Cavaliers 99, Clippers 92
Ramon Sessions had 24 points and 13 assists in a rare start and Antawn Jamison had 27 points in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 99-92 home win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
The Cavaliers were forced to play without star rookie Kyrie Irving, who was a surprise scratch with a concussion he suffered in Tuesday’s loss to the Miami Heat.
Despite missing their best player and their entire starting backcourt (Anthony Parker missed the game with a strained lower back), the Cavaliers built a 15-point lead in the second half and held on in the final minutes.
The Clippers had a chance to tie the game with 10 seconds remaining, but Caron Butler missed a contested 3-pointer and Cleveland hit its foul shots to run out the clock.
Blake Griffin had 25 points and 15 rebounds and Chris Paul had 16 points and 12 assists for the Clippers, who were playing their first game since Chuancey Billups was lost for the season to a torn Achilles. Kenyon Martin had six points and four rebounds in his first NBA game in more than a year.
Anderson Varejao had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who began a season-long nine-game homestand.