'Cavs Notes'
Painful night for Cavaliers: Fall to Bucks in OT and lose Anderson Varejao to wrist injury
CLEVELAND — They knew they weren’t going to have Kyrie Irving. Then they lost Anderson Varejao early in the third period. And they still nearly won. And probably should have. The ailing Cavaliers dropped a heartbreaker Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena, falling 113-112 in overtime to the Milwaukee Bucks. “The guys continued to battle,” [...]
Cavs notes: Kyrie Irving still out, not expected back until Wednesday at earliest
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers aren’t going to let 19-year-old point guard Kyrie Irving return to action until they’re certain he’s fully recovered from a concussion. Though he was in attendance, Irving missed his second straight game Friday when Cleveland hosted the Milwaukee Bucks. He will also sit out tonight’s game at Quicken Loans Arena against [...]
Cavaliers falter in fourth quarter, fall to Heat
MIAMI — One stingy defensive stretch was enough to carry the Miami Heat past LeBron James’ former team once again. Might have gotten the Heat prepped for a daunting road stretch as well. Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, James added 24 and the Heat said farewell to their home floor for nearly two weeks by [...]
More injury woes for Cavaliers: Daniel Gibson has neck setback, doesn’t make trip to Miami
CLEVELAND — Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson practiced and believed he was ready to play. He’ll have to wait a little longer. Gibson did not travel with the team to Miami as originally planned after he complained about discomfort in his neck after practicing for the first time in 10 days. Gibson will miss his fifth [...]
Cavaliers rally to dump defending champion Mavericks 91-88
CLEVELAND — The Dallas Mavericks are a popular team in Cleveland because they beat LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals, but they weren’t the best team in town Saturday night. The Cavaliers rallied from a 15-point deficit to defeat the Mavs 91-88 in front of 17,443 at Quicken Loans Arena, [...]
Cavaliers fight back again, but lose again, this time to Magic
ORLANDO, Fla. — Predicting which Orlando Magic team shows up from night to night has been a daily guessing game. A recent season-high four-game losing streak was plagued with turnovers, inconsistent play on defense and stale offense. Since then, the Magic have dug out of the muck, earning their second straight victory, 102-94 over the [...]
Fouling Dwight Howard, a lot, could be part of Cavs’ game plan
INDEPENDENCE — Cavaliers coach Byron Scott isn’t ruling out going to the hack-a-Howard approach tonight at Orlando’s Amway Center, but his team probably won’t take it to the extreme that Golden State did Jan. 12. Notoriously poor-shooting Orlando center Dwight Howard attempted an NBA-record 39 free throws that night and finished with a career-high-tying 45 [...]
Cavs rookie Kyrie Irving is East Rookie of the Month
INDEPENDENCE — It was a no-brainer. Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month on Wednesday for games played in December and January. Minnesota’s Ricky Rubio was honored in the West. Irving leads all rookies in scoring (18.1), ranks second in assists (4.9) and field goal percentage (.511) and is [...]
Celtics 93, Cavs 90: Cavs comeback falls short
CLEVELAND — There are no moral victories in the NBA, but there are morale builders. Tuesday was a classic example, as the Cavaliers cut a 22-point deficit to two before falling 93-90 to the Boston Celtics in front of 14,798 at Quicken Loans Arena. “Obviously, it’s not the outcome we wanted,” said Cleveland coach Byron [...]
Cavs rookie Kyrie Irving a willing pupil
Kyrie Irving has an appreciation for those who played basketball before him, especially those who can teach the game to him. Like his father, Drederick, one of the top scorers in Boston University history, who was in attendance Sunday when the 19-year-old hit the first game-winning shot of his NBA career to lift the Cavaliers [...]
Ain’t that a sham? Cavs’ furious closing rally in loss to Nets can’t erase 3 1/2 quarters of bad basketball
CLEVELAND — Don’t be fooled by the final score. Ditto for Kyrie Irving’s point total. The New Jersey Nets beat the Cavaliers a whole lot worse than 99-96 indicates, leading from start to finish Friday at Quicken Loans Arena and going up 17 with 6:37 left in the game. A frantic, Irving-led rally that never [...]
Cavs notes: Anderson Varejao, All-Star? His coach thinks he’s deserving
CLEVELAND — There’s no chance Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao is going to get voted into the NBA All-Star Game in fan balloting. Cleveland coach Byron Scott, however, is campaigning for the eighth-year pro to be added to the team when Eastern Conference coaches vote for the seven reserves. “Obviously, (Orlando’s) Dwight Howard is going to [...]
