Irving, James propel Cavaliers past Nets
NEW YORK -- Kyrie Irving hit two clutch 3-pointers in the opening four-plus minutes of the fourth quarter as the Cleveland Cavaliers blew most of a 24-point lead before getting a 116-108 victory over the Brooklyn Nets Friday.
LeBron James scored 29 of his 36 points in the first three quarters and was resting when Irving came through to stave off a Brooklyn comeback after Cleveland allowed the first 11 points of the fourth.
Irving returned from missing the previous three games due a tight right hamstring and scored 32 points, including the first 12 of the fourth quarter for the Cavaliers when the lead shrank to 86-80 in the opening minutes. He scored Cleveland's first points of the fourth at the foul line and then a long jumper, two 3-pointers and a layup to push the lead to 98-82 with about 7 1/2 minutes remaining.
Irving shot 10 of 26 from the floor and his spree occurred while James was getting rest. James returned with 6:26 left and Cleveland ahead by a 98-86 margin.
Cleveland allowed the Nets to stay within the eight- to 10-point range the rest of the way. The Nets were within 109-101 on a 3-pointer by Brook Lopez with 2:25 left but on the next possession James hit a long step back jumper.
A layup by Trevor Booker with 1:13 left made it a 113-106 game. After Channing Frye missed a 3-pointer on the next possession, the Nets gained possession with 48.2 seconds remaining. Lopez fumbled the pass by rookie Caris LeVert and James split a pair at the line with 34.3 remaining.
Kevin Love added 17 points after sitting Wednesday with food poisoning due to some bad fish on the team flight from Charlotte last Saturday.
Bojan Bogdanovic led the Nets with 23 points, two weeks after going scoreless in Cleveland. LeVert added a career-high 19 points while Lopez contributed 17 as the Nets lost for the 22nd time their last 26 games since Nov. 12.
Before holding on, the Cavaliers ripped off 13 straight points to get a 50-39 halftime lead. Cleveland took a 79-55 lead on two free throws by Tristan Thompson with 3:50 left in the third and took an 86-68 edge into the fourth.
NOTES: Cleveland did not finalize the trade for G-F Kyle Korver, but reports indicate that it will be official sometime Saturday. The Cavaliers announced they obtained their own 2018 first-round pick from Portland for an unprotected 2017 first-round pick. The 2018 pick was sent to Portland last season at the trade deadline in the Anderson Varajao deal, but the Cavs needed to reacquire since league rules prevent teams from dealing first-round picks in consecutive years. The Cavs are reportedly sending their 2019 first-round pick to Atlanta. ... Kenny Atkinson was an assistant with Atlanta for the first three seasons of Korver's tenure there and said: "Great move. I'm very familiar with Kyle. I think we all make a mistake if we just think Kyle's a shooter. He's a better all-around player than people think." ... Nets F Rondae Hollis-Jefferson tested his right hip Friday and returned after sitting out Thursday. ... G R.J. Hunter, who recently was waived by the Chicago Bulls, was obtained the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn's affiliate in the D-league.