Kevin Love vs. Trail Blazers: Stats, Highlights and Twitter Reaction

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love wasted little time making his presence known during Wednesday's 137-125 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at Quicken Loans Arena. 

Love poured in 34 points in the first quarter and outscored Portland by himself in those 12 minutes, 34-31. Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk said Love's points marked a new NBA record for scoring in the first quarter, although he scored just six the rest of the game on his way to 40 points and eight rebounds.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, only Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson has scored more points in a single quarter (37). ESPN Stats & Info also shared Love's scorching-hot shot chart from the opening frame:   

Love scored 24 of his 34 first-quarter points from long range and was a nightmare for Portland from straight away, in the corner and on the wing:

However, he cooled off considerably in the second quarter. In fact, he attempted (and missed) just one shot. Cleveland was in control with an 81-60 halftime advantage, but it limited Love's individual brilliance after his quick start.

Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal said, "We've reached the point in game where Kevin Love gets ignored, franchise record be damned."

Robert Flom of SB Nation had some fun with Cleveland's offensive strategy, while Dan Devine of Yahoo's Ball Don't Lie joked Love was "averaging a dismal and embarrassing 17 points per quarter."

Even though Love didn't have any points in the second, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com said the Cavaliers finished just two points shy of their franchise record for points in a half.

The NBA reacted to Cleveland's performance:

ESPN Stats & Info said the team as a whole was also setting records:

Portland outscored Cleveland in the third quarter, 32-31, but the Cavaliers ended the period on a 12-5 run to take a 112-92 lead into the fourth.

Love reached the 40-point plateau during the third quarter, which was the first time he accomplished the feat in a Cavaliers uniform. Lloyd noted there was something about Nov. 23 games that agreed with Love during his Cleveland tenure:    

Love took a backseat to other players in the fourth quarter, as Cleveland put things on cruise control and clinched the victory.

The forward didn't score in the last 12 minutes, but teammate LeBron James notched the 44th triple-double of his career. James ended the game with 31 points, 13 assists, 10 rebounds and three steals.

SB Nation's Fear the Sword implied Love was helping James rack up some stats when it said, "So many people are guarding Kevin Love that no people guarded LeBron James."

On the other side, Damian Lillard put the finishing touches on a brilliant game. The Trail Blazers guard scored 40 points, dished out 11 assists and grabbed seven rebounds and inspired this reaction from Joe Gabriele of the Cavaliers' official website:

Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com put things into perspective:

Love ultimately finished with 40 points and eight rebounds, which is a head-turning stat line in a vacuum. However, he scored just six points in the final three quarters, and Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com noticed a fitting moniker at crunch time:

Even if the majority of Love's points came in the first 12 minutes, the Cavaliers will gladly take more performances from him like Wednesday's.

Postgame Reaction

Love shared his postgame thoughts in an interview with Fox Sports Ohio's Allie Clifton: