Game Recap

clemgold

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In a game as tight as Monday night’s, it doesn’t take much to push one team over the top.

In an old-fashioned Central Division brawl, the Cavaliers and Bulls went toe-to-toe for 48 minutes, but the final result might’ve boiled down to a simple offensive rebound that sealed the deal for Chicago – which took the 108-103 decision at the United Center.

The loss snapped Cleveland’s two-game win streak and gave the Bulls the 3-1 edge in the season series as the Wine &amp; Gold tipped off a six-game road trip.

The Cavaliers were down 10 with less than five minutes to play, but back-to-back triples from Matthew Dellavedova got them back within striking distance. Cleveland continued to claw its way back, getting to within two on Andre Drummond’s tip-in with 38 seconds remaining.

With 13.5 to play, trailing 105-103, the Cavaliers flummoxed rookie Coby White into a bad shot on Chicago’s next possession. But Shaquille Harrison snuck through the Cavs defenders to grab the Bulls’ 14th offensive rebound of the night.

Harrison was fouled by Drummond and drilled both free throws to put Chicago up two possessions to essentially seal the deal.

Both teams shot 50 percent from the floor, but the Bulls held a 46-35 edge on the boards and canned a dozen triples to Cleveland’s six.

Collin Sexton led the Cavs once again – finishing with a game-high 26 points on 12-of-16 shooting, adding three boards, five assists and a steal.

Drummond followed up with 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting, adding seven boards, two assists, a pair of steals and a block despite battling foul trouble for much of the second half.

Kevin Love added 17 points despite not shooting the ball well – going just 5-of-16 from the floor. But Cleveland’s five-time All-Star led the squad with eight boards, adding seven assists and a steal in the loss.

Larry Nance Jr. had no such trouble from the floor – going 6-for-6, including both three-point attempts, adding four boards, six assists, a pair of steals and a blocked shot to the mix.

In a smaller sample size, Delly was also perfect from the floor – going 3-for-3, including those two big fourth-quarter bombs, while leading both squads with eight assists to go with eight points, two boards, a steal and blocked shot. Over his last five games, the Aussie import has tallied 46 helpers.

Chicago’s White – the lightning-quick sharpshooter from North Carolina – led the Bulls with 20 points and five assists in his first career start.

Out in transition, Cedi Osman crossed up his defender and slammed home a powerful two-handed dunk.

Tuesday’s contest was nip-and-tuck the entire way, featuring 19 ties and 11 lead-changes. After three quarters of play – with Cleveland up two after one quarter, Chicago up two at half and the score knotted at 78 after three – neither team led the other by more than a touchdown.

In a game like that, it only takes one run to get some breathing space – and the Bulls went on that mini-run early in the fourth quarter.

After Alfonzo McKinnie tied the score at 83-apiece on a putback off a Collin Sexton miss, the Bulls proceeded to go on a 14-4 run – with Denzel Valentine, Tomas Satoransky and Otto Porter Jr. all drilling three-pointers.

The Cavs would eventually cut Chicago’s lead back to a deuce on Kevin Love’s triple with 1:26 to play, but the Wine &amp; Gold couldn’t get over the hump from there.

13.1, 7.9 … Larry Nance Jr.’s scoring and rebounding averages over the last 24 games since returning from a knee injury – netting double-figures in 19 of them.

Over that stretch, the fifth-year man from Wyoming has handed out at least three assists in 13 games and is shooting 57 percent from the floor and 38 percent from long-range overall, with nine double-doubles in the mix.

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff, on veteran guard Matthew Dellavedova  …

"I haven't been around a guy with a higher basketball IQ and the ability to orchestrate the league the way that he can. He's a marvel with that ball in his hand, making plays and the way that he reads the defense. He's a jewel for sure."

Enjoy the best broadcast calls of the night from Cavaliers Radio Network's Tim Alcorn and 87.7 La Mega's Rafa Hernandez-Brito.

The Cavaliers six-game roadie rolls on – with a back-to-back set this weekend, traveling to Charlotte for a Friday night meeting with the Hornets followed by a Saturday night matchup against Trae Young and the Hawks in Atlanta.

