The reeling Cavaliers, losers of three straight, were trailing at home to the rebuilding Trail Blazers in the fourth quarter Tuesday. It seemed as though Cleveland's ugly slide may continue. Then LeBron James awoke.
James scored 14 points in the final period, leading Cleveland to a 105-100 come-from-behind win over Portland. He finished the night with 33 points on 14-for-24 shooting, 10 rebounds and three blocks.
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James could not have been happy after the Cavs fell behind 18 points in the first half. Damian Lillard (33 points, six assists, six rebounds) played a big role, but he was no match for No. 23.
The game was typical of what James has done since his team lost All-Star guard Kyrie Irving in Game 1 of the 2015-16 NBA Finals. James played methodically through three quarters before going off in the fourth. This game marked the eighth time he has scored at least 10 points in fourth quarter this season, tying him with Stephen Curry for the most in the NBA.
"Momentum is a huge thing in sports," James said, via ESPN. "If you're able to get a little momentum and able to ride that wave, you can do some special things. We caught a good wave tonight."
Tuesday night, James was the wave.
Stud of the Night
Klay Thompson had this one sewn up by halftime. Thompson scored 29 points in the first two quarters — and 39 for the game — as the Warriors rolled past the Pacers 131-123.
After struggling in recent games against lesser opponents, the Pacers were a popular pick to end the streak in Indiana. Alas, the Warriors are 23-0 and going strong, Thompson's sprained ankle notwithstanding (he's not expected to miss much time, if any).
Dud of the Night
James Harden gets the ugly honor. He came up very small against the Nets, scoring just 10 points on 2-for-9 shooting with nine assists. He also had seven turnovers as the Rockets fell 110-105. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Rockets.
Tweet of the Night
Looks like Draymond Green was on to something.
Love this quote from my September interview with @Money23Green. He was confident GS would be a lot better this year. pic.twitter.com/Et0g7AvXq4
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) December 9, 2015Looking ahead (all times Eastern):
Bulls (11-7) at Celtics (12-9), 7 p.m.: The Bulls have lost three of their last five games after starting 9-4. The Celtics have won five of their last eight, and a win against Chicago would be good for the young team's confidence.
Spurs (18-4) at Raptors (13-9), 7:30 p.m.: San Antonio, the second-hottest squad in the league, is 9-1 in its last 10 games, but it will face a Raptors team that was just minutes away from giving the Warriors their first loss of the season on Saturday.