James, Irving carry Cavaliers past Nuggets
CLEVELAND -- LeBron James and Kyrie Irving each scored 27 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 125-109 on Saturday night for their fifth win in their last six games.
Kevin Love scored 16 points and Tristan Thompson had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Cavs.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic had 27 points and 13 rebounds one night after he scored 40 points at Madison Square Garden in a Denver victory.
Gary Harris scored 16 points and Jamal Murray had 16 off the bench for the Nuggets, who were playing for the second night of a back-to-back and their third game in four nights.
It appeared to be a schedule loss for the Nuggets and certainly turned out that way.
The somewhat easy win allowed Cavs coach Tyronn Lue to get James off the floor after 32 minutes -- a relative victory given the heavy load he has carried in recent weeks.
James' minutes have been up all season and they've only increased lately. He played more than 40 in Thursday's loss at Oklahoma City.
The fact the Cavs led 77-55 midway through the third quarter should have been enough to keep James out for the entire fourth quarter, but the Cavs have been squandering big leads most of the season and Saturday was no different.
The Nuggets cut the lead in half by early in the fourth quarter, although the Cavs held on and were never really threatened.
Kyle Korver scored 14 points off the bench and Derrick Williams contributed seven in 21 minutes for the Cavaliers in his first home game.
Williams, who signed a 10-day contract on Thursday, appears to have quickly become a rotation fixture -- at least through the injuries. Iman Shumpert missed his third straight game with a sprained left ankle and Lue isn't sure yet when he'll return.
Lue is having fun experimenting with Williams' athleticism for now. He used him on point guards in Thursday's loss at Oklahoma City and even had him handling the ball a bit Saturday -- although no one expects him to do that often.
Still, Williams provides a young, athletic wing who can play multiple positions -- something the Cavaliers have struggled to find, particularly the young part.
NOTES: Nuggets coach Mike Malone spent five years on the Cavs' coaching staff when LeBron James was in Cleveland the first time around. Malone credits those years for why he's a head coach today. "We had great success, the best record in the NBA twice. Went to the Finals," Malone said. "Because of that opportunity and the success we had, because of a guy like LeBron, that allowed me to be seen in a different light amongst NBA GM's and owners. It was a huge factor in me becoming a head coach in the NBA." ... G Kyrie Irving's popular internet character "Uncle Drew" is going to the big screen. Variety reported that Irving will star in a film as the character he created for Pepsi Max commercials. Temple Hill Entertainment will produce it. ... Cavs G Iman Shumpert missed his third straight game with a sprained ankle. Coach Tyronn Lue still isn't sure when Shumpert will be cleared to play.