The following week, the Wine &amp; Gold travel to Houston on Tuesday followed by a stop in Orlando on Thursday night before wrapping up the trip on Saturday night in Indiana.

wine-gold-drop-slugfest-in-chicago

Wine & Gold Drop Slugfest in Chicago

clenadams

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A different Cavaliers team has emerged after the All-Star Break. And this weekend at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse they served notice to the Western Conference.

One night after completing the season sweep of the Nuggets, the Wine &amp; Gold did the same thing to the Spurs – holding on in overtime for the 132-129 win to sweep the season series with San Antonio for the first time since 2008-09.

Historically speaking, four Cavaliers notched double-doubles for the first time since 1990 – as Andre Drummond returned to the lineup and Matthew Dellavedova continued his late-season renaissance. Kevin Love overcame a rough shooting night to double-up and Larry Nance Jr. came off the bench firing.

The last time Cleveland had four players in double-figures, the names were Hot Rod Williams, Mark Price, Brad Daugherty and, of course, the father of one of the Cavs’ quartet from Sunday – Larry Nance.

Drummond and Love were also the first Cavalier duo to grab at least 17 rebounds since LeBron James and Anderson Varejao did so back in 2008.

The Cavaliers led through the entire first half, but the Spurs clawed their way back in the third quarter. The final period featured a furious back-and-forth – with six ties and three-lead changes.

Four of those ties came in the final minute of regulation – including Collin Sexton drilling two free throws with 3.2 seconds remaining to put Cleveland up a deuce only to have Rudy Gay tie the game on a jumper on the next possession to send the game into overtime.

In the extra-session, Cleveland never trailed – jumping out to an early lead and taking a two-possession advantage with 1:50 to play on Love’s three-pointer.

After missing five of the previous six games with a sore left calf, Drummond led both squads with 28 points, going 11-for-16 from the floor, adding 17 rebounds and a game-high three blocks.

Collin Sexton followed up with 26 points on 8-of-19 shooting, adding four assists and a steal. On the negative side of the ledger, Sexton committed seven of Cleveland's 18 turnovers on the night.

Cedi Osman and Larry Nance Jr. added 19 points apiece in the win. Osman posted his fourth straight double-figure scoring game, going 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, adding six assists and a pair of steals. Nance notched his 12th double-double of the season – going 3-for-5 from long-distance to go with 10 boards in 43 minutes of work off the bench.

Love doubled-up with 14 points and a game-high 18 rebounds despite struggling from the floor. Delly also didn’t shoot the ball well, but still added 14 points of his own to go with a game-high 11 assists, his second straight game with double-digit dimes.

Sunday’s showing wasn’t a thing of beauty. Neither team shot better than 46 percent from the floor or 40 percent from three-point range and they combined for 81 free throws. But the Cavaliers were dominant on the glass – outrebounding the Spurs, 60-44, in the victory.

Andre Drummond showed off his defensive prowess on Sunday. In the first quarter, Drummond sent back a jumpt shot attempt and in the second quarter had a massive rejection at the rim.

Had the Cavaliers dropped Sunday’s affair, the turning point might have been the first few minutes of the third quarter, as San Antonio completed their comeback, opening the period on an 11-2 run to erase a 17-point deficit.

Instead, it was a stretch in the fourth period, with the Wine &amp; Gold going on an 10-0 run that turned a six-point deficit into a two-point edge – capped by a back-to-back three-pointers from Delly and Nance and a cutting layup by Cedi Osman off a gorgeous feed from Dellavedova.

27.5, 15.0, 2.0, 2.0 … Andre Drummond’s scoring, rebounding, steals and blocked shot averages in his last two games as a Cavalier.

In those two contests, the two-time All-Star is shooting 62 percent from the floor. The two double-doubles give him 46 on the year, good for 4th in the NBA this season.

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff, on four guys notching double-doubles in the win …

"Especially off a tough game last night, that's veteran leadership, guys who have been through it and dealt with those circumstances before. The adversity tonight, easily could have just laid down. Had many excuses but those guys took it upon themselves to lead the way and go scrap and go get a win."

