Nuggets at Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers look to win their fifth straight game when they host the Denver Nuggets on Monday. The Cavaliers have scored 110 or more points in each game during the streak and exploded for a season-high 127 in a 33-point win over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. Hoping to continue its climb up the Central Division standings, Cleveland won its only game against the Nuggets last season and has won the last three in the series.
The Nuggets missed an opportunity to post back-to-back wins for the first time this season as they fell to the New York Knicks on Sunday. Denver went a dismal 1-of-16 from the floor in the second quarter of the 109-93 loss and hopes to rebound quickly by ending its three-game road swing on a winning note. "We had a long drought," coach Brian Shaw admitted to reporters. "In the games we've lost this year we've had one quarter where we've allowed a team to create a lead so big we can't come back."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBA TV, FS Ohio (Cleveland), Altitude (Denver)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (2-7): Arron Afflalo led the team in scoring for the second straight game after tallying 18 points - including five 3-pointers - in the loss to New York. Ty Lawson added 17 points and a game-high nine assists to give him 19 helpers in his last two outings. Randy Foye missed his second straight game with a bruised right knee and is questionable for Monday.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (5-3): LeBron James scored 32 points - on 13-of-20 shooting - to go along with seven assists and six rebounds in the 127-94 win over the Hawks. Cleveland became the first team in NBA history to start out 9-of-9 or better from the 3-point line in a quarter and wound up hitting their first 11 shots from beyond the arc. Rookie Joe Harris came off the bench to score a career-high 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Nuggets have won five of the last seven meetings with the Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.
2. Cleveland had 39 assists on 49 field goals on Saturday.
3. Denver has lost four of its five road games by double digits.
PREDICTION: Cavaliers 121, Nuggets 103