Kevin Love and LeBron James took turns dominating halves during Cleveland's 117-103 home victory over the Spurs on Saturday night.
Love responded to being snubbed from the All-Star Game by scoring 21 points — 18 in the first half — and grabbing 11 rebounds against San Antonio (39-8) All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who fell into foul trouble early on.
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James, on the other hand, scored 21 of his 29 points in the second half.
The combined performances helped Cleveland (34-12) earn its first signature win under new head coach Tyronn Lue.
"We've been really pushing the pace because coach Lue has been getting after us," James said after the game on ABC. "We've been able to play faster without turning the ball over and I think we're getting more comfortable on offense doing what we want to do. Coach Lue has done a nice job putting me, Kyrie (Irving) and Kevin in the right spots."
After losing games against the Spurs and Warriors earlier this month, many thought the Cavs may not have what it takes to win it all this year. But their current four-game winning streak has ended that chatter.
Now it's the Spurs that need to answer some questions. After getting waxed by the Warriors (43-4) on Tuesday, San Antonio looked thoroughly outmatched in this game. Kawhi Leonard led the team with 24 points and six rebounds, but no one else stepped up to support him.
(Near) upset alert:
Philadelphia almost pulled off an incredible fourth-quarter comeback against Golden State, but with the game tied at 105, Warriors forward Harrison Barnes drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer. The 76ers (7-41) outscored the Warriors (43-4) 33-17 in the fourth quarter and tied the game on an Ish Smith breakaway dunk with 22 seconds to go.
But Steph Curry and Co. prevailed. Klay Thompson scored 32 points, Curry added 23, and Draymond Green filled the box score with 10 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.
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James Harden is back to his best:
After starting the season in a brutal shooting slump, Harden is starting to show why he was an MVP favorite throughout most of last season. Harden did his part on Saturday night— racking up 40 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds — but Houston fell to the Wizards (21-24), 123-122.
Harden now has four double-doubles in his last 11 games and has scored 30 or more points in five of those games. Houston (25-25) sits seventh in the Western Conference standings, but having Harden back among the game's elite should help them stay on the right side of the playoff picture.
Highlights:
Will "the Thrill" Barton throws one down:
THE THRILL ????
(Dunk contest, please!) #Nuggets pic.twitter.com/81B50DQ8sy
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 31, 2016 Harrison Barnes knocks down the game winner:
The game-winner, courtesy of @hbarnes . pic.twitter.com/XgccWaLljD
— GoldenStateWarriors (@warriors) January 31, 2016 Harden with the slam:
. @JHarden13 throwing it down! 🚀 https://t.co/ERZzR7wSrT
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) January 31, 2016 Stud of the night:
Pacers shooting guard Monta Ellis continued his recent dominant stretch with a 32-point, nine-rebound, six-assist night in an Indiana (25-22) 109-105 overtime win over the Nuggets (18-30). Ellis was at one time valued over Stephen Curry by some in Golden State, but the Warriors ultimately traded Ellis to Milwaukee, where his career stalled. Ellis is now back to his best self again, and has scored 20-plus points in four of his last seven games.
Dud of the night:
Much has been said about Detroit's porous bench situation this season, forcing the starting lineup to consistently log heavy minutes. But that argument was never clearer than Saturday night when Anthony Tolliver was asked to step into the lineup for injured Ersan İlyasova. Tolliver scored just five points and grabbed two rebounds in 35 minutes.
What's next:
Bulls (26-19) at Clippers (31-16), 3:30 p.m. ET — Jimmy Butler leads the injury-ravaged Bulls against the dysfunctional Clippers. At the very least, this game should be entertaining.
Warriors (43-4) at Knicks (23-26), 7:30 p.m. ET — Golden State at Madison Square Garden? Sign us up. Green said the Warriors almost lost Saturday because he was chasing a triple-double. Shouldn't contributing to three major statistical categories help your team?