After wrapping up their five-game homestand, the Cavaliers hit the road for much of the remaining schedule – beginning with a Tuesday night showdown against Coby White and the Bulls at the United Center.

From there, it’s five more away from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, starting with a weekend back-to-back against Charlotte and Atlanta followed by a visit to Houston next Tuesday. The Cavs travel to Orlando two nights later before wrapping up the junket next Saturday night against the Pacers in Indiana.

cavs-work-overtime-to-sweep-spurs

Cavs Work Overtime to Sweep Spurs

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The past couple seasons of Cavaliers basketball as been about all the young dudes. But every now and again, the 2016 NBA Championship alum like to remind us what makes them so special.

Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellavedova – three key components from that title-winning squad with a little knowledge about knocking off Western Conference heavyweights – all came up huge as the Wine &amp; Gold snapped their four-game skein and completed the season sweep of the Nuggets in a 104-102 thriller on Saturday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Love scored nine of the Cavs’ final 12 points – including the baseline jumper that put Cleveland ahead to stay with 4:03 to play – Dellavedova piled up a career-high 14 assists and hit a monster three with 3:28 to play that gave the Cavs a two-possession lead, and Thompson – after missing two free throws with 20 seconds remaining, snuffed Jamal Murray on the defensive end and grabbed the defensive rebound at the buzzer.

The shorthanded Cavaliers – still missing starters Andre Drummond and Darius Garland – didn’t lead at all in the first half. But once they grabbed the lead back just after intermission, they kept Denver at bay through most of the second stanza.

Denver clawed its way back and reclaimed the lead on Will Barton’s step-back jumper with just over eight minutes to play. But the Cavaliers stayed attached, overcame the Nuggets on Love’s clutch bucket and held off a late charge for the win.

Love led both teams with 27 points, going 9-of-17 from the floor, including 5-of-11 from deep to go with six boards and three assists.

Collin Sexton continued his torrid pace – following up his career-high against Boston with a 25-point showing on Saturday, going 11-of-19 from the field, adding six boards, five assists and a pair of steals.

Cedi Osman drilled his first five three-pointers and went 7-of-12 from the floor overall, including 5-of-6 from long-distance to go with three boards and a pair of steals.

Thompson grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds to go with nine points, five assists and a pair of blocked shots – including a huge swat against Nikola Jokic with 3:31 remaining that preserved Cleveland’s one-point edge.

Overall, Tristan held Denver’s All-Star big man – the team’s leading scorer, rebounder and assist man – to just eight points, eight boards and eight helpers on the night.

Early in the game, Collin Sexton got out on the break and had one man to beat. Sexton busted out a smooth Euro Step move to allude him and score at the rim.

The third quarter has not been the Cavaliers friend on many occasions this season. But Cleveland came out of the locker room on a mission Saturday.

The Nuggets led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter and by three at half. The Cavaliers took the lead in short order after intermission, extending their edge to six points on Cedi Osman’s triple with 7:29 to play in the period.

Denver would eventually re-take the lead in the fourth quarter, but J.B. Bickerstaff’s squad had plenty left in the tank to rally late for the unlikely season sweep.

6.2 … assists that Matthew Dellavedova is averaging over his last six games – including a nine-dime night against Utah last week and a career-best 14 in Saturday’s win over the Nuggets.

Over that stretch, Delly – who’s struggled offensively this season – is shooting .452 from the floor, including .429 (6-of-14) from three-point range. Excluding an 0-for-8 clunker against Boston, those numbers jump to .609 and .667.

Delly’s 14 assists were the most by a Cavalier since LeBron James handed out 14 in a meeting against Washington in April 2018.

Matthew Dellavedova, on if he’s felt the need to prove himself this year …

”I always feel like I have to prove myself. I proved myself to get here. I proved myself to stay here. And I don’t think that ever goes away.”

