Spurs fall to shock loss to the Jazz…
The Cleveland Cavaliers extended their winning streak to eight games on Tuesday night with victory over the Eastern Conference leading Toronto Raptors.
LeBron James scored 35 points including a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 48 seconds remaining as the Cavaliers rallied to beat the Raptors who were led by Kyle Lowry with 16 points and 14 assists.
“I guess it was a little desperation,” James said. “You get down on your home floor 13, 14 points, you go out there and control what you can control. That’s how hard you play, how hard you defend. The defense got our offense going.”
Cleveland coach David Blatt conceded that it was a “tough, hard victory” but he will be delighted with the result as the Cavs continue to show an edge to their play and appear to be a more solid outfit when compared to their early-season performances.
The Raptors remain top of the East at 16-6 although Cleveland now improve to 13-7 and look settled and ready to push on for a top seeding in the Conference.
Meanwhile, there was a shock over in the West as the San Antonio Spurs lost on the road to the Utah Jazz with Derrick Favors scoring 21 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the win.
Gordon Hayward added 20 points and seven boards and in the process helped end the Jazz’s nine-game losing streak as he stressed the importance of the team being able to perform across all four quarters.
Tim Duncan had 23 points and 13 rebounds but after entering the game without Tony Parker, Patty Mills and Tiago Splitter, coach Gregg Popovich was absent from the third quarter onwards after being ejected.
Elsewhere, the Los Angeles Lakers picked up another win to move to 6-16 for the season as Kobe Bryant’s 32 points lifted them to victory over the Sacramento Kings.
However, the Detroit Pistons slipped to a 13th straight loss after defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night while the New Orleans Pelicans sent the New York Knicks to a ninth loss in a row.
NBA Results
Toronto Raptors 101-105
Portland Trail Blazers 98-86 Detroit Pistons
Dallas Mavericks 105-114 Memphis Grizzlies
New York Knicks 93-104 New Orleans Pelicans
Milwaukee Bucks 101-114 Oklahoma City Thunder
Miami Heat 103-97 Phoenix Suns
San Antonio Spurs 96-100 Utah Jazz
Sacramento Kings 95-98 Los Angeles Lakers
COMMENTS