LeBron James Saves Cavs from Bad Loss vs. Knicks and Friday NBA Takeaways
On Friday night, during their 90-84 victory over the rebuilt but not fully reinvented New York Knicks, the Cleveland Cavaliers needed only LeBron James.
And that's good.
Because for much of this victory, he's all they had.
Yes, Mo Williams pitched in 20 points, including a big-time bucket after shaking off Langston Galloway down the stretch. And yes, the Cavaliers received solid, if unimpressive, contributions from Matthew Dellavedova (nine points, four rebounds), Timofey Mozgov (11 points, seven rebounds) and Tristan Thompson (10 rebounds).
But there was nothing spectacular about this win, Cleveland's eighth in a row, aside from James. He finished with 31 points on 12-of-21 shooting, six assists, two steals, one block, a game-high plus-17 and one smooth two-handed alley-oop finish:
A lion's share of James' heroics took place in the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers entered the final frame trailing by six, their jumpers caroming off every possible part of the rim, their second in command, Kevin Love, struggling to remain more than invisible on the offensive end.
James was able to make do, scoring 12 of his 31 points in the closing 12 minutes. Though his outside shooting slump raged on, he took to attacking the heart of the Knicks defense. More than half of his total looks came around the basket, where he shot almost 67 percent (8-of-12), and he attempted six free throws in the fourth quarter alone.
For much of the game, by his own standards, he was quiet, maybe steady. J.R. Smith (3-of-10 shooting) and Williams did their best Kyrie Irving impressions, while Love tried his hand at exploiting the Knicks on or near the block, mostly to no avail (2-of-10 shooting, seven points).
Mostly, as Jared Zwerling of the NBA Players Association noted, James was relying on his teammates to hit shots they just weren't hitting:
To be fair, catch-and-shoot looks are supposed to be Cleveland's bread-and-butter. James is an expert at driving and kicking, and the Cavaliers are one of the deadliest spot-up-shooting teams in the league. Those surrounding James just didn't have it against the Knicks.
That must have resonated with him in time for the fourth quarter. Shoot, something about the collective state of the Cavaliers must have hit him where it counts.
This team, as currently concocted, with Irving and Iman Shumpert on the shelf, needs James to be aggressive and subsequently great. The Cavs have the second-best record in the NBA and one of the league's most efficient offenses, but their margin for error is so small until they're at full strength.
Games against clearly inferior opponents shouldn't be so tightly contested. The Knicks are a much-improved squad compared to last year's 17-win disaster, but they're not a title contender—not a team the Cavaliers should almost lose to twice.
In more ways than one, both of the Cavaliers' victories over the Knicks are a summation of their entire season, as Northeast Ohio Media Group's Chris Fedor explained:
Carmelo Anthony started off hot, thoroughly outclassing Cleveland's defense with 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the first half. Arron Afflalo followed his lead for much of the game, dropping 12 points and four assists through the first three quarters.
Jose Calderon even looked like an NBA point guard (on offense), converting four of his first five shots. And when the Knicks' lead—which ballooned to as much as 10—started to slip away, rookie and cult hero Kristaps Porzingis had one of his trademark moments, where he briefly shifted momentum back in New York's favor, this time with an impossibly angled half-hook over Love:
Like always, there was plenty to like about the Knicks. But they faded down the stretch, as inferior teams do.
Anthony scored just four points in the entire second half. He and Afflalo were held to a combined 2-of-11 shooting in the fourth quarter. The Knicks once again racked up fouls in volume, committing nine infractions in the last 12 minutes.
Head coach Derek Fisher even played his part in the team's partially self-created demise. His rotations were weird, he rolled with Lou Amundson and Calderon down the stretch, and he had Lance Thomas take charge of a pivotal inbounds play in the fourth only to blow an easy lob pass to Porzingis.
Somehow, the outcome still remained in doubt until just about the final buzzer. Cleveland was unable to capitalize enough on the Knicks' plummeting fourth-quarter offense, which shot 4-of-21 from the floor. The Cavaliers shot 53.8 percent in that last quarter, but they mustered just 13 total attempts and missed five free throws (9-of-14).