The Wine &amp; Gold close out their five-game homestand on Sunday night when they welcome DeMar DeRozan and the Spurs to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

From there, they play 13 of their final 18 games on the road – beginning with a Tuesday night matchup in the Windy City. From there, it’s a weekend back-to-back against the Hornets in Charlotte on Friday followed by a meeting with the Hawks in Atlanta on Saturday. Cleveland stays on the road the following week – traveling to Houston, Orlando and Indiana.

championship-alum-lead-cavs-past-nuggets

Championship Alum Lead Cavs Past Nuggets

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Neither team lined up with a full squad on Wednesday night in Cleveland, but Boston had just a little more in the tank down the stretch, spoiling Collin Sexton’s career night and to send the Wine &amp; Gold to their fourth straight loss.

The Celtics – playing without Jaylen Brown, Kemba Walker and Gordon Hayward – couldn’t quite pull away from the Cavaliers – playing without Tristan Thompson, Andre Drummond, Darius Garland (and Kevin Porter Jr. after the first period) – but they made just enough plays to ward off Sexton’s furious charge, handing Cleveland the 112-106 defeat at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The Cavaliers trailed by as many as 13 points in the second quarter, but continued to claw their way back – taking the lead briefly at two points after intermission. Boston did still have two of their regulars – Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart, and that duo pushed the Celtics over the top late.

Sexton has been outstanding all season, but he’s been exceptional over the last four games.

Other than a 16-point effort in Saturday’s loss to the Pacers, the second-year starter from Alabama has tallied at least 30-points in three of his last four games, including a career-best 41 points on Wednesday night – going 17-for-30 from the floor, including 3-of-9 from long-range and 4-of-4 from the stripe.

Sexton kept the pressure on Boston all night – scoring 23 of his 41 points in the second stanza, including 11 in the final period.

With Thompson and Drummond on the shelf, the Cavaliers got big performances from their big men, Kevin Love and Larry Nance Jr., each of whom doubled-up in the loss.

Love finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds, going 9-of-17 from the floor, including 5-of-10 from beyond the arc, adding four assists and a blocked shot. Nance tallied his 11th double-double of the season – tallying 19 points on 7-for-13 shooting, drilling a pair of three-pointers and leading both squads with 15 boards and four steals.

Cedi Osman was the only other Cavalier in double-figures, but he struggled from the floor on Wednesday – finishing with 13 points on 3-of-14 shooting. Matthew Dellavedova, who got the start against Boston, took the collar in 35 minutes of work – going 0-for-8 from the field, 0-of-5 from long-distance.

Kevin Porter Jr. took a shot to the head on a rebound scrum in the second period and never came out of the locker room in the second half, logging just 10 minutes in the loss.

Jayson Tatum, who missed the Celtics’ Tuesday night loss to Brooklyn, bounced back on Wednesday – leading Boston with 32 points, adding nine boards, a team-high six assists, two steals and a blocked shot.

Semi Ojeleye led the Celtics reserves with 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 5-of-8 from three-point range as Boston’s second unit outscored Cleveland’s, 43-7.

The Cavs first two baskets of the game were something out of the dunk contest. Larry Nance Jr. skied for the one handed put back slam and Collin Sexton threw down a two handed jam off a nice pass from Kevin Love.

The Celtics kept the Cavs at arm’s length for most of the night – running out to a double-digit lead before half and leading by a half-dozen at the break. But in what proved to be a tight contest, neither team outscored the other by more than five points in any period.

Wednesday’s affair really didn’t get out of hand until the closing moments.

With just under three minutes to play, the Cavaliers trailed by just a single point, 98-97. But two free throws by Marcus Smart, followed by back-to-back bombs from Semi Ojeleye and Smart capped a quick 7-0 run that put the Cavaliers in an eight-point bind with 1:27 to play.

Cleveland cut it to four on Collin Sexton’s three-pointer with 13.7 to play, but could get no closer.

120 … points that Collin Sexton has scored over his last four games, shooting .554 from the floor (46-of-83) and an even .500 from long-range (14-of-28) over that stretch.

The Young Bull has now scored in double-figures in 33 straight games, has topped the 20-point plateau in 53 games, has four games of 30-plus and posted his first 40-point effort on Wednesday night against Boston.