‘Wild Thing’ annoys NY as Cavs win
CLEVELAND — Daniel Gibson is thankful he’s on the same team as Anderson Varejao. Otherwise, he might get as annoyed and frustrated as New York’s Tyson Chandler became Wednesday night in the Cavaliers’ 91-81 victory over the Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena. “I run past a guy and I can hear him mumbling things under [...]
Cavs notes: Coach Scott has a plan for Kyrie Irving’s playing time
CLEVELAND — By his own admission, Cavaliers coach Byron Scott “got lost” Tuesday night in Miami, where his team fell 92-85 to the Heat. Scott took out rookie point guard Kyrie Irving with 3:49 left in the third period and didn’t put him back in the game until the 5:03 mark of the fourth quarter. [...]
Anderson Varejao frustrates Knicks as Cavaliers snap skid
CLEVELAND — Daniel Gibson is thankful he’s on the same team as Anderson Varejao. Otherwise, he might get as annoyed and frustrated as New York’s Tyson Chandler became Wednesday night in the Cavaliers’ 91-81 victory over the Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena. “I run past a guy and I can hear him mumbling things under [...]
Chris Bosh carries LeBron and Miami over Cavs
MIAMI — LeBron James was not at his best, and a game against his former team was slipping away. Chris Bosh made sure that didn’t happen. Bosh scored 17 points in the fourth quarter — the biggest final period by any Miami player this season — and finished with a game-high 35 points, carrying the [...]
Chris Bosh carries LeBron, Heat past Cavaliers, 92-85
MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James was not at his best, and a game against his former team was slipping away. Chris Bosh made sure that didn’t happen. Bosh scored 17 points in the fourth quarter — the biggest final period by any Miami player this season — and finished with a game-high 35 points, carrying [...]
Cavs vow a better showing against Heat tonight
INDEPENDENCE — When the Cavaliers faced LeBron James and the Miami Heat for the first time last season, Cleveland suffered an embarrassing 118-90 loss at Quicken Loans Arena that deflated everyone, home team included. It was the second game of what turned into a 10-game losing streak and, eventually, a stretch where Cleveland lost 36 [...]
Cavs notes: Kyrie Irving struggling with large part of game
INDEPENDENCE — Kyrie Irving has been fantastic at the offensive end. It’s hard to quibble with the 17.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists the 19-year-old rookie point guard is putting up for the Cavaliers, who play in Miami tonight against LeBron James and the Heat. Defense has been another story. Irving started out OK, [...]
Cavaliers blown out for 2nd straight night, lose to Hawks 121-94
ATLANTA (AP) — Hawks coach Larry Drew expected a strong start from his team against Cleveland. Drew was especially pleased to see Atlanta follow through with a strong finish to put away the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second half. Joe Johnson scored 25 points and the Hawks, coming off a loss that prompted Drew to [...]
Cavaliers embarrassed at home, lose 114-75 to Rose-less Bulls
CLEVELAND — Maybe it would have been better for the Cavaliers if Derrick Rose had played. Maybe not. But it couldn’t have been worse. Could it? With the reigning league MVP in street clothes with a toe injury, the Chicago Bulls still showed why they have the best record in the NBA, rolling to a [...]
Zydrunas Ilgauskas hired to assist Cavs GM
INDEPENDENCE — Zydrunas Ilgauskas is back with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team announced Wednesday that it had hired the 36-year-old as a special assistant to general manager Chris Grant. Ilgauskas, the franchise’s all-time leader in games played (771), rebounds (5,904) and blocks (1,269), along with ranking second in points (10,616), will evaluate amateur and professional [...]
Mistake-prone Cavaliers commit 25 turnovers, fall to Golden State
CLEVELAND — On this night, 19-year-old Kyrie Irving led the Cavaliers in the wrong direction. The rookie committed six of Cleveland’s season-high 25 turnovers Tuesday in a 105-95 loss to the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena, where paid attendance was announced at 13,056. “They were definitely big, starting with me,” Irving said of [...]
Cavaliers rally, but Kobe makes sure Lakers hold on
LOS ANGELES — Even Kobe Bryant has to acknowledge he’s on his most impressive scoring tear in a half-decade, decimating opponents’ defenses with the flair and determination of the Los Angeles Lakers superstar’s best seasons. And he’s got a little more bad news for the Cleveland Cavaliers and every other opponent in his way. That [...]
Road trip starting to test Cavs
PORTLAND, Ore. — After a demoralizing loss in Phoenix, it took the Portland Trail Blazers some time to get going at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The first half Sunday night was a yawner, but the Blazers picked up the pace in the second and pulled away for a 98-78 victory. LaMarcus Aldridge had 28 [...]