Some of this will get lost in the postgame shuffle, because the Cavaliers won. But they just as easily could have lost with the way they played. A better, more developed team would have beat them.
The same can be said of their 118-114 win over the Utah Jazz on Nov. 10. And their 101-97 victory against the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 8. And their pair of quasi-close calls against the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 2 and 6, respectively.
Close games that shouldn't actually be all that close are becoming a prevailing theme for Cleveland. And until Irving returns or the team starts putting together complete performances from start to finish, the Cavaliers better hope there doesn't come a time when only having James isn't enough.
Paul George Isn't Just Back; He's Better
Monta Ellis played the part of momentary hero in the Pacers' 107-103 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, coming up with a clutch shot, as well as a game-saving block on Andre Miller.
But it was Paul George who stole the show. Again.
George finished with 29 points, nine rebounds, four assists and a steal while shooting 8-of-17 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from long range. He missed all three of his shot attempts in the fourth quarter but still topped 26 points for the sixth consecutive game.
Not that we should be surprised, even though we kind of are—which, for the record, George takes offense to, per Pacer Nation:
Sure, George is only 25 years old and has made two All-Star appearances. But his recovery from a broken leg rendered his future something of a mystery—or so some of us thought.
George is moving incredibly well, almost single-handedly keeping the Pacers relevant, and he's on pace to post a career-best player efficiency rating in his first season as an everyday power forward.
He isn't a mystery, nor is he just "back."
He's better.
Celtics Are Fine with Winning Ugly
It didn't matter that the Atlanta Hawks shot better overall. The Boston Celtics still pulled out a 106-93 victory, largely because they fired up 103 total shots to the Hawks' 76.
Isaiah Thomas led all scorers with 23 points and also dropped 10 assists. Amir Johnson had one of his most complete outings of the young season, recording 19 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks. Kelly Olynyk turned some heads with his sweet shooting from the outside (3-of-6 from downtown) and finished with 15 points to go along with a pair of blocks.
If you're looking for a coherent description of how this game unfolded from start to finish, with Atlanta's offense frequently falling into stagnant fits, I don't have one.
If you're looking for a totally awesome quote that encapsulates the bizarreness of this contest, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens has you covered:
Sad Pelicans Are Sad
Here's the good news for the New Orleans Pelicans: After starting the season with some spotty hustle and a slight case of "Holy crap, I'm human," Anthony Davis has improved, as Pelicans.com's Jim Eichenhofer pointed out:
Here's the bad news: A bruised hip kept Davis from playing in New Orleans' Friday night tilt against the Toronto Raptors, and it showed. The Pelicans fell 100-81 after building an early nine-point lead, dropping to a Western Conference-worst 1-8 on the season.
Eric Gordon and Jrue Holiday combined for 49 points—or more than 60 percent of New Orleans' total offense—but they were no match for Toronto's perpetually probing offense.
Kyle Lowry went for 20 points, five assists and four three-pointers. Jonas Valanciunas posted a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double, while DeMar DeRozan went buck wild with 15 points and 11 assists. DeMarre Carroll (11 points) and Patrick Patterson (10 points) both scored in double figures as well.
It was all simply too much for the Pelicans—the sad, sorry, Anthony Davis-less Pelicans. It's still early in the season, but they're watching their playoff hopes go up flames. There just aren't a lot of silver linings for them to look toward at this time.
Except this one, per the Times-Picayune's Jeff Duncan:
Yay(?).
Who Needs Kevin Durant?
Um, the Oklahoma City Thunder do.
Just not when they play the Philadelphia 76ers.
Russell Westbrook went full Russell Westbrook in the Thunder's 102-85 victory, collecting 21 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists.
Yes, another triple-double. That's what Westbrook does. He traffics in triple-doubles. He absolutely loves them. Both Bleacher Report's Chris Palmer and ESPN.com's Royce Young were kind enough to tell us just how much:
In other news, Serge Ibaka, Enes Kanter, Anthony Morrow and Dion Waiters each scored in double figures for the Thunder. Westbrook grabbed more rebounds than Ibaka and Kanter combined (15), but we won't talk about that.
Also, Christian Wood led the Sixers in scoring with 15 points, because it's 2015 and, well, who else is supposed to lead the Sixers in scoring?