Kevin Love, on Collin Sexton’s rapid improvement …

”He just continues to have so much confidence on (the offensive) end. So he’s really, really flying and I think things are slowing down for him as well. But there were even times tonight when he got into the lane, he kicked that ball out to Cedi (Osman), got his sixth assist – so that’s just the type of player he is. He continues to get better and he’s a guy that nobody is going to outwork. I think you’ve continued to see that through this year and (he) just continues to get better.”

The Cavaliers close out their longest remaining homestand of the season with a weekend back-to-back – welcoming Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on Saturday night followed by a Sunday evening visit from the Spurs.

The Wine &amp; Gold then hit the road for much of the rest of the schedule – playing 14 of their final 18 away from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, beginning with a Central Division matchup next Tuesday night in Chicago. From there, the Cavs visit Charlotte, Atlanta, Houston, Orlando and Indiana.

shorthanded-celts-spoil-sextons-big-night

Shorthanded Celts Spoil Sexton's Big Night

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The Cavaliers picked a rough night to be missing two of their top bigs and starting point guard.

The Wine &amp; Gold played just seven guys for most of the evening – down Andre Drummond, Tristan Thompson and Darius Garland – and couldn’t keep up with the Jazz, dropping the 126-113 decision on Monday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

With Utah beginning a four-game road trip and the Cavaliers in the midst of their five-game homestand, the Cavaliers hung tough with the playoff-bound Jazz for most of the night. But Quinn Snyder’s squad was at full strength, canned 20 triples, shot 56 percent on the night and simply overwhelmed Cleveland, which dropped their third straight.

Sloppy defensive finishes to the first and second quarter put the Cavs behind, and after staying within striking distance throughout the third, trailed by double-figures throughout the entire final period.

Two games removed from tying his career-high scoring mark against the Pelicans, Collin Sexton was even better on Monday – netting a career-best 32 points, going 11-for-17 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from long-range and 6-of-8 from the stripe, adding five boards, three assists and a game-high three steals.

Kevin Love followed up with 22 points on 7-for-15 shooting, going 6-of-11 from beyond the arc to go with a team-high nine boards and two assists in the loss.

Kevin Porter Jr., getting his third career start, finished with 16 points on 5-of-14 shooting, adding four boards, four assists, a steal and blocked shot. Larry Nance Jr., who also moved up into the starting lineup, added 16 points of his own, adding eight boards, eight helpers and a pair of steals.

Cedi Osman was the only other Cavalier in double-figures – chipping in with 14 points, five boards and a steal.

With the Cavaliers thinned out, Utah’s reserves outscored Cleveland’s 32-11, although Matthew Dellavedova did manage to lead both squads in assists, handing out a season-high-tying nine dimes in 29 minutes of work off the bench.

Bojan Bogdanovic led the Jazz with 28 points, canning five of Utah’s 20 three-pointers, while the two-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert, added 20 points and a game-high five blocked shots in the win.

In his first game back as a member of the Jazz after a Christmas time trade, former Cavalier Jordan Clarkson – who got a nice ovation when he checked in late in the first quarter – finished with 13 points off the bench, going 3-of-4 from three-point range.

The Cavaliers got the game started with a bang! The first points of the contest were scored via an ally-oop in which Cedi Osman lobbed to Kevin Porter Jr. who threw it down with two hands.

Closing quarters is essential in the NBA, and on Monday night the Jazz wrapped up the first two periods perfectly.

The Cavaliers hung with the heavyweight Jazz through the first quarter, taking a one-point lead on Delly’s floater with 2:20 to play in the period before Utah ran off seven straight points to jump back in front.

The story was similar in the second – where Cleveland was actually able to take a six-point lead midway through the period. With 2:43 to play in the first half, the game was tied. But the Jazz proceeded to close the half on a 12-2 run – putting the Cavaliers behind double-figures, where they remained for most of the second stanza.

26.8, .551, .591 … Collin Sexton’s scoring average – along with his shooting percentage from the floor and from beyond the arc – over his last four games.

Dating back to December 23, the Young Bull has posted 19 games of 20 points or more and three 30-point efforts – averaging 22.6ppg on .478 shooting from the floor and .452 from deep over that 32-game stretch.

