Cleveland Cavaliers Get Big Win Over Spurs In Primetime

103. 29. 117. 156. Final

After a tumultuous week, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Spurs for their biggest victory of the season in Primetime

The game saw a bit of everything from the Cleveland Cavaliers as the Spurs were out-matched throughout the night against Cleveland’s new and improved high-powered offense.

The Cavaliers got the matchups they wanted several times on the floor and it helped them to pull away early. While LeBron James was his high-flying self with dunks in transition and blocking Manu Ginobli, he appeared to tweak his knee at the end of the third and sat out most of the fourth quarter with the Cavs ahead by double-digits. LeBron finished the night with 29 points.

He had plenty of help as Kyrie Irving had 21 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter.

Kevin Love had an impressive night of his own as he had 21 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. It is only the second time that James, Irving, and Love have all reached 20 points in the same game.

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For the Spurs, it is visible that they are struggling without the rim protection and savvy of Tim Duncan. The power-forward recently underwent an MRI on his knee and there is no time-table for his return.

Without Duncan, the Spurs were beaten on the boards in both offensive and defensive rebounds.

Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs with 24 points.

LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 15 while Tony Parker finished with 13.

Despite the fact that both Leonard and Aldridge have been named to the NBA All-Star game in recently, this is the teams’ second blow-out in a week. The Spurs fell to the Warriors by 30 points on Monday.

The game unveiled the new ESPN Virtual Three where the three-point line is highlighted every time a player makes an attempt from beyond the arc. The line becomes more pronounced when the attempt is made and lasts longer if the shot is successful.

Despite the back-lash over the decision, Lue’s recent success has helped to quell that chatter that he is undeserving of the opportunity that was handed to him

For the Cavaliers, this is their fourth straight victory after losing to the Bulls a week ago on the first night of NBA on ABC’s Saturday Night Primetime match-ups. The victory is the fourth for Tyronn Lue who was named coach of the Eastern Conference All-Stars in Toronto next month.

Of late, the big cloud surrounding Lue is whether he should remain the coach as it was the recently dismissed David Blatt and his staff that were at the helm as the Cavaliers became the best team in the East. Despite the back-lash over the decision, Lue’s recent success has helped to quell that chatter that he is undeserving of the opportunity that was handed to him.

For the Cleveland Cavaliers as a whole, the victory is huge as they now split the series with the Spurs should they face them in the NBA Finals. If Cleveland holds court as expected in the East, it is the Spurs who are the biggest threat to the Warriors and the victory is huge for the morale of the team going forward.

Next: Cavs: Why Cleveland Really Fired David Blatt

In terms of matchups, they have lost both meetings with the Bulls and are 1-1 against the second ranked Raptors with one more meeting in the regular season. The challenge will be for the Cavaliers to remain in the first position when the playoffs begin to give themselves the easiest route to the Finals.

The big question, obviously, is what will the Cavs do if they face the Warriors again for the championship? A victory for Cleveland in that scenario is unlikely at this point. But if things are going to change, they’re going to need more nights like tonight in the coming weeks.

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