montenegro made mincemeat of the Knicks, going off for 40 points on 17-for-23 shooting, adding nine boards, five assists and a pair of steals.

The man they call “the Joker” ranks third among all centers in assists and earlier this month became the first Nugget to notch a triple-double since Andre Iguoda – netting 20 points, 13 boards and 11 assists against Milwaukee.

Jokic averaged only 10.5 points and 5.5 boards in two meetings against the Wine and Gold last year, but he’s a different player in 2016-17.

He’ll lock horns with Tristan Thompson on Saturday night. The blue-collar big will be playing in his 423rd straight game in a streak that began almost exactly five years ago – February 10, 2012.

Tristan comes into tonight’s meeting having scored double-digits in six of his last eight outings – averaging 12.1 points and 9.4 boards, shooting over 66 percent from the floor over that span.

When it comes to racking up double-doubles, two of the best in their respective Conference’s could be going at it on Saturday night.

Kevin Love, who’ll play in his fourth All-Star Game in eight days, has been on a roll since returning from lower back spasms. – doubling-up in each of those four contests, averaging 22.8 points and 12.5 boards over that stretch, including a 15-point, 12-rebound performance in Thursday night’s loss in OKC.

Love, who’s doubled-up in eight of his previous nine games, has grabbed double-digit boards in 18 of his 21 career contests against Denver, averaging 20.1 points and 13.2 boards  in those contests.

Denver’s Kenneth Faried recently ran off four straight double-doubles – averaging 16.3 points and 13.0 boards over that span before a back injury slowed him down and might limit him (or keep him out) against the Wine and Gold on Saturday night.

If the Manimal is unable to give it a go, veteran Darrell Arthur – who’s tallied double-figures in five of his last six outings – will likely get the nod.

Fans at The Q haven’t gotten much of a look at the two newest Cavaliers – and will be getting their first look at Derrick Williams, who inked a 10-day contract on Thursday afternoon and delivered an outstanding performance against the Thunder later that night.

With Williams joining the Wine and Gold, the Cavaliers now has three of the top four picks of the 2011 Draft (and have its No. 17 pick, Iman Shumpert, as well).

In Williams’ debut in OKC, the former Arizona standout finished with 12 points in 21 minutes, going 3-of-3 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the stripe.

Kyle Korver, now the second-newest Cavalier, has only played six of his 16 games at home – and he returns to The Q on a serious heater. Over his last five outings, the lithe veteran sharpshooter is connecting on .636 of his attempts (28-of-44) from the floor, including a .645 mark from beyond the arc – averaging 16.2 points over that stretch.

Korver, who’s drilled 14 of his previous 19 attempts from long range, comes into tonight’s matchup as the NBA’s 4th-ranked three-point shooter at .439 and he needs just six triples to become the seventh player in NBA history to have hit 2,000 for his career.

keybank-five-keys-cavaliers-vs-nuggets

KeyBank Five Keys: Cavaliers vs. Nuggets

After posting a 3-1 record on their four-game road trip, the Cavaliers return to Quicken Loans Arena on Saturday night to take on the Denver Nuggets. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. (ET).

Over the last five games (4-1 record), the Cavs are averaging 123.4 points on .519 shooting from the field, a .442 (76-172) clip from beyond the arc and 25.2 assists. Cleveland has scored at least 125 points in three of the last five games.

CAVS TO DON WHITE JERSEYS.
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The Wine and Gold will be looking forward to some home cooking. Cleveland has the 2nd-best home record in the NBA at 22-5 (.815). Over the last three home games (all wins), the Cavs are averaging 118.7 points on .505 shooting from the field. Cleveland has won 42 straight games at The Q when shooting at least .500 from the field (11-0 this season) and since March 25, 2014, the Cavs hold a 75-7 record when scoring at least 100 points at home (21-3 this season).

As good as the Cavs have been overall at The Q, they have shown a specific dominance over the Western Conference. The Cavs have won 30 of their last 36 home games against the West (10-3 in 2016-17).

Last season when Denver visited The Q on March 21st, the Cavs picked up their 50th win of 2015-16 and clinched the Central Division title after a 33-point win over the Nuggets (124-91). It was the largest margin of victory over Denver in franchise history. Cleveland held the Nuggets to 32-81 (.395) shooting from the field and scored 33 points off of 17 forced turnovers. Offensively, the Cavs dished out 38 assists and shot 48-86 (.558) from the field, including 15-31 (.484) from the three-point line.

Cleveland hopes to duplicate that performance against a Denver squad wrapping up a three-game East Coast trip on Saturday in The Land.

Denver has been battling with the Portland Trail Blazers for eighth place in the Western Conference. One of the Nuggets bright spots this season has been the play of their big man, Nikola Jokic. The second-year pro from Serbia is averaging 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

Radio: WTAM 1100, 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 La Mega

Programming Note: On Saturday, February 11, 2017, FOX Sports Ohio is airing the Blue Jackets – Red Wings game (5:00 p.m.) and the Cavs – Nuggets game (7:30 p.m.). To view TV listings, CLICK HERE.

For live in-game updates, follow @cavs, @CavsJoeG, @CavsFredMcLeod, @MrCavalier34, @CavsJMike and @chones22 on Twitter.

Status Update: (Cavs) - Chris Andersen, (Right Knee ACL Tear, Out), J.R. Smith, (Right Thumb Fracture, Out), Iman Shumpert, (Left Ankle Sprain, Out)

Status Update: (Nuggets) - Kenneth Faried, (Right Ankle Sprain, Out), Emmanuel Mudiay, (Low Back Pain, Questionable), Danilo Gallinari, (Left Groin Strain, Out)

The Cavaliers swept the two-game series against Denver last season (124-91 on 3/21/16 and 93-87 on 12/29/15) and are 5-1 in their last six matchups against the Nuggets.

LeBron James has scored at least 20 points against the Nuggets in 16 consecutive meetings (28.9 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 7.8 APG, .518 FG%). In the two games against Denver last season, James averaged 33.5 points on .581 shooting, 8.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists, while also posting a triple-double in the March 21st win (33 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists).

Kevin Love has pulled down double-digit rebounds in 18 of 21 career games against Denver, averaging 13.2 boards to go with 20.1 points in 33.8 minutes.

The Nuggets are the only team the Cavs have yet to face this season. They will meet again on March 22 in Denver.

After Saturday's contest, the Wine and Gold close out the unofficial first half of the season with a mid-week back-to-back, traveling to Minnesota on Tuesday night followed by a home matchup against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday at The Q.FIND SEATS | VIEW FULL SCHEDULE

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#CavsNuggets Game Preview - February 11, 2017

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On February 11, 2017, FOX Sports Ohio is airing the Blue Jackets – Red Wings game (5:00 p.m.) and the Cavs – Nuggets game (7:30 p.m.). Please refer to these programming details, available online HERE.

Cavaliers Live Pregame Show begins at 7:00 p.m. | Tipoff at 7:30 p.m.

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#CavsNuggets Programming Note - February 11, 2017

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2‑11‑17 vs. Nuggets