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff, on his team’s effort on Monday night …

"We tried to press a little bit and to our guys credit we were getting after it and we were trying. There were moments when we tried to do too much because everybody was trying to do a little bit more. We were playing against a good team so if we make mistakes, they are good enough to make you pay, especially the way they shoot the ball from three."

The Wine &amp; Gold’s longest remaining homestand of the season rolls on, with Jayson Tatum and the red-hot Boston Celtics making their final visit to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Wednesday night.

Cleveland closes out the five-game stay with a weekend back-to-back – welcoming in Mike Malone’s Nuggets on Saturday night followed by a visit from the Spurs on Sunday.

From there, the Cavaliers hit the road for much of the remainder of the season – playing 14 of their final 19 games away from Cleveland.

scrappy-shorthanded-cavs-fall-to-jazz

Scrappy Shorthanded Cavs Fall to Jazz

clejgabriele

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If this Cavaliers season is about growth, J.B. Bickerstaff’s young squad grew up – albeit in a tough loss – on Saturday night.

The Cavs and Pacers went toe-to-toe in a good old-fashioned Central Division slugfest on Saturday – a game that featured 16 ties and 12 lead-changes – before Indiana finally pulled away late for the 113-104 decision at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

After a one-sided loss on Friday night in New Orleans, the Cavaliers tipped off a five-game homestand against the Playoff-bound Pacers – and it was razor-close throughout: Cleveland led by one after one quarter and by two at half before the Pacers tied the affair heading to the fourth.

The song remained the same in that final period. Neither team led by more than a possession through the first seven-plus minutes of the fourth. But three straight jumpers by T.J. Warren and a huge triple from Myles Turner in the final minute sealed the deal – giving the Pacers the 2-1 series lead with the fourth and final matchup slated for March 21 in Indy.

Andre Drummond had easily his best game as a Cavalier, returning to the lineup after missing the previous two games with a sore left calf. On the night, the two-time All-Star led Cleveland with 27 points on 12-of-21 shooting, adding a team-high 13 boards to go with four assists, four steals and a blocked shot.

Kevin Love followed up with 20 points, going 6-of-9 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the stripe, adding a team-high seven assists and a steal.

One of the highlights from the night – and maybe the year – came around the midway point of the third quarter, with Love and Drummond exchanging touchdown passes on consecutive possessions, with Drummond firing a 90-foot outlet pass to a streaking Love for the layup, and Love returning the favor 25 seconds later.

Collin Sexton pitched in with 16 points on 7-for-16 shooting, adding three boards and four assists. His backcourt mate, Darius Garland, had a quiet 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting to go with five helpers and a pair of rebounds.

Kevin Porter Jr. led all bench scorers with 14 points – going 5-of-13 from the floor, including 2-of-6 from deep, to go with two boards, three assists and a team-high two blocks.

T.J. Warren led all scorers with 30 points – eight of those on 4-of-5 shooting in the fourth quarter – and Indy’s big man combo of Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner each had a double-double for the Pacers.

An Andre Drummond block on defense leads to a Cavs fast break that Cedi Osman finishes off with a two handed dunk in transition.

Saturday night’s contest was tight throughout. Neither team led by double-digits at any point during the game.

The fourth quarter was just as close, with neither team leading by more than three until T.J. Warren’s pullup with 3:32 to play in regulation put the Pacers up five, 104-99. Andre Drummond’s dunk got the Cavs back to within three, but Warren canned two more jumpers to put Indiana up seven, 108-101, with 2:17 to play.

Kevin Love hit a triple on Cleveland’s next possession to get the Cavaliers back within striking distance. But with 59 seconds to play – as he did two nights earlier in a home win over Portland – Myles Turner drained a three-pointer that rattled around the rim and in to give the Pacers enough breathing room to take the cake.

46 … double-doubles that Andre Drummond has posted so far this season – tying him with his opponent on Saturday night, Domantas Sabonis, for the second-best mark in the NBA.

Since 2012-13, Drummond has now tallied 406 double-doubles, most in the NBA over that stretch and 87 more than his next-closest competitor, Houston’s Russell Westbrook.