Marc Gasol Says Hasta Luego to Grizzlies' Losing Streak
Marc Gasol has not been a happy camper during the Memphis Grizzlies' four-game losing streak, so he did the only thing he could do Friday night: take his frustrations out on the Portland Trail Blazers en route to a 101-100 victory.
Zach Randolph technically saved the day for the Grizzlies after they blew a 14-point lead. He dropped in a game-winner with just 0.6 seconds remaining, ensuring Memphis wouldn't suffer through its first five-game losing streak since December 2013.
It was Gasol, though, who carried the Grizzlies for just about the entire game. He tallied 31 points on 11-of-18 shooting to go along with four rebounds and five assists. Oh, and he also did this:
There are no words—you know, other than "Eat your heart out, Jeff Green," per the Memphis Flyer's Kevin Lipe:
This is a win the Grizzlies needed. They're off to their worst start since 2011-12, only this time a turnaround doesn't feel inevitable. The West is weird, and Memphis' offense has been poor.
With the exception of Gasol—and Matt Barnes' three-point shooting (2-of-2)—the offense remained mostly bad against Portland. The defense, as has been the case for much of this season, wasn't anything to celebrate, either. The Grizzlies swarmed the Blazers on above-the-break threes but allowed them to reach the restricted area at will, where they shot 67 percent.
Still, Memphis won. The Grizzlies were able to overcome a blown lead and offense way more efficient than their own, and they won.
Not all is right in Memphis by any means, but at least for one night, it was good enough.
Lakers Lose to Mavericks, and It Was Weird
As many of us probably expected, the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Dallas Mavericks 90-82.
As many of us also probably expected, Dirk Nowitzki seized an opportunity to remind the world, including Kobe Bryant, that he has Father Time bound and gagged and unconscious in his basement:
Everything else about this game was weird.
Zaza Pachulia led the Mavericks in rebounds with 16 (not weird) and scoring (totally weird). Bryant pumped in 19 points (not weird) while shooting (7-of-15) much better than 35 percent from the floor (incredibly weird).
Jordan Clarkson led the Lakers with 21 points (not weird) and played tremendous defense (not weird) while channeling his inner JaVale McGee exactly once (very weird):
By game's end, Bryant could be seen at center court, fraternizing with the enemy, per Lakers.com's Mike Trudell:
Wrap your head around THAT.
The Rockets Are...Not Good
No offense to the Denver Nuggets, one of the NBA's pluckiest upstarts, but they shouldn't be beating the Houston Rockets 107-98 when Emmanuel Mudiay shoots 1-of-10 from the field—even if he redeems himself with 11 assists and Will Barton catches fire (26 points).
The Rockets, now 4-5, are just bad.
James Harden (28 points, five assists) and Terrence Jones (23 points, absolutely going to get paid in restricted free agency) were their only sources of consistent offense Friday night. Ty Lawson didn't make a single shot or score a single point in his first return to Denver, and Dwight Howard was an absolute non-factor on the more glamorous end.
Nothing about this Rockets performance or their start to the season makes much sense. They're chucking threes without purpose. Four of their five losses have come against 2015 lottery teams. They look, as Sirius XM NBA Radio's Brian Geltzeiler put it, completely broken:
Rockets coach Kevin McHale had some thoughts on his team's effort against Denver as well, per SI.com's Ben Golliver:
Oh.
Well, I guess it's safe to say that the Rockets' season isn't going as planned, huh?
DeMarcus Still Knows How to Boogie
Despite trailing by as many as 15 points, the Sacramento Kings came storming back to grab a 111-109 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Now, while I write the "Kings came storming back," what I really mean is "DeMarcus Cousins wouldn't let them lose." Sacramento's behemoth exploded for 30 points in the second half and at one point scored 19 straight during the third quarter.
Seriously.
You can relive every one of those 19 points here, courtesy of the Kings:
If you can't spare the 70-something seconds, be sure to allocate at least five seconds to watching Cousins drive, dunk and dance like everyone is watching:
Cousins would end up with 40 points, 13 rebounds, one block and bragging rights within the Kings locker room for all of eternity.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com unless otherwise cited and are accurate leading into games played on Nov. 12.
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @danfavale.
