CLEVELAND — If this had been a pickup game, the Oklahoma City Thunder would have demanded new sides to be chosen.
Possessing nine of the top 10 players in uniform, the Cavaliers did anything and everything they wanted – and they did it with remarkable ease – in cruising to a 117-82 victory Wednesday night at Quicken Loans Arena.
The Cavaliers, who won for the 11th time in their last 12 games and improved to 8-0 at home, are now 12-3 overall, the best start in the franchise’s
39-year history. They have not trailed at any moment in their last three games.
On the flip side, Oklahoma City fell to an NBA-worst 1-15 and has dropped 13 in a row.
“You feel for teams that are going through that,” Cleveland’s Wally Szczerbiak said. “At the same time, you appreciate being on a team like this.”
Playing crisply from the get-go and never letting up, the Cavaliers led by 20 in the first period, by 35 in the second and by 42 in the third, resulting in LeBron James (14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists) playing just 17 minutes, the fewest he’s ever played in an NBA game when healthy. The sixth-year pro checked out for good with 4:31 to go in the third period and the Cavaliers leading 83-43.
“We’ve got a great team right now,” James said. “We’re not taking anything for granted. We have a hunger about things.”
Not that any of the final statistics really mattered as all 12 Cleveland players in uniform scored at least three points, but Zydrunas Ilgauskas led the Cavaliers with 17 points and seven boards in 13 minutes, which translates to 62 points and 25 rebounds over 48 minutes.
Daniel Gibson added 15 points, rookie J.J. Hickson had a career-high 14, Szczerbiak finished with 13, all in the first half, and Tarence Kinsey collected 11 in nine minutes as four Cleveland reserves reached double figures for the second straight game.
“Our guys entered the game with the right mind frame, the right focus,” Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. “They came out and did what they were supposed to do.
“We’re further along on both sides of the ball than we’ve ever been since I’ve been here. These guys are intelligent, they play hard and they want to win, which makes my job easy.”
Delonte West dished out 10 assists.
With James going end to end for layups, Hickson leaping two feet above the rim to block a shot and Szczerbiak actually beating guys off the dribble, the Cavaliers jumped to leads of 3-0, 29-9 and 64-29 en route to a 66-32 lead at intermission, the largest halftime margin in franchise history (32 vs. Orlando, 69-37, April 10, 2001).
At that point, Brown had already used all 12 of his players, and 11 of them had scored at least three points. And he didn’t use James, who had 10 points on five layups or dunks in the first 9:39, for the final 14:21 of the half.
“That’s all about trying to develop a killer instinct,” Gibson said. “If you want to be one of the better teams in the league, you have to develop that. When you get a team down, you have to keep them down.”
Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4061 or rickn@ohio.net.

Cavs 117, Thunder 82

OKLAHOMA CITY (82): Durant 6-16 1-1 13, Green 4-12 0-2 8, Collison 2-3 0-0 4, Watson 2-10 1-2 7, Wilkins 0-4 3-4 3, Westbrook 4-14 5-8 13, Smith 3-7 0-0 6, Wilcox 5-7 4-4 14, Weaver 0-2 3-4 3, Petro 3-7 1-2 7, Sene 0-0 4-4 4. Totals 29-82 22-31 82.
CLEVELAND (117): James 7-12 0-0 14, Wallace 1-2 1-2 3, Ilgauskas 7-9 2-2 17, M.Williams 2-3 2-2 7, West 4-6 0-2 8, Gibson 6-13 2-2 15, Szczerbiak 4-6 3-4 13, Varejao 2-2 3-4 7, Hickson 6-12 2-2 14, Pavlovic 1-3 2-7 4, Jackson 2-3 0-0 4, Kinsey 3-3 5-5 11. Totals 45-74 22-32 117.
Oklahoma City    14     18     20     30    —    82
Cleveland    33     33     26     25    —    117
3-Point Goals—Oklahoma City 2-9 (Watson 2-4, Green 0-1, Durant 0-1, Weaver 0-1, Wilkins 0-2), Cleveland 5-13 (Szczerbiak 2-3, Ilgauskas 1-1, M.Williams 1-1, Gibson 1-6, West 0-1, James 0-1). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Oklahoma City 41 (Wilcox, Collison 5), Cleveland 60 (Ilgauskas, Varejao 7). Assists—Oklahoma City 17 (Weaver, Westbrook 5), Cleveland 27 (West 10). Total Fouls—Oklahoma City 22, Cleveland 19. Technicals—Cleveland defensive three second 2. A—19,753 (20,562).

In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement and discussion guidelines.
You must be registered and logged in to post a comment. If you aren't already registered, click here.
If you are registered, click here to log in.
Need help? Email Us.