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff, on what the Pacers did to seal the deal on Saturday …

"I think they did a really good job executing their stuff down the stretch and their guys, (T.J.) Warren got to a spot quite a bit, they had some really good looks. I think you know defensively, we could have put a little more pressure on him. Got into him a little bit more, been a little bit higher in our pick and rolls to try to you know stymie that a little bit, but give them credit, they got to their spots and made shots."

The Cavaliers longest remaining homestand of the season rolls on, with Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz making their lone stop to Cleveland on Monday night.

On Wednesday night, the Jayson Tatum and the Celtics make their final visit to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse followed by a Saturday night visit from Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. The homestand wraps up the following night when the Spurs come to town.

From there, it’s a six-game road trip – taking the Wine &amp; Gold to Chicago, Charlotte, Atlanta, Houston, Orlando and Indiana.

pacers-late-push-sinks-wine-gold

Pacers Late Push Sinks Wine & Gold

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There wasn’t any comeback in the cards for the Cavs on Friday night in the Big Easy, as the Pelicans opened a big lead and held Cleveland off the rest of the way.

Despite a career night from Collin Sexton, the Wine &amp; Gold couldn’t keep up with the high-octane Pelicans – who dominated the Cavaliers in the paint and on the break – pulling away late for the 116-104 victory on Friday night at the Smoothie King Center.

New Orleans jumped out to a 21-point lead late in the first quarter and despite the Cavaliers hanging tough, never allowed them within single digits for the rest of the night, snuffing a late third-quarter rally to win its eighth straight over Cleveland in the Crescent City.

Sexton tied a career-high set earlier this season in a win over New York – finishing with 31 points on 11-of-20 shooting, including 6-of-10 from beyond the arc and 3-of-5 from the stripe, adding four boards, three assists and a steal. Sexton’s six triples marked a career-best for the sophomore from Alabama.

Kevin Porter Jr. followed up with 16 points despite a frustrating evening on both ends – going 7-of-19 from the floor, including 2-of-8 from deep to go with five boards, five assists and a pair of steals in 31 minutes of work.

Darius Garland added 15 points on 7-for-15 shooting, Tristan Thompson finished with 13 points and five boards and Kevin Love rounded out the Cavaliers in double-figures with 10 points, seven boards and a pair of steals.

Three Pelicans starters finished with at least 20 points apiece – led by Brandon Ingram’s 29-point effort. Derrick Favors led both teams with 15 boards, Lonzo Ball finished with a game-high 12 assists and Zion Williamson became the first teenager in NBA history to net at least 20 points in 10 straight games.

Kevin Porter Jr. throws and outlet pass down to floor to Larry Nance Jr. who makes a nice catch and finish at the rim.

The Cavs fell behind early in this one, finding themselves down double-digits before the halfway point of the first quarter and trailing by three TDs later in the period.

But Cleveland kept clawing back and stayed within striking distance over the next three quarters – using an 8-0 run to close the third and go into the final period down just a dozen.

But the Pelicans weren’t about to let Cleveland duplicate its rally from earlier in the week – going on a 10-2 run to start the fourth quarter, re-establishing their 20-point edge and putting J.B. Bickerstaff’s squad behind the 8-ball for the rest of the night.

22.6, .474, .465 … Collin Sexton’s scoring average – along with his shooting percentage from the floor and beyond the arc – in the calendar year 2020.

Over that 26-game stretch, the Young Bull has tallied 20 or more 16 times and posted two 30-point outings, including his career-high-tying effort on Friday night.

Kevin Love, on Friday’s loss in New Orleans …

”They did a really great job at that and you have to tip your hat to them. We have to be better on both sides of the ball. Tonight I thought it was even more so we getting a little sped up on the offense end and on the defensive end they were playing in transition and downhill making it tough for us.”

The Cavaliers return to town for a five-game homestand – beginning with Saturday night’s second half of the back-to-back against the Pacers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

On Monday night, Cleveland welcomes Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz to town, followed by a visit from Jayson Tatum and the Celtics on Wednesday. After two days off, the Cavs wrap up the homestand with a Saturday night showdown with the Nuggets with a matchup against the Spurs the following night.

