Nets at Cavaliers
LeBron James took Tuesday night off to rest and should be refreshed when the Cleveland Cavaliers try to get some revenge for one of their most embarrassing losses against the visiting Brooklyn Nets on Thursday. The Cavaliers dropped a 104-95 decision at Brooklyn a week ago, after which James told reporters, “I just need to do more.”
James, who responded with a triple-double in a win at New York on Saturday, was desperately needed on Tuesday as Cleveland let a 20-point lead slip away and fell 106-100 to the Houston Rockets. “They were getting to the free-throw line, got us in the bonus early and they never really looked back,” Cavaliers forward Kevin Love told reporters. “We didn’t get the stops that we needed and didn’t play aggressive like we did in the first half, which is ultimately what did it.” The Nets are struggling on their current road trip and lost 110-99 at Miami on Monday to begin the trip before getting trounced 139-105 at Orlando on Tuesday. Brooklyn looked nothing like the team that battled to the end and held the Cavaliers to 12 fourth-quarter points five days’ prior as the Magic shot 61.5 percent from the field and scored at least 30 points in all four periods on Tuesday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), FSN Ohio (Cleveland)
ABOUT THE NETS (21-53): Brooklyn gave Thaddeus Young the night off and used Brook Lopez and Bojan Bogdanovic for just 15 minutes apiece on Tuesday in order to get a look at the rest of the roster. That roster depth was not very impressive on the defensive end, but at least Thomas Robinson delivered 18 points and 12 rebounds while starting in place of Young. Guard Sean Kilpatrick continued his solid play with 11 points off the bench and has scored in double figures in 10 straight contests.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (52-22): James is not the only player who figures to get extra rest down the stretch, and Cleveland has made health its No. 1 priority heading into the postseason. “I have to listen to the training staff, and if they say guys are banged up a little, or tired, you know, we have to go with that,” Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue told reporters. “When a guy’s limit is in the red and it gets kind of dangerous, and in the ‘danger zone,’ then we have to tend to have to listen to that.” Cleveland will play two more sets of back-to-backs among the final eight games of the regular season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Kilpatrick is 0-of-12 from 3-point range in the last four games.
2. Cavaliers F Channing Frye is 1-of-17 from 3-point range in the last four contests.
3. Cleveland G Mo Williams is 4-of-4 from 3-point range in the last two games after missing the previous 16 contests with a knee injury.