Following the homestand, the Cavs play 14 of their final 19 games on the road – beginning with a six-game roadie that tips off next Tuesday night in Chicago.

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Playoff-Hungry Pelicans Cool Down Cavaliers

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A different Cavaliers team has emerged on the other side of the All-Star Break – and they are fun to watch.

Over the last two weeks, the Wine &amp; Gold have reversed some negative trends and have now won four of their last five – including Wednesday night’s wire-to-wire 108-94 victory over the Sixers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The Cavaliers didn’t require any of the histrionics from Monday’s heart-stopping comeback win – jumping on the Sixers right out of the gate, building up a 20-point lead and snuffing any potential rally in the final period.

Philly was without Ben Simmons – who’s expected to miss significant time with a back injury – and their other All-Star, center Joel Embiid, left the game in the second quarter with a left shoulder sprain and didn’t return.

The Cavaliers took full advantage of the shorthanded Sixers – holding them to 40 percent shooting in their seventh straight loss away from the Wells Fargo Center, where they’re a league-best 27-2. The Wine &amp; Gold – after dropping 12 straight home contests before the break – have now won three straight on their home floor.

Collin Sexton barely saw the floor in the fourth quarter and overtime on Monday night, but the Young Bull was back in the ring on Wednesday – leading both squads with 28 points on 9-for-16 shooting, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc and 8-of-9 from the stripe to go with two assists and a pair of steals.

Tristan Thompson – back in the starting lineup with Andre Drummond out Wednesday with a calf injury – notched his 25th double-double of the season, finishing with 14 points and 13 boards, six off the offensive glass, adding two helpers, a steal and blocked shot in the win.

Larry Nance Jr. doubled-up as well, stacking the boxscore in 31 minutes of work off the bench – chipping in with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go with a season-high 15 rebounds, three assists and a steal.

Nance Jr. got some help off the bench from an unlikely source in Matthew Dellavedova, who had one of his best showings of the season – finishing with 12 points, going 5-of-5 from the floor, including 2-of-2 from long-range to go with a pair of assists and a steal.

Darius Garland finished with 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting and Kevin Love added 13 points, nine boards and six assists rounded out the Cavaliers in double-figures.

Little-used sophomore guard Shake Milton led the Sixers with 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting. Josh Richardson led Philly with eight rebounds as the Wine &amp; Gold dominated on the glass – 49-32 – to take Wednesday’s decision and avoid the season sweep.

Collin Sexton was a walking human highlight reel on Wednesday. He made his defender fall before hitting a jumper in the first quarter, then later in the game, broke out a double-clutch dunk on a fastbreak.

Although the Cavaliers never trailed on Wednesday night, a point of the game in which they might have collapsed early this season went their way against Philly.

The Sixers began chipping away at Cleveland’s lead midway through the third quarter and at the 9:13 mark of the fourth had cut a 20-point deficit to just five, 85-80, on Al Horford’s three-pointer.

But the Cavaliers kept their composure. Tristan Thompson scored four of Cleveland’s next six points to regain the double-digit lead. The Cavs kept it up from there, curbing every Sixers’ potential run and extending the lead back to 15 with under two minutes to play.

29 … consecutive games that Collin Sexton has now tallied double-figures, shooting 47 percent from the floor and 43 percent from beyond the arc.

Over the course of that 29-game stretch, dating back to December 23, the Young Bull has posted 20 games of at least 20 points, including a 30-point outburst on January 4 against Oklahoma City.

Among second-year players, only All-Star starters Luka Doncic and Trae Young have a higher scoring average than Sexton’s 19.7ppg.

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff, on his young squad’s growth …

”I think there’s been a concerted effort to a man to just go out and try to get after it a little bit harder. There is an energy that’s building, and you don’t want to be the one guy that’s not participating in it. So, you see the leadership, you see the young guys, they are pushing one another, they are holding each other accountable. They are having real conversations to fix problems and the environment and culture we are creating is growing and that’s going to be the foundation of it.”

The Cavaliers hit the road for one game before returning to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for a five-game homestand – traveling to the Big Easy for a Friday night matchup against Zion Williamson and the Pelicans.